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Effects of different nitrogen (N) sources on the growth and N accumulation of corn plants were studied on plots treated with a compost, a leguminous green manure, and a peat, respectively, associated with a chemical N fertilizer. The experiment included seven treatments with a no-fertilization check and a conventional chemical fertilizer treatment. Whole corn plants were sampled, and total N was analyzed at 22, 33, 56, 77, and 120 days after seeding (DAS). The results showed that compost with an adequate amount of chemical N fertilizer could reach a high dry matter yield and a high N accumulation, even higher than those of the conventional chemical N fertilizer treatment. With green manure, a considerable amount of N was mineralized and utilized by the corn plants for growth and resulted in a good yield. Neither the peat nor the 297 298 CHUNG ET AL. compost alone could supply enough N for the growth of corn plants. There were no significant effect of treatments on the distribution of dry matter yield and N accumulated in various organs. The crop growth rate of the corn plants of different treatments were significantly different at the vegetative growth stage, however, there were no significant difference during the grain filling period. The apparent N recovery of various treatments were between 0.22 to 0.51 kg N for each kg N applied.

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Continuous cultivation has been known to decrease soil organic matter content. Application of organic matter to cultivated soil is an important practice from the point of view of maintaining an adequate amount of soil organic matter. Soil organic matter content significantly affects soil microbial activity, which is an important index of soil quality. In this study, a field experiment was conducted to examine the long-term effects of different kinds of organic matter in combination with inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer on chemical and biological properties of soils. There were seven treatments, namely (1) The results showed that compared with CK and Chem-N treatments, applications of compost and peat increased soil organic carbon (SOC) content and altered microbial activities and microbial community structure. However, application of green manure for 12 years had no effect on SOC content. Both microbial activities and PLFA profiles were clearly dependent on the characteristics of the applied organic amendments. In summary, a peat application led to the highest increase in SOC content compared to compost and green manure; however, compost-treated soil had a higher microbial population and higher microbial and enzyme activities, while the effects of both green manure and chemical N fertilizer on soil properties were similar.