Adjusting the N fertilizer factor based on soil health as indicated by soil‐test biological activity

Abstract

Agriculture faces a dilemma with nitrogen (N)—it is often the most necessary external input to optimize production, several generations of farmers became accustomed to its relatively inexpensive cost, and it contributes to widespread pollution due to numerous loss pathways to the environment. However, standard N fertilizer recommendations have not accounted well enough for a key source via mineralizable soil N. Soil‐test biological activity (STBA) is strongly associated with mineralizable soil N, both of which become surface‐enriched with conservation agricultural management using soil health principles. A series of field experiments assessed the contribution of mineralizable soil N to the N supply needed to optimize corn (Zea mays L.) grain and fall‐stockpiled tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.] production. This essay synthesizes how STBA along with cost‐to‐value threshold can be used to modify the N fertilizer factor to optimize economic return and avoid environmental degradation.

What Influences Farmers’ Adoption of Soil Testing and Formulated Fertilization Technology in Black Soil Areas? An Empirical Analysis Based on Logistic-ISM Model

“…STFFT is a pro-environmental type of soil conservation tool, which is a scientific fertilizer application technique designed to address the current soil deterioration problems caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers [ 16 , 17 ]. Specifically, STFFT refers to an agricultural technology based on soil testing and fertilizer field trials to determine the amount, period of use and working method of elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, micronutrients and organic matter based on the pattern of crop demand for elements, the ability of the soil to supply fertilizer and the effect of fertilizer application [ 18 , 19 ]. The implementation process of the technology includes five continuous working links, “soil determination-formulation–fertilizer formulation–fertilizer supply–fertilizer application guidance”, with the first three links as the main steps to systematically provide fertilizer application guidance services for farmers.…”

Improving a nitrogen mineralization model for predicting unfertilized corn yield

“…Microbial decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) and plant residues can provide a source of N for crops, yet quantifying this resource requires a model that includes interactions among plants, microbes, environmental conditions, and soil minerals (Daly et al., 2021). There has been a widespread call to include microorganisms more explicitly in biogeochemical models (Schimel, 2023) and in fertilizer recommendations for crops (Franzluebbers et al., 2022), but with no consensus on which microbial attributes might be required in different modeling contexts. At the same time, there has been a call to consider the role of mineral‐associated nutrient pools in modeling SOM decomposition, including agricultural N fertility (Daly et al., 2021).…”

“…A variety of approaches have been used to estimate the N contributions of SOM and cover crops to the following cash crop. Some of these include empirical equations based on laboratory incubations (Quemada & Cabrera, 1995; Sullivan et al., 2019; Franzluebbers et al., 2022), the pre‐sidedress soil nitrate test (White et al., 2023), and detailed crop‐soil simulation models (Thapa et al., 2022; Woodruff et al., 2018). Here we focus on improving an N mineralization model (White et al., 2020) that uses simple biogeochemical equations to explicitly represent microbial decomposition and mineral‐associated SOM.…”

Texture and organic matter associations with soil functional properties in crop and conservation land uses in North Carolina

“…The discrepancy in responses of soil respiration to texture would suggest that consistent methodology is imperative in soil biological analyses. Soil-test biological activity has been used in the Soil Ecology and Management Lab with the same approach in numerous studies and allows for quantitative interpretation for making management decisions, such as for nutrient application (Franzluebbers et al, 2022), interpreting effects on soil aggregation (Franzluebbers, 2022c, and assessing the impacts of short-and long-term management on soil health condition (Franzluebbers, 2020b(Franzluebbers, , 2021bFranzluebbers et al, 2019Franzluebbers et al, , 2021.…”