Nitrogen Fixation in Sugar Cane Litter

Patriquin, David G.

doi:10.1080/01448765.1982.9754376

Cited by 37 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This result is not surprising as the trash provides physical protection of the soil surface retaining moisture as well as protecting the soil from erosion when rainfall is heavy. There is strong evidence from the studies of Patriquin (1982) and Patriquin (1990a, 1990b) initiated in Barbados, that there are significant contributions of BNF from bacterial/fungal associations in cane trash which might be expected given the very high C:N ratio of this material and its propensity to conserve moisture. Unfortunately, until very recently pre-harvest burning of cane was almost universally practiced in Brazil, such that no studies of BNF activity in the trash have been published.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Long-term Effects of Pre-harvest Burning and Nitrogen and Vinasse Applications on Yield of Sugar Cane and Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks on a Plantation in Pernambuco, N.E. Brazil

et al. 2006

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Since the 1970s the area under sugarcane in Brazil has increased from 2 million to over 5 million ha (M ha), and it is expected to pass the 7 M ha mark in 2007. More than half of the cane is harvested to produce bioethanol as a fuel for light vehicles. The distilleries produce approximately 13 L of distillery waste (vinasse) for each litre of ethanol produced. In the 1980s there was considerable concern over the long-term effects of the disposal of this material (containing about 1% carbon and high in K) on cane yields if it was applied to the field. At the same time there was a growing movement to abandon the practice of pre-harvest burning and some research was showing that some Brazilian varieties of sugar cane were able to obtain significant contributions of N from plant-associated biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). For these reasons an experiment was installed on a cane plantation in the state of Pernambuco, NE Brazil to investigate the long-term effects of vinasse and N fertiliser additions and the practice of pre-harvest burning on crop and sugar yield, soil fertility parameters, N balance and soil C stocks. The results showed that over a 16-year period, trash conservation (abandonment of burning) increased cane yields by 25% from a mean of 46 to 58 Mg ha )1 . Vinasse applications (80 m 3 ha )1 crop )1 ) increased mean cane and sugar yield by 12 to 13% and the application of 80 kg N ha )1 as urea increased cane yields by 9%, but total sugar yield by less than 6% (from 7.0 to 7.4 Mg ha )1 crop )1 ). The total N balance for the soil/plant system when only the surface 20 cm of the soil was considered was positive in plots where no N fertiliser was added. However, the data indicated that during the 16 years of the study considerable quantities of soil organic matter were accumulated below 20 cm depth such that the N balance considering the soil to 60 cm depth was strongly positive, except where N fertiliser was added. The data indicated that there were considerable BNF inputs to the system, which was consistent with its low response to N fertiliser and low N fertiliser-use-efficiency. There were no significant effects of vinasse or urea addition, or trash conservation on soil C stocks, although the higher yields proportioned by trash conservation had potentially significant benefits for increased mitigation of CO 2 emissions where the main use of the cane was for bioethanol production.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Long-term Effects of Pre-harvest Burning and Nitrogen and Vinasse Applications on Yield of Sugar Cane and Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks on a Plantation in Pernambuco, N.E. Brazil

et al. 2006

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“…With cellulose as a carbon source, fixation ranged from 2.5-4.5 mg N g-1 cellulose (Kalininskaya, 1972) 217 to 14 mg N g-I cellulose (Jensen and Swaby, 1941). Similarly, huge variations in rates of N2 fixed (2-155 g N ha-l day-J) were found with sugar cane trash by Patriquin (1982), but he estimated that the total N2 fixed in association with the trash from a cane crop was of the order of 20 kg N ha -1. Similarly, huge variations in rates of N2 fixed (2-155 g N ha-l day-J) were found with sugar cane trash by Patriquin (1982), but he estimated that the total N2 fixed in association with the trash from a cane crop was of the order of 20 kg N ha -1.…”

Section: Fixation In Dryland Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nitrogen fixation by asymbiotic bacteria has been observed in artificial systems in soils amended with cellulose (Jensen and Swaby, 1941;Kalininskaya, 1972), wheat straw (Delwiche and Wijler, 1956;Gibson, 1986, 1989;Lynch and Harper, 1983;Roper and Smith, 1991), oat straw (Brouzes et al, 1969), maize stalks (Abd-el- Malek et al, 1976) and sugar cane trash (Patriquin, 1982) to mention a few. Measurements of N2 fixed in artificial systems vary greatly.…”

Section: Fixation In Dryland Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological N2 fixation by heterotrophic and phototrophic bacteria in association with straw

Roper

Ladha

1995

Plant Soil

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IntroductionAsymbiotic diazotrophs Straw components and their direct utilisation by diazotrophs Aerobic and anaerobic cellulose degradation N2 fixation in soils by bacteria using products of straw decomposition N2 fixation in flooded soils N2 fixation in dryland soils Factors affecting N2 fixation associated with straw Ways to enhance straw-associated N2 fixation Conclusions References AbstractMuch of the crop residues, including cereal straw, that are produced worldwide are lost by burning. Plant residues, and in particular straw, contain large amounts of carbon (cellulose and hemicellulose) which can serve as substrates for the production of microbial biomass and for biological N2 fixation by a range of free-living, diazotrophic bacteria. Microorganisms with the dual ability to utilise cellulose and fix N2 are rare, but some strains that utilize hemicellulose and fix N2 have been found. Generally, cellulolysis and diazotrophy are carried out by a mixed microbial community in which N2-fixing bacteria utilise cellobiose and glucose produced from straw by cellulolytic microorganisms. N2-fixing bacteria include heterotrophic and phototrophic organisms and the latter are 212 apparently more prominent in flooded soils such as rice paddies than in dryland soils. The relative contributions of N2 fixed by heterotrophic diazotrophic bacteria compared with cyanobacteria and other phototrophic bacteria depend on the availability of substrates from straw decomposition and on environmental pressures. Measurements of asymbiotic N2 fixation are limited and variable but, in rice paddy systems, rates of 25 kg N ha-1 over 30 days have been found, whereas in dryland systems with wheat straw, in situ measurements have indicated up to 12 kg N ha-l over 22 days. Straw-associated N2 fixation is directly affected by environmental factors such as temperature, moisture, oxygen concentration, soil pH and clay content as well as farm management practices. Modification of managements and use of inoculants offer ways of improving asymbiotic N2 fixation.In laboratory culture systems, inoculation of straws with cellulolytic and diazotrophic microorganisms has resulted in significant increases in N2 fixation in comparison to uninoculated controls and gains of N of up to 72 mg N fixed g-~ straw consumed have been obtained, indicating the potential of inoculation to improve N gains in composts that can then be used as biofertilisers. Soils, on the other hand, contain established, indigenous microbial populations which tend to exclude inoculant microorganisms by competition. As a consequence, improvements in straw-associated N2 fixation in soils have been achieved mostly by specific straw-management practices which encourage microbial activity by straw-decomposing and N2-fixing microorganisms.Further research is needed to quantify more accurately the contribution of asymbiotic N2 fixation to cropping systems. New strains of inoculants, including those capable of both cellulolytic and N2-fixing activity, are needed to improve the N content of biofe...

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“…While some non-industrial agricultural systems are known to have cycled N intensively (e.g. King, 2004), other agricultural systems are not yet understood; the pre-European dryland observed (Patriquin, 1982). N fixed during sugarcane growth may have been transferred to the fields through mulching, or the mulching practices themselves may have enhanced N-fixation during decomposition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Nitrogen fixation during decomposition of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is an important contribution to nutrient supply in traditional dryland agricultural systems of Hawai'i

Lincoln

Vitousek

2015

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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Nitrogen (N) is unique among essential elements required for life, in that it must be fixed from the vast atmospheric reservoir before most organisms can use it. Prior to industrial nitrogen fixation, many agricultural systems were limited in their productivity by N. What sustained N in the ancient Hawaiian dryland (rain-fed) agricultural systems that lacked legumes or other known significant N inputs? N-fixation during sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) growth and litter decomposition was examined in settings representing pre-European Hawaiian agriculture. We did not detect associative N-fixation during the growth of five Hawaiian sugarcane cultivars. In contrast, N-fixation during the decomposition of leaf and stalk material was important. We found that the depth of the mulch layer significantly affected N-fixation levels during decomposition; values of N-fixation in different depths of senesced leaf litter ranged from 0.69 to 1.36 gN/kg of litter integrated over the lifetime of decomposition. Compared to senesced leaf litter, N-fixation during decomposition of nonsenesced leaf litter was 77% and stalk material 140% per unit mass. Peak rates of N fixation occurred between 200 and 400 days of decomposition, and ranged from 1.37 to 3.27 gN/kg/yr. Our empirical results were extrapolated to represent the traditional Hawaiian cropping system; we calculated N-fixation inputs of 4.8-39.0 kgN/ha/yr, with fixed N adding 17-40% of the amount of N added through litter. Findings indicate that significant N may be introduced into natural cropping systems through mulching practices and that small changes in practices greatly alter the total inputs. The use of mulch was likely an important source of N in pre-industrial settings and may be used in contemporary systems to reduce nitrogen fertilizer requirements.

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Nitrogen Fixation in Sugar Cane Litter

Cited by 37 publications

References 23 publications

Long-term Effects of Pre-harvest Burning and Nitrogen and Vinasse Applications on Yield of Sugar Cane and Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks on a Plantation in Pernambuco, N.E. Brazil

Long-term Effects of Pre-harvest Burning and Nitrogen and Vinasse Applications on Yield of Sugar Cane and Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks on a Plantation in Pernambuco, N.E. Brazil

Biological N2 fixation by heterotrophic and phototrophic bacteria in association with straw

Nitrogen fixation during decomposition of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is an important contribution to nutrient supply in traditional dryland agricultural systems of Hawai'i

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