Plant biomass, soil microbial community structure and nitrogen cycling under different organic amendment regimes; a N-15 tracer-based approach

摘要

Sustainable agriculture requires nutrient management options that lead to a profitable crop yield with relatively low nitrogen (N) losses to the environment. We studied whether the addition of contrasting organic amendments together with inorganic fertilizer can promote both requirements simultaneously. In particular we studied how the chemical composition of organic amendments affects the biomass, activity and composition of the soil microbial community and subsequently carbon (C) and N mineralization, microbial N immobilization and plant growth and nutrient uptake.