Summary
This laboratory study demonstrates that labile high-carbon amendments (cellulose and starch) can effectively immobilise excess post-harvest mineral nitrogen in agricultural soils, with soil type substantially influencing the magnitude and duration of retention. Cellulose reduced mineral nitrogen by 50–140 kg N ha−1 depending on soil type, whilst starch induced faster but shorter-duration immobilisation. The retained nitrogen was predominantly recovered in recalcitrant soil pools rather than microbial biomass, with soil pH and organic carbon content emerging as key regulators of microbial-mediated retention.
Regional applicability
The study was conducted in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, simulating post-harvest soil conditions in that region. Although not conducted in the United Kingdom, the findings are potentially transferable to UK arable systems with similar soil types and post-harvest management windows, though UK soil properties, temperatures and moisture regimes may differ and would warrant validation through UK-based trials.
Key measures
Mineral nitrogen (Nmin) concentration; 15N recovery in microbial biomass; 15N recovery in soil nitrogen pool inaccessible to extraction (Nret); soil pH; soil organic carbon (SOC); incubation at 8.6 °C and 65% water-holding capacity over 98 days
Outcomes reported
The study measured nitrogen immobilisation and retention in four contrasting soils amended with cellulose or starch under simulated post-harvest conditions over 98 days. Recovery of labelled nitrogen in soil pools and microbial biomass was tracked to assess the effectiveness of high-carbon amendments in preventing post-harvest nitrogen loss.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.