Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films
<p>Biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) are a sustainable and promising alternative to non-biodegradable polyethylene mulches used in crop production systems. Nitrogen amendments in the form of fertilizers are used by growers to enhance soil and plant-available nutrients; however, there is limited...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2023-09-01
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| Series: | SOIL |
| Online Access: | https://soil.copernicus.org/articles/9/499/2023/soil-9-499-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797685154987114496 |
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| author | S. Bandopadhyay S. Bandopadhyay M. English M. B. Anunciado M. Starrett J. Hu J. E. Liquet y González D. G. Hayes S. M. Schaeffer J. M. DeBruyn |
| author_facet | S. Bandopadhyay S. Bandopadhyay M. English M. B. Anunciado M. Starrett J. Hu J. E. Liquet y González D. G. Hayes S. M. Schaeffer J. M. DeBruyn |
| author_sort | S. Bandopadhyay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) are a sustainable and promising
alternative to non-biodegradable polyethylene mulches used in crop
production systems. Nitrogen amendments in the form of fertilizers are used
by growers to enhance soil and plant-available nutrients; however, there is
limited research on how these additions impact the biodegradation of BDMs tilled
into soils. A 4-month laboratory incubation study using soil microcosms
was used to investigate the effects of inorganic (ammonium nitrate) and
organic (urea and amino acids) nitrogen application on biodegradation of
BDMs. We investigated the response of soil bacterial, fungal, and
ammonia-oxidizing microbial abundance along with soil nitrogen pools and
enzyme activities. Microcosms were comprised of soils from two diverse
climates (Knoxville, TN, USA, and Mount Vernon, WA, USA) and BioAgri, a
biodegradable mulch film made of Mater-Bi<sup>®</sup>, a bioplastic raw
material containing starch and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)
(PBAT). Both organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments inhibited mulch
biodegradation, soil bacterial abundances, and enzyme activities. The
greatest inhibition of mulch biodegradation in TN soils was observed with
urea amendment where biodegradation was reduced by about 6 % compared to
the no-nitrogen control. In WA soils, all nitrogen amendments suppressed
biodegradation by about 1 % compared to the no-nitrogen control. Ammonia
monooxygenase <i>amoA</i> gene abundances were increased in TN soils in all treatments
but reduced for all treatments in WA soils. However, a significantly higher
nitrate concentration and a lower ammonium concentration were seen for all nitrogen
treatments compared to no-nitrogen controls in both TN and WA. This study
suggests that the addition of nitrogen, particularly inorganic amendments, could
slow down mulch biodegradation but that mulch biodegradation does not
negatively affect soil nitrification activity.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:41:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-30b8e52c055b44b8aa402cae9fa8c8a7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2199-3971 2199-398X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:41:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SOIL |
| spelling | doaj.art-30b8e52c055b44b8aa402cae9fa8c8a72023-09-15T07:33:21ZengCopernicus PublicationsSOIL2199-39712199-398X2023-09-01949951610.5194/soil-9-499-2023Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch filmsS. Bandopadhyay0S. Bandopadhyay1M. English2M. B. Anunciado3M. Starrett4J. Hu5J. E. Liquet y González6D. G. Hayes7S. M. Schaeffer8J. M. DeBruyn9Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USApresent address: Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USADepartment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA<p>Biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) are a sustainable and promising alternative to non-biodegradable polyethylene mulches used in crop production systems. Nitrogen amendments in the form of fertilizers are used by growers to enhance soil and plant-available nutrients; however, there is limited research on how these additions impact the biodegradation of BDMs tilled into soils. A 4-month laboratory incubation study using soil microcosms was used to investigate the effects of inorganic (ammonium nitrate) and organic (urea and amino acids) nitrogen application on biodegradation of BDMs. We investigated the response of soil bacterial, fungal, and ammonia-oxidizing microbial abundance along with soil nitrogen pools and enzyme activities. Microcosms were comprised of soils from two diverse climates (Knoxville, TN, USA, and Mount Vernon, WA, USA) and BioAgri, a biodegradable mulch film made of Mater-Bi<sup>®</sup>, a bioplastic raw material containing starch and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). Both organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments inhibited mulch biodegradation, soil bacterial abundances, and enzyme activities. The greatest inhibition of mulch biodegradation in TN soils was observed with urea amendment where biodegradation was reduced by about 6 % compared to the no-nitrogen control. In WA soils, all nitrogen amendments suppressed biodegradation by about 1 % compared to the no-nitrogen control. Ammonia monooxygenase <i>amoA</i> gene abundances were increased in TN soils in all treatments but reduced for all treatments in WA soils. However, a significantly higher nitrate concentration and a lower ammonium concentration were seen for all nitrogen treatments compared to no-nitrogen controls in both TN and WA. This study suggests that the addition of nitrogen, particularly inorganic amendments, could slow down mulch biodegradation but that mulch biodegradation does not negatively affect soil nitrification activity.</p>https://soil.copernicus.org/articles/9/499/2023/soil-9-499-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | S. Bandopadhyay S. Bandopadhyay M. English M. B. Anunciado M. Starrett J. Hu J. E. Liquet y González D. G. Hayes S. M. Schaeffer J. M. DeBruyn Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films SOIL |
| title | Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films |
| title_full | Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films |
| title_fullStr | Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films |
| title_full_unstemmed | Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films |
| title_short | Organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films |
| title_sort | organic and inorganic nitrogen amendments reduce biodegradation of biodegradable plastic mulch films |
| url | https://soil.copernicus.org/articles/9/499/2023/soil-9-499-2023.pdf |
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