Nitrogen mineralization in histosols of the everglades agricultural area1

Abstract

A long‐term soil incubation and column nutrient leaching study was conducted to determine nitrogen (N)‐mineralization rates of selected Florida Histosols with drained and intermittent‐flooded conditions. Five surface soils from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) were packed in columns (5‐cm i.d. containing the 0‐ to 15‐cm depth of each soil) and leached with 0.01M CaC12 followed by distilled water every 25 d for 1 yr. Drained columns were treated with a minus‐nitrogen‐phosphorus (NP) solution followed by applying ‐0.97 MPa tension to remove excess solution. Flooded columns received the same minus‐NP solution, but were flooded to a depth of 3 cm. Both treatments were incubated for 25‐d periods, solution sampled, and treatments reapplied. Because flooding conditions could not be maintained during the sampling period, this treatment is referred to as intermittent flooded. The ammonium‐nitrogen (NH4 +‐N) released from drained soils accounted for less than 6% of the total soluble N released from all soils, compared to more than 30% released from flooded soils. There were no differences in the amounts of soluble organic N from drained and intermittent flooded soils. Total soluble N from the surface 15‐cm of drained soils ranged from 217 to 509 kg‐ha‐1yr‐1, with 50 to 67% released as nitrate‐nitrogen (NO3 ‐‐N). In contrast, total soluble N released from flooded soils ranged from 168 to 345 kg‐ha‐1yr‐1, with less than 3% released as NO3 ‐‐N.