We investigated the critical load (CL) and exceedance (EX) of sulfur (S) deposition, temporal changes in soil chemistry, and H+ budget of soils in plots dominated by Pinus banksiana (jack pine) or Populus tremuloides (trembling aspen, aspen) in two acid-sensitive watersheds to assess the risk of soil acidification by S emissions from oil sands mining in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR), Canada. The CLs and EXs were determined by two methods: one was based on bulk deposition and the other based on total deposition (as a sum of bulk deposition and interception deposition). The CLs ranged from 223 to 711 mol(c) ha(-1) yr(-1) based on bulk deposition. Those values were similar to that obtained based on total deposition. However, EXs based on bulk deposition were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than those based on total deposition due to the relative increase of SO42- concentrations in interception deposition, indicating that EXs based on bulk deposition only could underestimate the risk of soil acidification in the AOSR. The S deposition did not exceed CLs in the long-term for both methods. The pH in the forest floor increased and available SO42- (as the sum of soluble and adsorbed SO42-) in the forest floor and surface mineral soils increased in both jack pine and aspen stands between 2005 and 2010. The H+ budget ranged from -289 to -130 mole ha(-1) yr(-1) in jack pine stands and from -510 to -371 mol(c) ha(-1) yr(-1) in aspen stands. Our results suggest that 1) soils in the studied forest stands have recovered from acidification based on the increasing soil pH over time and the negative H+ budget, and 2) the risk of soil acidification should be assessed by CL and EX calculated based on total deposition. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of chronic air pollution such as increased CO2 and NOx emissions on forest ecosystems in the Athabasca oil sands region in Alberta, Canada, was investigated in Pinus banksiana (jack pine) and Populus tremuloides (trembling aspen, aspen) stands in two watersheds (NE7 and SM8) located at different distances from the main emission sources of oil sands mining and upgrading facilities, using delta C-13, delta N-15, and Ca/Al of soil and tree ring samples as indicators. Watershed NE7 was exposed to greater amounts of acid deposition due to its closeness to the mining and upgrading area. The delta N-15 in the forest floor was lower (p < 0.05) in NE7 (ranged from -1.42 to -0.87 parts per thousand) than in SM8 (-0.54 to 1.43 parts per thousand), implying a greater amount of recent deposition of N-15-depleted N in NE7. Tree ring delta C-13 gradually decreased over time for both tree species/watersheds, indicating the influence of C-13-depleted CO2 emitted from industrial sources. Tree ring N concentration and delta N-15 were not different between watersheds and did not significantly change with time. Interestingly, however, the difference between watersheds (NE7-SM8) that is expressed as Diff_N (for N) increased with concomitant decreases in Diff_delta N-15 over time, implying greater increases in N-15-depleted N input in NE7 than in SM8. Such trends were stronger in aspen stands (R-2 = 0.64 and p < 0.001 for Diff_N and R-2 = 0.44 and p < 0.01 for Diff_delta N-15 between 1964 and 2009) than in jack pine stands. We conclude that delta N-15 in the forest floor and differences in N and delta N-15 of tree rings between watersheds are useful indicators reflecting the impact of spatial variations of air pollution on forest stands in the Athabasca oil sands region in western Canada. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crop rotations and reduction in tillage are commonly recommended for sustained crop production and enhancing soil quality. Our objective was to evaluate the long-term effects of cropping systems (1968–1992) on soil structure, carbon storage and the quality of soil organic matter. The study was conducted on a silt clay loam soil (Typic Cryoboralf) near Beaverlodge, Alberta, The cropping systems were: (a) continuous barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) (CB); (b) continuous bromegrass ( Bromus inermiss Leyess.) (CG); (c) continuous forage legume ( Medicago sativa L. until 1977, and Trifolium pratense L. since 1978) (CL); and (d) 3 years of bromegrass-legume forage alternating with 3 years of barley (RF). Our data showed that the CG and CL treatments had more stable aggregates with greater mean weight diameter (MWD) than soil under continuous barley. Organic C, total N and the light fraction in soil under CG and CL were higher than those of the other two treatments. Soil under CG had the highest and CB the lowest amounts of acid-hydrolyzable monosacchrides (comprising glucose, arabinose, xylose, mannose and galactose). Higher galactose + mannose concentration in soil under CG indicated a higher soil microbiological activity. Microbial biomass C and N followed the trend among treatments in whole and light fraction organic matter, and total extracted sugars. Soil organic matter 13 C-NMR spectroscopy showed that: (i) soil under CB contained the highest amounts of aromatic and the lowest content of aliphatic-C, (ii) soil under CL had the lowest phenolic-C and the least aromaticity, and (iii) soil under CG and RF had the highest amounts of aliphatic-C which includes labile substances such as amino acids and carbohydrates, indicating an improvement in the quality of organic matter. It is concluded that perennial forage crops can improve soil structure and soil organic matter quality and quantity as compared with cereal monoculture.

The light fraction (LF) has a variable elemental content because it comprises a pool of soil organic matter that is in transition between fresh residues and stable, humified organic matter. Our aim was to assess the influence of time, tillage (CT vs. NT) and straw management (removed or retained) practices on the C and N contents of two particle sizes of LF materials from a Gray Luvisol in Alberta. The LF C and N concentrations were not affected by tillage and straw treatments. The C concentration was higher in LF > 1 mm (coarse LF) than in the < 1 mm LF (fine LF), while the converse was observed for N concentration, resulting in C:N ratios of 45-59 in the coarse fraction and 18-19 for the finer materials. The C concentration of the fine LF decreased and the N concentration increased with time. After 4 yr, LF C and N stocks were higher under NT than under CT mainly because of faster decomposition of litter under CT. Retaining straw resulted in bigger increases in C and N stocks in the coarse LF compared with straw removal; with the fine LF, the C stock decreased more quickly and the N stock increased less rapidly with straw removal. Our results show that time strongly affected the LF C and N stocks and concentrations, and that separating the fraction by size can lead to a more meaningful interpretation of those data.Key words: Light fraction, carbon, nitrogen, tillage, crop residue, straw management

The effect of changes in land use on the early stages of soil water erosion was studied on brown calcareous soils (Calcic Luvisols), a widespread type of soil suitable for wine-growing in the French Mediterranean area. This type of soil is subject to high intensity rainfall events. Rainfall of 60mm/h was simulated on dry soil for several types of land use including scrubland, fallow and several wine-growing strategies (chemical and mechanical inter-row weeding, grassing, straw mulching, rock fragment cover and clearing rock fragments).

Soil nitrogen (N) mineralization indicators are useful only if they are sensitive to management practices. The precision of measurement and the sensitivity of the following indicators to crop sequence, tillage, and liming effects were compared: (i) mineral N production during a 24-day incubation under aerobic conditions, (ii) ammonium (NH4)-N production under waterlogged conditions, (iii and iv) hot potassium chloride (KCl) -extractable and hydrolyzable NH4-N (the latter obtained by subtracting initial NH4-N from extracted NH4-N), and (v) protease activity. The coefficients of variation decreased in this order: protease activity > KCl-hydrolyzable NH4-N > aerobic incubation > KCl-extractable NH4-N = anaerobic incubation. Most of the test results obtained using the indicators were correlated with each other. Mineralizable N measured by aerobic and anaerobic incubation was sensitive to tillage, liming, and crop sequences, especially when using soil 5-cm deep. Hot KCl-extractable NH4-N was influenced by tillage but not liming, and less sensitive than the incubation procedures to crop sequence. The protease assay produced no significant test. It was concluded that anaerobic incubation can provide a relatively sensitive assessment of management effects on soil mineralizable N.

Variations in crop grain and soil N isotope composition (δ15N) in relation to liquid hog manure (δ15N of total N was +5.1‰), solid cattle manure (+7.9‰) and chemical fertilizer (+0.7‰ for urea and −1.9‰ for ammonium phosphate) applications, and control (no fertilizer application) were examined through a 4-year crop rotation under field conditions. Canola (Brassica napus), hull-less barley (Hordeum vulgare), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and canola were grown sequentially from 2000 (year 1) to 2003 (year 4). From year 2, hog manure or chemical fertilizers, but not cattle manure, treatments increased grain N concentrations over the control. Grain δ15N (+0.3 to +2.5‰) of crops applied with chemical fertilizers was lower than those in the other treatments, reflecting the effects of the N source with a lower δ15N, while the manure treatments tended to increase grain δ15N. The higher grain δ15N of crops applied with hog manure (+5.6 to +8.4‰) than those applied with cattle manure (+2.2 to +4.1‰) reflected the higher N availability of liquid hog manure (up to 70% as NH 4 + ) than solid cattle manure (99% organic N) and higher potentials for ammonia volatilization loss in hog manure rather than differences in manure δ15N signatures. Soil total- and extractable-N concentrations and δ15N tended to vary with the application of N sources with different N isotope composition and availability. Our study expanded the application of the δ15N technique for detecting N source (organic vs chemical) effects on N isotopic composition to field conditions and across a 4-year rotation, and revealed that N availability played a greater role than the δ15N signature of N sources in determining crop δ15N under the studied conditions.

Insight into nutrient cycling is gained by understanding the dynamics and quantifying nutrient mineralization from decomposing crop residues. Since wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), canola (Brassica napus L.) and pulse crops such as pea (Pisum sativum L.) are commonly grown in rotation, our objectives were to: (1) compare, using the mesh bag technique, the dry matter (DM) loss and release of N and P of straw and root residues of those crops in the 10–11 months following harvest, and (2) determine the influence of N fertilizer on residue decomposition and nutrient release. The no-tillage study started in autumn 1997 when straw residues were placed on the soil surface and root residues were buried in the soil, and sampled periodically through the 1998 growing season. Wheat was grown in 1998 and received 0 or 60 kg N ha–1. The study was repeated in 1998/1999. Wheat straw decomposed more slowly than canola or pea straw (losing an average of 12%, 24% and 25%, respectively, of initial DM in 10–11 months), however, the converse was noted for root residues (42%, 26% and 19% of initial DM). Average net N mineralization from wheat, canola and pea straw was essentially 0, 0.7 and 5.6 kg N ha–1, respectively. Phosphorus released from straw ranged from 0.5 kg ha–1 for pea to 0.75 kg ha–1 for canola. Net N and P mineralization from root varied little between crop species: 0.9–1.6 kg N ha–1 and 0.1–0.3 kg P ha–1. Nitrogen fertilization increased DM loss, and N and P release from straw residues.

Biologically active fractions of soil organic matter are important in understanding decomposition potential of organic materials, nutrient cycling dynamics, and biophysical manipulation of soil structure. We evaluated the quantitative relationships among potential C and net N mineralization, soil microbial biomass C (SMBC), and soil organic C (SOC) under four contrasting climatic conditions. Mean SOC values were 28±11 mg g−1 (n=24) in a frigid–dry region (Alberta/British Columbia), 25±5 mg g−1 (n=12) in a frigid–wet region (Maine), 11±4 mg g−1 (n=117) in a thermic–dry region (Texas), and 12±5 mg g−1 (n=131) in a thermic–wet region (Georgia). Higher mean annual temperature resulted in consistently greater basal soil respiration (1.7 vs 0.8 mg CO2–C g−1 SOC d−1 in the thermic compared with the frigid regions, P<0.001), greater net N mineralization (2.8 vs 1.3 mg inorganic N g−1 SOC 24 d−1, P<0.001), and greater SMBC (53 vs 21 mg SMBC g−1 SOC, P<0.001). Specific respiratory activity of SMBC was, however, consistently lower in the thermic than in the frigid regions (29 vs 34 mg CO2–C g−1 SMBC d−1, P<0.01). Higher mean annual precipitation resulted in consistently lower basal soil respiration (1.1 vs 1.3 mg CO2–C g−1 SOC d−1 in the wet compared with the dry regions, P<0.01) and lower SMBC (31 vs 43 mg SMBC g−1 SOC, P<0.001), but had inconsistent effects on net N mineralization that depended upon temperature regime. Specific respiratory activity of SMBC was consistently greater in the wet than the dry regions (≈33 vs 29 mg CO2–C g−1 SMBC d−1, P<0.01). Although the thermic regions were not able to retain as high a level of SOC as the frigid regions, due likely to high annual decomposition rates, biologically active soil fractions were as high per mass of soil and even 2–3-times greater per unit of SOC in the thermic compared with the frigid regions. These results suggest that macroclimate has a large impact on the portion of soil organic matter that is potentially active, but a relatively small impact on the specific respiratory activity of SMBC.