Improved Method for Extracting Nitrites in Soil

作者:Song, Yaqi; Wu, Dianming*; Dorsch, Peter; Yue, Lanting; Deng, Lingling; Liao, Chengsong; Sha, Zhimin; Dong, Wenxu; Yu, Yuanchun*
来源:Agronomy-Basel, 2024, 14(2): 331.
DOI:10.3390/agronomy14020331

摘要

Soil nitrite (NO2-) is an important reactive intermediate in many nitrogen transformation processes, but it is unstable under acidic conditions and may be lost as gaseous N. The canonical extraction method of soil NO2- using a potassium chloride (KCl) solution greatly underestimates its concentration. To reflect the concentration more accurately, we optimized the extraction method of soil NO2- for three agricultural soils differing in soil texture and pH, an alkalic fluvo-aquic soil and acidic Mollisol and Ultisol soils, respectively. Both extractable soil ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) were systematically investigated to optimize the simultaneous extraction of soil inorganic nitrogen. The effects of different extractants (deionized water (DIW), un-buffered 2 mol L-1 KCl, and pH-buffered 2 mol L-1 KCl), shaking time (10 and 30 min), and storage duration of the extracts (stored at -20 degrees C for 1 day, and at 4 degrees C for 1, 3, and 6 days) on the determination of soil inorganic nitrogen were investigated. The results showed that the un-buffered KCl extractant significantly underestimated soil NO2- concentration compared to DIW. The highest recovery of NO2- was obtained by extracting with DIW at 10 min of shaking for all three soils. Compared with DIW, the concentration of NH4+ and NO3- in soil extracted from the KCl solution increased significantly. Furthermore, the soil inorganic nitrogen content of extracts stored at 4 degrees C for one day was closer to the direct measurements of fresh samples than with the other storage methods. Overall, the recommended analysis method for soil NO2- was extraction by DIW, shaking for 10 min, and filtering with a 0.45 mu m filter, while soil NH4+ and NO3- were extracted with a KCl solution and shaken for 30 min. The extract should be stored at 4 degrees C and analyzed within 24 h. Our study provides an efficient extraction method for soil NO2- and supports studies on the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle, e.g., in the investigation of soil nitrous acid (HONO) and nitric oxide (NO) emissions.

  • 单位
    中国科学院; 南京林业大学; 上海交通大学

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