Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-1-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-1-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
03 Jan 2025
Original research article |
| 03 Jan 2025
| 03 Jan 2025
Interactions of fertilisation and crop productivity in soil nitrogen cycle microbiome and gas emissions
Laura Kuusemets
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, Tartu, 51003, Estonia
Ülo Mander
Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, Tartu, 51003, Estonia
Jordi Escuer-Gatius
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
Alar Astover
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
Karin Kauer
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
Kaido Soosaar
Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, Tartu, 51003, Estonia
Mikk Espenberg
Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, Tartu, 51003, Estonia
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Arta Bārdule, Raija Laiho, Jyrki Jauhiainen, Kaido Soosaar, Andis Lazdiņš, Kęstutis Armolaitis, Aldis Butlers, Dovilė Čiuldienė, Andreas Haberl, Ain Kull, Milda Muraškienė, Ivika Ostonen, Gristin Rohula-Okunev, Muhammad Kamil-Sardar, Thomas Schindler, Hanna Vahter, Egidijus Vigricas, and Ieva Līcīte
Biogeosciences, 22, 4241–4259, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4241-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4241-2025, 2025
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Estimates of CO2 fluxes from drained nutrient-rich organic soils in croplands and grasslands in the hemiboreal region of Europe revealed that annual net CO2 fluxes were lower than the latest (2014) IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ) emission factors provided for the whole temperate zone, including the hemiboreal region. The contribution of CO2 fluxes from shallow highly decomposed organic soils, former peatlands that no longer meet the IPCC criterion for organic soils, to total emissions can be high and should not be underestimated.
Alisa Krasnova, Kaido Soosaar, Svyatoslav Rogozin, Dmitrii Krasnov, and Ülo Mander
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1280, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1280, 2025
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Riparian grey alder forests are important for carbon and water cycling, yet their response to climate extremes is understudied. Using ecosystem flux measurements, we found that a mature alder forest in Estonia remained a strong carbon sink, even during drought. In 2018, carbon uptake peaked due to increased spring productivity and reduced summer respiration, accompanied by enhanced water use efficiency. These results highlight the resilience of alder forests and their role in climate mitigation.
Aldis Butlers, Raija Laiho, Andis Lazdiņš, Thomas Schindler, Kaido Soosaar, Jyrki Jauhiainen, Arta Bārdule, Muhammad Kamil-Sardar, Ieva Līcīte, Valters Samariks, Andreas Haberl, Hanna Vahter, Dovilė Čiuldienė, Jani Anttila, and Kęstutis Armolaitis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1032, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1032, 2025
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A two-year study in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania evaluated the carbon balance of drained and undrained nutrient-rich forest organic soils, ranging from highly mineralized soils close to the threshold of organic soil definition to deep peat. The soils varied in pH, macronutrient levels, and C:N ratio, which contributed to the observed behavior of the soils demonstrating carbon sink and source dynamics under both drained and undrained conditions.
Sushmita Deb, Mikk Espenberg, Reinhard Well, Michał Bucha, Marta Jakubiak, Ülo Mander, and Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-754, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-754, 2025
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This study investigates nitrogen cycling in groundwater from agricultural area using organic fertilizer. Research combines isotope and microbial studies to track transformations. High-nitrate samples were incubated with a low addition of ¹⁵N tracer. Results showed a shift from archaeal nitrification to bacterial denitrification under low oxygen with glucose, confirmed by isotope and microbial analysis. Findings offer insights for improving water quality and pollution management.
Aldis Butlers, Raija Laiho, Kaido Soosaar, Jyrki Jauhiainen, Thomas Schindler, Arta Bārdule, Muhammad Kamil-Sardar, Andreas Haberl, Valters Samariks, Hanna Vahter, Andis Lazdiņš, Dovilė Čiuldienė, Kęstutis Armolaitis, and Ieva Līcīte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1397, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1397, 2024
Preprint archived
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A two-year study in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania evaluated forest organic soil carbon balance and the impact of drainage. CO2 emissions from soil did not significantly differ, showing a uniform methodology should be applied in national greenhouse gas inventories. Neither drained or undrained soils lost carbon during the study period. However, it was estimated that the negative impact of drainage on carbon sequestration in hemiboreal forest soils is 0.43±2.69 t C ha−1 year−1.
Jaan Pärn, Mikk Espenberg, Kaido Soosaar, Kuno Kasak, Sandeep Thayamkottu, Thomas Schindler, Reti Ranniku, Kristina Sohar, Lizardo Fachín Malaverri, Lulie Melling, and Ülo Mander
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-24, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-24, 2024
Preprint archived
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Earth’s climate largely depends on greenhouse gas exchange in tropical peatland ecosystems. Its relationships with tropical peatland conditions are poorly understood. We analysed natural peat swamp forests and fens, moderately drained and dry peatlands under a wide variety of land uses. The tropical peat swamp forests were large greenhouse gas sinks while tropical peatlands under moderate and low soil moisture levels emitted carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
Jyrki Jauhiainen, Juha Heikkinen, Nicholas Clarke, Hongxing He, Lise Dalsgaard, Kari Minkkinen, Paavo Ojanen, Lars Vesterdal, Jukka Alm, Aldis Butlers, Ingeborg Callesen, Sabine Jordan, Annalea Lohila, Ülo Mander, Hlynur Óskarsson, Bjarni D. Sigurdsson, Gunnhild Søgaard, Kaido Soosaar, Åsa Kasimir, Brynhildur Bjarnadottir, Andis Lazdins, and Raija Laiho
Biogeosciences, 20, 4819–4839, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4819-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4819-2023, 2023
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The study looked at published data on drained organic forest soils in boreal and temperate zones to revisit current Tier 1 default emission factors (EFs) provided by the IPCC Wetlands Supplement. We examined the possibilities of forming more site-type specific EFs and inspected the potential relevance of environmental variables for predicting annual soil greenhouse gas balances by statistical models. The results have important implications for EF revisions and national emission reporting.
Jaan Pärn, Kaido Soosaar, Thomas Schindler, Katerina Machacova, Waldemar Alegría Muñoz, Lizardo Fachín, José Luis Jibaja Aspajo, Robinson I. Negron-Juarez, Martin Maddison, Jhon Rengifo, Danika Journeth Garay Dinis, Adriana Gabriela Arista Oversluijs, Manuel Calixto Ávila Fucos, Rafael Chávez Vásquez, Ronal Huaje Wampuch, Edgar Peas García, Kristina Sohar, Segundo Cordova Horna, Tedi Pacheco Gómez, Jose David Urquiza Muñoz, Rodil Tello Espinoza, and Ülo Mander
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-46, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2021-46, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Despite alarming forecasts for the Amazonian peat swamp forests, greenhouse gas emissions from the different peat environments have rarely been compared. We measured CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions from the soil in 3 sites around Iquitos, Peru: a pristine swamp forest, a young forest and a slash-and-burn manioc field. We saw a devastating effect on global climate from a slight water-table drawdown in the peat swamp forests, while the manioc field emitted moderate amounts of the greenhouse gases.
Alexander Kmoch, Arno Kanal, Alar Astover, Ain Kull, Holger Virro, Aveliina Helm, Meelis Pärtel, Ivika Ostonen, and Evelyn Uuemaa
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 83–97, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-83-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-83-2021, 2021
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The Soil Map of Estonia is the most detailed and information-rich dataset for soils in Estonia. But its information is not immediately usable for analyses or modelling. We derived parameters including soil layering, soil texture (clay, silt, and sand content), coarse fragments, and rock content and aggregated and predicted physical variables related to water and carbon cycles (bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, organic carbon content, available water capacity).
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Short summary
We investigated relationships between mineral nitrogen (N) fertilisation rates and additional manure amendment with different crop types through an analysis of soil environmental characteristics and microbiomes, soil N2O and N2 emissions as well as biomass production. The results show that wheat grew well at a fertilisation rate of 80 kg N ha−1, and newly introduced sorghum showed good potential for cultivation in temperate climates.
We investigated relationships between mineral nitrogen (N) fertilisation rates and additional...
