Resilience of nitrification process in agricultural and restored soils of central Argentina

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the resilience degree of soil nitrification process (by nitrate content, nitrification rate, and nitrifier abundance measurements), in soils of central Argentina. Soil nitrification process from cultivated farmlands (no-tillage soybean/sorghum and soybean monoculture and plow tillage peanut/sorghum) was compared to those from under restoration and control sites (native woodland). Nitrate content increased in peanut and soybean monoculture fields. Nitrification rate was higher in the control site, although nitrifier abundance did not differ between all the analyzed sites. All productive sites lead to the loss of the resilience capacity of global nitrification process in the semi-arid central area of Argentina. We conclude that notillage and crop rotations have a poor interactive effect on resilience of nitrification process in the short term of the transition from plow tillage. Moreover, closure is not a suitable practice for restoring nitrification process in the short-term.