TY - JOUR

T1 - Acidification of European croplands by nitrogen fertilization

T2 - Consequences for carbonate losses, and soil health

AU - Zamanian, Kazem

AU - Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi, Ruhollah

AU - Tao, Jingjing

AU - Fan, Lichao

AU - Raza, Sajjad

AU - Guggenberger, Georg

AU - Kuzyakov, Yakov

N1 - This work was supported by German Research Foundation [grant number: DFG, ZA 1068/4]; Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower-Saxony, Germany [grant number: 15-76251-2—Stay-8/22-5947/2022]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [42150410386] and RUDN University [Strategic Academic Leadership Program].

PY - 2024/5/10

Y1 - 2024/5/10

N2 - Soil acidification is an ongoing problem in intensively cultivated croplands due to inefficient nitrogen (N) fertilization. We collected high-resolution data comprising 19,969 topsoil (0-20 cm) samples from the Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (LUCAS) of the European commission in 2009 to calculate the impact of N fertilization on buffering substances such as carbonates and base cations. We have only considered the impacts of mineral fertilizers from the total added N, and a N use efficiency of 60 %. Nitrogen fertilization adds annually 6.1 × 10 7 kmol H + to European croplands, leading to annual loss of 6.1 × 10 9 kg CaCO 3. Assuming similar acidification during the last 50 years, carbonates were completely removed from 3.4 × 10 6 ha of European croplands. In carbonate-free soils, annual loss of 2.1 × 10 7 kmol of basic cations will lead to strong acidification of at least 2.6 million ha of European croplands within the next 50 years. Inorganic carbon and basic cation losses at such rapid scale tremendously drop the nutrient status and production potential of croplands. Soil liming to ameliorate acidity increases pH only temporarily and with additional financial and environmental costs. Only the direct loss of soil carbonate stocks and compensation of carbonates-related CO 2 correspond to about 1.5 % of the proposed budget of the European commission for 2023. Thus, controlling and decreasing soil acidification is crucial to avoid degradation of agricultural soils, which can be done by adopting best management practices and increasing nutrient use efficiency. Regular screening or monitoring of carbonate and base cations contents, especially for soils, where the carbonate stocks are at critical levels are urgently necessary.

AB - Soil acidification is an ongoing problem in intensively cultivated croplands due to inefficient nitrogen (N) fertilization. We collected high-resolution data comprising 19,969 topsoil (0-20 cm) samples from the Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (LUCAS) of the European commission in 2009 to calculate the impact of N fertilization on buffering substances such as carbonates and base cations. We have only considered the impacts of mineral fertilizers from the total added N, and a N use efficiency of 60 %. Nitrogen fertilization adds annually 6.1 × 10 7 kmol H + to European croplands, leading to annual loss of 6.1 × 10 9 kg CaCO 3. Assuming similar acidification during the last 50 years, carbonates were completely removed from 3.4 × 10 6 ha of European croplands. In carbonate-free soils, annual loss of 2.1 × 10 7 kmol of basic cations will lead to strong acidification of at least 2.6 million ha of European croplands within the next 50 years. Inorganic carbon and basic cation losses at such rapid scale tremendously drop the nutrient status and production potential of croplands. Soil liming to ameliorate acidity increases pH only temporarily and with additional financial and environmental costs. Only the direct loss of soil carbonate stocks and compensation of carbonates-related CO 2 correspond to about 1.5 % of the proposed budget of the European commission for 2023. Thus, controlling and decreasing soil acidification is crucial to avoid degradation of agricultural soils, which can be done by adopting best management practices and increasing nutrient use efficiency. Regular screening or monitoring of carbonate and base cations contents, especially for soils, where the carbonate stocks are at critical levels are urgently necessary.

KW - Carbon cycle

KW - Food security

KW - Global changes

KW - Land management

KW - Land-use sustainability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187778041&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171631

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171631

M3 - Article

C2 - 38467254

VL - 924

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

SN - 0048-9697

M1 - 171631

ER -