Nitrogen Mineralization Characteristics of Disturbed and Undisturbed Soil Samples for Four Main Soil Types on the Loess Plateau

Long-term alternate leaching aerobic incubation was conducted to study nitrogen (N) mineralization in four main soil types under disturbed (D) and undisturbed (UD) conditions from the Loess Plateau (China). Results showed that N mineralization of the UD and D samples decreased from southern to northern Shaanxi Province. Nitrate was the main component of N mineralization during the aerobic incubation for both the D and UD samples. However, net inorganic N in the D samples was less than in UD samples. The average total mineralized N levels were 30% larger for the set of D samples than for the UD samples, and the mineralization potential of the D samples was larger than that of UD samples. Further studies are required to develop predictive methods for quantifying N availability.