Progress 06/01/20 to 05/25/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary goal of the research is to advance fundamental knowledge in minimizing nitrate leaching from agricultural soil by incorporating graphite nanomaterial-based amendment. The primary target audience includes academic researchers,fertilizerindustry, and policymakers interested in the potential application of nanotechnology in conventional agriculture to reduce nitrate leaching and thus improve the current N leaching problem. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Throughout the project timeline, two graduate students (one doctoral student and one master's student) and several undergraduate students were supported in carrying out their research, aiming to fulfill project objectives. Students experienced unique opportunities to understand and formulate scientific research during this period. Besides enriching themselves with fundamental scientific knowledge, students earned expertise in nanomaterials characterization, soil chemical and microbial processes, and conducting research expeditions inlaboratoryand greenhouse. Moreover, students earned professional development by presenting the research through writing scientific manuscripts and presenting research at conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The research results and understanding obtained from this project havebeen disseminatedto target communities (researchers and policymakers) through publishing research findings in peer-reviewed journals (such as Chemosphere, Environmental Science: Nano, andJournal of Nanoparticle Research) and presenting at multiple national and state-level conferences/seminars (such as ASA, CSSA, SSA annual meeting, Gordon research conference,etc.). We have also shared results with researchers at the USDAArid Land Agricultural Research Center: Maricopa, AZ What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project is now completed.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project aimed to investigate and understand the biogeochemical mechanism of graphite nano amendment (GNA) in controlling inorganic nitrate mobility through agricultural soil. Outcomes of the four major research objectives contributed towards the mechanistic understanding behind reduced nitrate leaching from a GNA-amended soil system.In summary, building upon existing knowledge (Objective #1) and conducting sequential experiments (Objectives #2 to #4) have significantly enhanced our understanding of how adding GNA amendments affects soil biology, resulting in the retention of higher nitrate levels (or reduced nitrate leaching). Outcomes from objective #1: To explore the potential pathways through which graphene-based soil amendments mitigate nitrate leaching in agricultural soil, a literature review effort was conducted to curate knowledge on the potential interaction, fate or transformation, and mobility of graphene-based nanomaterials (GNMs) in the subsurface environment. The interaction between GNMs and soil components was reviewed. The biocidal action of GNMs in a complex soil matrix tends to be lower when compared to a short-term (1-3 h) toxicity test in pure culture media. This is due to the interaction of GNMs with soil mineralsand SOM, which are absent in pure culture media. GNMs with oxygenated surface functional groups are prone to homo or hetero aggregation, influenced by divalent cations (e.g., Ca2+, Mg2+) and SOM after addition to soil. Moreover, GNMs are likely to biotransform in subsurface soil due to microbial, fungal, or enzymatic interactions, resulting in a decreased risk of GNMs transport toward groundwater aquifers. Studies indicated that GNMs impact plant productivity through (a) direct effects on plant gene translation and/or on gene regulation, which positively alters plant physiology, (b) direct impacts on the microbial community composition or activity, which improves plant nutrition through nutrient cycling and/or alleviation of stress responses, (c) indirect effects through efficient delivery of agrochemicals (e.g., fertilizer, pesticides) and (d) a combination of these above responses. Outcomes from objective #4: After identifying GNMs type is crucial while identifying its impact on soil, we investigated how different types of graphene with unique physiochemical characteristics impacted soil response of biotic components and important soil processes such as soil N cycle. A four-week-long soil incubation experiment was conducted using different graphene types (GO, rGO, GNA, GNP) to quantify the impact of graphene-based soil amendments on indicator soil response (e.g., respiration) and relevant nutrient cycling, specifically the N cycle. The rationale for choosing different types of graphene was to evaluate the sensitivity of soil functions and N cycling to variations in the physicochemical properties of graphene (e.g., degree of oxidation). Addition of graphite amendments notably increased soil basal respiration, particularly on the 12th day of incubation when the respiration rate was observed to be at its maximum. All four tested graphene resulted in atransient increase in respiration over time until day 12, but the GNA exhibited a maximum of 69% enhancement (at day 12) in basal respiration compared to the control soil. While the maximum nitrification potential test did not reveal a significant impact from graphene amendments, molecular analysis indicated the potential for suppressed nitrification and enhanced denitrification with the addition of graphene-based amendments to the soil. However, the underlying mechanism by which GNA impacts inorganic N mobility through soil remained unknown up to that point and was investigated under objective #2: Outcomes from objective #2: A series of saturated and unsaturated soil column experiments were conducted to identify the key factors influencing nitrate mobility in GNA-amended soil. In these columns, N fertilizer and GNA were placed in the top layer, and the effects on various internal and external parameters were evaluated to comprehend the mechanism behind reduced nitrate leaching. First, we identified higher nitrate retention in GNA-amended soil columns incubated at 20°C rather than 4°C, suggesting higher bacterial activity. A second factor was a relationship between higher solubilized DOC in the columns and lower nitrate leaching. The third key factor was hydraulic retention time (HRT), where a high HRT in unsaturated (~3 days) resulted in a decrease in nitrate leaching as high as 31%, but only a 16% decrease was observed for low HRT (~3.5 hr) saturated soil column. This indicates a high HRT allowed time for bacterial activity to utilize the N fertilizer, and thus, less nitrate resulted in the leachate. The importance of bacterial activity in decreasing nitrate leaching from GNA-amended soil columns was also found in soil column experiments with autoclaved soil. Finally, experimentation addressing the fourth factor, soil sterility, demonstrated unsaturated GNA soil columns (made of autoclaved soil) showed only an 8.8% decrease in nitrate leaching, whereas a maximum of 31% decrease was observed for soil columns made of non-autoclaved soil. All those outcomes indicated that the primary mechanism behind decreased nitrate leaching in GNA-amended soil columns was biologically mediated. Two possible pathways were assumed regarding this biologically mediated decrease in nitrate leaching: (i) higher N immobilization by enhanced "soil heterotrophs cell growth". (ii) higher gaseous N loss due to enhanced soil denitrification. Among these possible pathways, we concluded that a "higher heterotroph growth in GNA-amended soil" was a prominent mechanism in decreasing N loss from GNA-amended soil. However, the precise impact of GNA on biotic soil components (and associated soil functions), particularly within the context of a typical agricultural soil-plant system, remained unknown and was investigated under objective #3: Outcomes from objective #3: To understand how GNA impacts soil biology, we conducted a 7 week-long plant growth experiment using soil mixed with GNA (dose: 0 to 500 mg/kg soil), and on different maturities of plant, bulk, and rhizosphere soils were sampled. GNA amendment enhanced soil enzyme activities related to carbon decomposition (β-glucosidase and cellobiohydrolase) in rhizosphere soil. This finding held substantial implications, particularly for soils with low organic carbon content. In many agricultural soils (e.g., sandy desert soil), bioavailable simple carbon is considered as the limiting factor for supporting microbial growth and metabolism. The presence of sufficient simple carbon in the soil system facilitated increased nitrogen immobilization by microbes. Consequently, a higher proportion of the added nitrogen fertilizer can be retained in agricultural soil, decreasing nitrate leaching. Throughout the entire plant growth period (week 7), qPCR measured 16S rRNA gene abundance indicated that total bacterial community size did not significantly change in bulk or rhizosphere soil amended with GNA compared to control. While maintaining the bacterial community size undisturbed, a selective alteration in the N-cycling bacteria group was identified in my N-cycling gene abundance assessment. For example, we found a decrease in nitrifier gene (bac amoA) abundance in both bulk and rhizosphere soil (~ 60% decrease in amoA gene abundance for 1 mg GNA/kg soil at week 7). A similar suppression of bac amoA gene abundance was also found in our earlier 28-day laboratory soil incubation test (without any plant) (in objective#4). Therefore, in soil systems with or without plants, GNA can potentially slow down the conversion of ammonium to nitrate (nitrification), resulting in the retention of a higher amount of nitrogen from being washed away through leaching.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C.R., Westerhoff, P. and Bi, Y. 2022. Impacts of graphitic nanofertilizers on nitrogen cycling in a sandy, agricultural soil. Journal of Nanoparticle Research 24(6), 120.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Das, P., Penton, C.R., Bi, Y. and Westerhoff, P. 2023a. Unraveling mechanisms behind reduced nitrate leaching with graphite nanomaterials addition with fertilizers in soil column experiments. Chemosphere 337, 139417.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Das, P., Penton, C.R., Westerhoff, P. and Perreault, F. 2023b. Prospects of 2D graphene nanomaterials in plant-based agriculture and their fate in terrestrial soil: a critical review. Environmental Science: Nano.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
2) Das, P., Barker, C., Park, Y., Bi, Y., Westerhoff, P. and Penton, C.R., 2023, October. Graphene-Mediated Alterations in Biogeochemical N Cycling within a Soil-Plant System. In ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting. ASA-CSSA-SSSA, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, St. Louis, MO.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
4) Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C.R., Bi, Y., Westerhoff, P., 2022. Nitrogen Fertilizer Mobility in Sandy Soil Amended with Graphite Nano-Additive in Saturated and Unsaturated Soil Column Systems. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
5) Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C.R., Bi, Y., Nancy Grimm, Westerhoff, P., 2022. AFRI-2019-05787: Application of graphitic nanoparticles in reducing nitrogen loss from agricultural systems. Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food Systems, Convergence of Nanotechnology with Food and Agriculture, Gordon Research Conference (GRC), Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH, United States. June 19-24, 2022. (Poster presentation).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
6) Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C.R., Bi, Y., Westerhoff, P., 2022. AFRI-2019-05787: AFRI-2019-05787: Nitrate mobility in sandy soil amended with graphite nano-additive in saturated and unsaturated soil column system. Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food Systems, Convergence of Nanotechnology with Food and Agriculture, Gordon Research Seminar(GRS), Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH, United States. June 18-19, 2022. (Poster presentation).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
1) Das, P., Park, Y., Westerhoff, P. and Penton, C.R., 2024. Insights into alteration soil microbiomes and functions in graphite-amended soil towards enhanced N retention in agricultural soil. 19th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Cape Town, 18 - 23 August 2024, Cape Town South Africa (Abstract submitted).
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Progress 06/01/22 to 05/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary goal of the research is to advance fundamental knowledge in minimizing nitrate leaching from agricultural soil by incorporating graphite nanomaterial-based amendment. The primary target audience includes academic researchers,fertilizerindustry, and policymakers interested in the potential application of nanotechnology in conventional agriculture to reduce nitrate leaching and thus improve the current N leaching problem. Changes/Problems:None What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Provided in final report How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Provided in final report What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Provided in final report
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Provided in final report
Publications
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Progress 06/01/21 to 05/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The research is primarily focused on advancing fundamental knowledge related to reducing nitrate leaching into groundwater when fertilizers are added. The primary audience is researchers and policy makers interested in potential benefits of nanotechnology to reduce nitrate pollution. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has supported one graduate student. He attended the Gordon Nano-Agriculture Gordon Conference and Seminar for junior researchers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes Publication:? Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C.R., Westerhoff, P., Bi, Y., 2022. Impacts of graphitic nanofertilizers on nitrogen cycling in a sandy, agricultural soil.Journal of Nanoparticle Research (In Review) Das, P., Bi, Y., Westerhoff, P., 2022. N nutrient mobility in a saturated and unsaturated soil column amended with graphite nanoadditive.Environmental Science: Nano (In Preparation) Conference/Presentation/Poster/outreach: Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C.R., Bi, Y., Westerhoff, P., 2022. How does graphene nano fertilizer impact soil carbon mineralization and nitrogen cycling microbiomes of agricultural soil? Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food Systems (GRS), Convergence of Nanotechnology with Food and Agriculture, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH, United States. June 18-19, 2022. (Poster presentation). Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C. R., Bi, Y., & Westerhoff, P. (2021) Reduced Leaching of Nitrate from Soils Amended with Graphitic Nanomaterials in Saturated Packed Soil Columns. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. (Poster presentation). Bi, Y., Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C. R., & Westerhoff, P. (2021) Influence of Graphitic Nanofertilizers on Soil Nitrogen Transformation and Nitrogen Cycling Microbial Communities. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. Das, P., Penton, C. R., Bi, Y., & Westerhoff, P. (2021). Application of graphitic nanoparticles in reducing nitrogen loss from agriculture, CFAM Fall Scientific Retreat, December 7th, We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, Scottsdale. Das, P., Bi, Y., & Westerhoff, P. (2021) Impacts of graphitic nanoparticle on soil respiration and nitrification, 11th Annual SSEBE Graduate Research Symposium, February 19th, Gather Town Virtual Meeting, Arizona State University, Tempe. (Poster presentation). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are finalizing one manuscript on nitrogen mobility in saturated versus unsaturated soil columns amended with graphite nano-additives. This work has shown unique new ideas related to the role of soluble soil organic matter on co-stimulating bacterial processes on graphite surfaces. Specifically, we have shown the effect of temperature on reducing nitrate leaching - thus confirming the role of bacterial- processes on the observed benefits of nitrate leaching. Therefore, we have developed a series of hypotheses to test in batch experiments.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective #1: Characterize interactions of GNP with inorganic nitrogen species and soil components (e.g., mineral and organic matter) that affect nitrogen transformation and distribution in soil. Research on this task has been completed and published. Objective #2: Evaluate GNP mobility in soil systems and transport of nitrogen species upon simulated irrigation events in soil columns. We investigated the mobility of nitrogen nutrients in agricultural soil through a series of saturated and unsaturated soil column experiments under simulated irrigation events. In both types, we assessed how the presence of graphite nano additive (GNA) (as fertilizer amendment) in the topsoil layer affects nitrogen nutrient mobility. In those experiments, we investigated how temperature, the dose of GNA, and the type of graphene nanomaterial additive impact N nutrient mobility. Moreover, how soil organic carbon affects this N nutrient mobilization was also investigated. We are currently preparing a manuscript for submission to a peer reviewed journal. Objective #3: Determine the change of biogeochemical N transformation in a soil-plant system and optimize N uptake efficiency and N loss reduction from conventional fertilizer application. We have designed and finalized the experiment's specific objectives, tasks, and parameters with the soil-plant system in a plant growth chamber or greenhouse. In those plant-based experiments we will assess impact of GNA on soil rhizosphere microbiome through gene abundance and network analysis. These experiments have been partially completed. Objective #4: Examine soil respiration and N transformation resulting from changing microbial functional activities. Soil respiration experiments were completed as part of Objective #1. Experiments are being planned to efficiently test new hypotheses related to microbial functional behavior in batch experiments.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C.R., Westerhoff, P. and Bi, Y. 2022. Impacts of graphitic nanofertilizers on nitrogen cycling in a sandy, agricultural soil. Journal of Nanoparticle Research 24(6), 120 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-022-05500-9 (2022)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
2. Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C. R., Bi, Y., & Westerhoff, P. (2021) Reduced Leaching of Nitrate from Soils Amended with Graphitic Nanomaterials in Saturated Packed Soil Columns. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. (Poster presentation).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
3. Bi, Y., Das, P., Davis, K., Penton, C. R., & Westerhoff, P. (2021) Influence of Graphitic Nanofertilizers on Soil Nitrogen Transformation and Nitrogen Cycling Microbial Communities. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
4. Das, P., Penton, C. R., Bi, Y., & Westerhoff, P. (2021). Application of graphitic nanoparticles in reducing nitrogen loss from agriculture, CFAM Fall Scientific Retreat, December 7th, We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, Scottsdale.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
5. Das, P., Bi, Y., & Westerhoff, P. (2021) Impacts of graphitic nanoparticle on soil respiration and nitrification, 11th Annual SSEBE Graduate Research Symposium, February 19th, Gather Town Virtual Meeting, Arizona State University, Tempe. (Poster presentation).
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Progress 06/01/20 to 05/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audiences during this reporting period included researchers, extension agents, and private industry/business leaders. We targeted researchers who are interested in nutrient, environmental quality, and nanotechnology application in agriculture. We focused on sharing the results with internal collaborators and local scientific community during the Covid pandemic. We also participated in a USDA-funded study led by Dr. Khara Grieger (NCSU) on nanotechnology responsible innovation. University extension service at the University of Arizona shared soil samples with us from Maricopa Agricultural Center and used our results to advise agribusiness and sustainable management practices to land owners, managers, and farmers. We are also developing relationships with private business/industry partners to receive feedbacks on nanofertilizer market and application. Changes/Problems:No major change was made for the first year of project, although small changes in research approaches are made to facilitate material acquirement and experimental operation during Covid. The research activities essentially followed the research objectives outlined in the original proposal and address the critical needs for better understanding the mechanisms of graphitic nanomaterials in agricultural application. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In the first year of the reporting period, this project has provided excellent research opportunities for two graduate students (one Ph.D. student and one Masters student) by funding their research activities. The Ph.D. student has gained vast technical experience in material characterization, water chemistry analysis, experimental design, and data analysis, as well as field experience in soil collection and processing. The Master student has learned qPCR assays analysis by extracting soil microbial DNA and running qPCR after soil microcosm experiments. The activity has provided critical data on soil microbial activity and functional genes under the impact of GNMs. This project also provided valuable opportunity for PI and co-PIs to collaborate and facilitate data interpretation to enable the interdisciplinary research. The PI has the opportunity of reaching out to another USDA funded team and leverage the resources at ASU to develop research activities that benefit both teams. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The preliminary research results from this project has been published in peer-reviewed journal of Environmental Science: Nano. The results recently collected are currently summarized and interpreted and will result in two peer-reviewed research manuscripts. All results are actively managed and shared among the research team that includes one PI, three co-PIs and two graduate students: group meeting are held between the graduate students with PI every week. Meeting between PI and co-PIs take place every two-weeks to one month to ensure a mutual understanding of the progress so collaborative effort can be effective. Dropbox folder are being shared among PI/co-PIs and students. The results were presented in graduate symposiums and local venues to researchers and students with similar interests in sustainable fertilizer and nutrient management. We have submitted abstract for presentations at 2021 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting to share results with the scientific communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the next reporting period, we will have completed the two thrusts in the proposed research: GNMs interactions with nitrogen species in soil and GNMs impact of inorganic nitrogen mobility and transformation. We will summarize and report the results in three peer-reviewed manuscripts. Meanwhile, we will initiate a greenhouse study to determine the role of GNP in a soil-plant system and optimize N uptake efficiency by lettuce plant. The results will offer support on the beneficial effects of GNP for more efficient delivery and utilization of nitrogen fertilizer in agricultural systems. We will more effectively engage co-PI in developing sophisticated experimental strategies in monitoring nitrogen transformation in pot studies. We will also engage farmers and private industry/business leaders and learn about their choices of nutrient management and commitment to sustainable agriculture. Our effort to reach our stakeholders will also include presentations of concepts of carbon-based nanofertilizer at events sponsored by Arizona State University and U of Arizona Extension, where members of the professional agricultural community receive training and certification credits. We will present the scientific results at 2021 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, 77th SWCS International Annual Conference, and Gordon Research Conference on Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food Systems (2022).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We focused on the two main objectives for the first year of the project: 1. Determine the impact of GNMs on soil respiration and biogeochemical N transformation resulting from changing microbial functional activities using an arid agricultural soil. 2. Evaluate GNMs mobility in soil systems and transport of nitrogen species upon simulated irrigation events in heterogeneous soil systems. We first conducted a thorough literature review and summarized the current research on using graphitic nanomaterials for agricultural applications and the potential impact on soil nitrogen cycling. After obtaining agricultural soils from Maricopa Agricultural Center in Arizona, we then conducted soil incubation experiments and investigated the soil respiration and nitrification potential influenced by the presence of four different graphitic nanomaterials plus biochar. Through the collaborative work with Dr. Ryan Penton, we further investigated the changes in bacterial abundance and functional genes responsible for nitrogen cycling in soils. The results demonstrated a positive impact of GNMs on soil biomass and nitrification processes. Unlike some previous studies, we did not find apparent toxicity from the materials after soil application. The results demonstrated the complex nature of the nanomaterials and the interactions of soil microbes with these materials even at low doses of 5 mg/kg soil. To evaluate nutrient mobility and environmental risks of GNMs, we constructed eight soil columns and applied the nanomaterials to top soils by simulating conventional fertilizer application. By evaluating nitrogen transport with and without the impact of soil microorganisms, we are obtaining valuable data in understanding the environmental risks and mechanisms that control the nitrate leaching and release of GNP in agricultural soil.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Partho Das, Kelsie Davis, Paul Westerhoff, Ryan Penton, Yuqiang Bi, Graphitic nanomaterials as soil amendments alter microbial communities for nitrogen cycling to reduce nitrate leaching potential, Environmental Science: Nano, 2021, in preparation.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Yuqiang Bi, Partho Das, Kelsie Davis, Nancy Grimm, Ryan Penton, Paul Westerhoff, The benefit of nanofertilizers in improving nitrogen utilization efficiency and reducing environmental pollution: A review, Science of the Total Environment, 2021, in preparation
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Partho Das, Kelsie Davis, Paul Westerhoff, Ryan Penton, Yuqiang Bi, Graphitic nanomaterials as soil amendments reduce nitrate leaching potential by altering nitrogen cycling microbial communities,2021 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting
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