Different Forms and Proportions of Exogenous Nitrogen Promote the Growth of Alfalfa by Increasing Soil Enzyme Activity

Abstract

Nitrogen fertilization is a simple and effective field management strategy for increasing plant productivity, but the regulatory mechanisms of nitrogen forms and proportions on soil nutrients and plant growth remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated soil enzyme activities and nutrient contents of alfalfa under different forms and proportions of exogenous nitrogen addition. Results showed that nitrogen input significantly increased the activity of three oxidoreductases (hydroxylamine reductase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase) while having no significant effects on urease. A high proportion of ammonium nitrogen significantly increased neutral protease activity. The amylase activity markedly increased under mixed-nitrogen addition but decreased under single-nitrogen addition. Additionally, the contents of soil nutrients (soil organic matter, total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) were significantly increased under different exogenous nitrogen inputs, which drove the changes in enzyme activities. Further, nitrogen addition also improved the biomass and nitrogen content of alfalfa. These findings indicated that applying different forms and proportions of exogenous nitrogen may stimulate soil enzyme activities, which will accelerate the transformation of nutrients and then promote alfalfa growth.