In situ evaluation of net nitrification rate in Terra rossa soil using a Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection 15N tracing technique.

Nitrification and mineralization of organic nitrogen (N) are important N transformation processes in soil, and mass spectrometry is a suitable technique for tracing changes of (15)N isotopic species of mineral N and estimating the rates of these processes. However, mass spectrometric methods for tracing N dynamics are costly, time consuming, and require long and laborious preparation procedures. This study investigates mid-infrared attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy as an alternative method for detecting changes in (14)NO(3)-N and (15)NO(3)-N concentrations. There is a significant shift of the nu(3) absorption band of nitrate according to N species, namely from the 1275 to 1460 cm(-1) region for (14)NO(3)(-) to the 1240-1425 cm(-1) region for (15)NO(3). This shift makes it possible to quantify the N isotopes using multivariate calibration methods. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models with five factors yielded a determination error of 6.7-9.2 mg N L(-1) for aqueous solutions and 5.9-7.8 mg N kg(-1) (dry soil) for pastes of a Terra rossa soil. These PLSR models were used to monitor the changes of (15)NO(3)-N and (14)NO(3)-N content in the same Terra rossa soil during an incubation experiment in which [(15)NH(4)](2)SO(4) was applied to the soil, allowing the estimation of the contributions of applied N and mineralized N to the net nitrification rate, the potential losses of the applied (15)NH(4)-N, and the net mineralization of soil organic N.