The Significance of Microbial Transformation of Nitrogen Compounds in the Light of Integrated Crop Management
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Reviewer Comments
Ref: agronomy-1285050-peer-review-v1
- Nitrogen fertilization vs yield potential
L134 -The fertilizer market includes both mineral fertilizers (e.g. ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride) and organic ones (crop residues, animal excrements).
- Is it true? No organochemicals ?
L294 -296 During this process low-molecular-weight organic nitrogen compounds (amino acids, urea, 295 purine bases, nucleic acids) which enter soil with animal and plant residues and the products of proteolysis are further transformed when ammonia is released.
- add reference
L167 -168-169 -170 Integrated crop management (ICM) is a modern food production system which uses technological and biological progress in cultivation, crop protection and fertilization in a sustainable manner while and paying particular attention to environmental protection and human health
- add reference
Urea fertilizer is not a mineral fertilizer it’s a organo-chemical N fertilizer. Therefore, You have to be very careful while talking about.
L193- Nitrogen management is of key importance for plant production because this element is susceptible to leaching, which causes soil acidification.
Ammonium-based fertilizers are major contributors to soil acidification. ... Ammonium nitrogen from fertilizer or soil organic matter is readily converted to nitrate and hydrogen ions by bacteria in the soil. This contributes different amounts of hydrogen ions to the soil, depending on the fertilizer.
- How leaching causes soil acidification? Explain.
L234 The supply of nitrogen-rich organic matter (narrow C:N ratio – 20:1) to soil – C:N ratio – 20:1 is nitrogen-rich ?
L242 Figure 1. Nitrogen transformations in soil. Source: Authors’ original compilation.
-- Redraw nicely.
L334- 4. Microbial transformations of mineral nitrogen in soil
- very large, consider whether it can be divided into subsection.
364 Figure 2. The nitrogen cycle. Source: Authors’ original compilation.
-- Redraw nicely.
471 -The presence (aerobic) and absence (anaerobic) of oxygen needs to be discussed in more detail.
-- The equations have to be rewritten well
General Comments: When reviewing, please keep in mind that the story is continuous, like an essay.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.doc
Author Response
Reviewer No. 1
Ref: agronomy-1285050
L134 -The fertilizer market includes both mineral fertilizers (e.g. ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride) and organic ones (crop residues, animal excrements).
- Is it true? No organochemicals ?
- The sentence was rewritten and organo-chemical fertilizers were included in it.
L294 -296 During this process low-molecular-weight organic nitrogen compounds (amino acids, urea, 295 purine bases, nucleic acids) which enter soil with animal and plant residues and the products of proteolysis are further transformed when ammonia is released.
- add reference
- Nitu, T.T.; Milu, U.M.; Jahangir, M.M.R. Cover Crops and Soil Nitrogen Cycling. In Cover Crops and Sustainable Agriculture. Islam, R., Sherman, B. Eds.; CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, 2021; pp. 209–226.
L167 -168-169 -170 Integrated crop management (ICM) is a modern food production system which uses technological and biological progress in cultivation, crop protection and fertilization in a sustainable manner while and paying particular attention to environmental protection and human health
- add reference
- Bradley, D.; Christodoulou, M.; Caspari, C.; Di Luca, P. Integrated Crop
Management Systems in the EU. Amended Final Report for European Commission
DG Environment. 2002.
Urea fertilizer is not a mineral fertilizer it’s a organo-chemical N fertilizer. Therefore, You have to be very careful while talking about.- Urea is mentioned as organo-chemical N fertilizer
L193- Nitrogen management is of key importance for plant production because this element is susceptible to leaching, which causes soil acidification.
Ammonium-based fertilizers are major contributors to soil acidification. ... Ammonium nitrogen from fertilizer or soil organic matter is readily converted to nitrate and hydrogen ions by bacteria in the soil. This contributes different amounts of hydrogen ions to the soil, depending on the fertilizer.
- How leaching causes soil acidification? Explain.
- The problem of the influence of leaching on soil acidity has been explained in line 143-145.
L234 The supply of nitrogen-rich organic matter (narrow C:N ratio – 20:1) to soil – C:N ratio – 20:1 is nitrogen-rich ?
- C:N ratio was changed for 15:1 which is nitrogen rich.
L242 Figure 1. Nitrogen transformations in soil. Source: Authors’ original compilation.
-- Redraw nicely.
- The figure has been redrawn.
L334- 4. Microbial transformations of mineral nitrogen in soil
- very large, consider whether it can be divided into subsection.
- Part 4. Microbial transformations of mineral nitrogen in soil was divided into subsections.
364 Figure 2. The nitrogen cycle. Source: Authors’ original compilation.
-- Redraw nicely.
- The figure has been redrawn.
471 -The presence (aerobic) and absence (anaerobic) of oxygen needs to be discussed in more detail.-- The equations have to be rewritten well- The issue of presence (aerobic) and absence (anaerobic) of oxygen has been discussed in more details.- The equations have been rewritten. General Comments: When reviewing, please keep in mind that the story is continuous, like an essay.- Continuity of work was checked and corrected.
Author Response File: Author Response.doc
Reviewer 2 Report
Despite the relatively low novelty of the article, its major advantage is that N compounds transformation has been thoroughly and compactly grouped in one article. The article is easy to read and understand. It is very positive that chemical reactions have been reported for the N change.
- The sentences in lines 173...179 and 797...806 are not required and the would be deleted.
- There is too much common knowledges and repetitions in the introduction and chapter 2, so these parts of the article could be made much shorter.
- The purpose of the article was not understood and the novelty of the article need to be highlighted
Author Response
Reviewer No. 1
Ref: agronomy-1285050
Despite the relatively low novelty of the article, its major advantage is that N compounds transformation has been thoroughly and compactly grouped in one article. The article is easy to read and understand. It is very positive that chemical reactions have been reported for the N change.
- The sentences in lines 173...179 and 797...806 are not required and the would be deleted.
- The sentences in lines 173-179 have not been removed due to the strong relationship to the topic, as they are presented as an example.
- The sentences in lines 797 – 806 have been removed.
2. There is too much common knowledges and repetitions in the introduction and chapter 2, so these parts of the article could be made much shorter.
- Parts with common knowledges and repetitions in the introduction and chapter 2 have been deleted.
3. The purpose of the article was not understood and the novelty of the article need to be highlighted
- The purpose and novelty of the article had been highlighted.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
