Deciphering the Interactions in the Root–Soil Nexus Caused by Urease and Nitrification Inhibitors: A Review
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Thanks to authors for submitting the manuscript to this journal.
The manuscript is generally good written and contains enough information.
I would suggest adding information on the law regulation of the presence of nitrate pollution caused from agricultural sources.
Also, information on biological nitrogen fixation as an important phenomenon in nature can be added.
In section 1 line 45 before word population add word people, please.
Author Response
Comment: Thanks to authors for submitting the manuscript to this journal.
Our response: Thank you for your comments.
Comment: The manuscript is generally good written and contains enough information.
Our response: Thank you for your comments.
Comment: I would suggest adding information on the law regulation of the presence of nitrate pollution caused from agricultural sources.
Our response: Thank you for this suggestion. While we agree that this would be an interesting topic to discuss, we have decided that this is outside the scope of this review since it would require susbtantial writing and text which would not fall within the word limit of the journal. However, we would consider your suggestion to draft another piece of review on this topic in the future.
Comment: Also, information on biological nitrogen fixation as an important phenomenon in nature can be added.
Our response: Yes, we agree and while this was not extensive, we have included a section on BNIs in the review. Line 343-367
Comment: In section 1 line 45 before word population add word people, please.
Our response: We think that word "world" fits better here and hence have added on Line 45
Reviewer 2 Report
In this review, the authors dealt with urease and nitrification and the study is interesting and well written. The introduction is smooth and the content seems quite clear.
Lines 224 - 281: Regarding the subsections, from lines 224 to 281 I find it difficult to find connections between figures and diagrams. Who is "Diagram 3", who is "Figure 2", it is not easy for the reader to understand. I would suggest re-reading and providing the right references to the figures and diagrams by making them in the text.
Paragraph 4.3 could be grouped into one paragraph instead of dividing it into several subsections, and perhaps a figure or diagram summarising the factors described could be added, but it is only a suggestion, so as to be impactful for understanding.
Double-check all superscripts and subscripts for errors in the text.
Otherwise, the text seems to me to be written and, apart from a few changes, can certainly be published.
Author Response
Comment: Lines 224 - 281: Regarding the subsections, from lines 224 to 281 I find it difficult to find connections between figures and diagrams. Who is "Diagram 3", who is "Figure 2", it is not easy for the reader to understand. I would suggest re-reading and providing the right references to the figures and diagrams by making them in the text.
Our response: We have to apologise. However, the version we submitted was amended by the editorial staff resulting in a mismatch which we have now resolved. Ther is only one scheme provided (not diagram). Therefore, Scheme 3/ Diagram 3 does not exist.
Comment: Paragraph 4.3 could be grouped into one paragraph instead of dividing it into several subsections, and perhaps a figure or diagram summarising the factors described could be added, but it is only a suggestion, so as to be impactful for understanding.
Our response: While we understand what the reviewer is suggesting, after careful consideration we decided to remain the topic separations in paragraph as is. We also had considered illustrating the content in the format of table but again we decided it would not add additional value to the reader.
Comment: Double-check all superscripts and subscripts for errors in the text.
Our response: We have corrected all in the entire manuscript.
Comment: Otherwise, the text seems to me to be written and, apart from a few changes, can certainly be published.
Our response: Thank you for your comments.
Reviewer 3 Report
Dear Authors please attached find the comments.
Kind regards
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Comment: Line 127. Arabidopsis is a genus should be italicized.
Our response: We have updated as suggested.
Comment: Line 129. A coma is missing. …root epidermis while AMT1;2…. To: …root epidermis, while AMT1;2….
Our response: We have added a comma.
Comment: Line 136. Idem. Arabidopsis is a genus should be italicized.
Our response: We have changed as suggested.
Comment: Line 140-143. What differences are in the uptake of organic N between the simple-low molecular weight compounds and the more complex polymeric material?
Our response: We have added a paragraph on this information and references from Line 143 To 163
Comment: Line 158-160. Why are these compounds not available to plants?
Our response: We have added a paragraph on this information and references from Line 181 To 192
Comment: Line 243. Figure 2 is very illustrative. The only suggestion is to increase the font size to make it easy to read.
Our response: We have increased the font size in the updated figure.
Comment: Line 317. Would be more appropriate use “secrete” instead of “excrete”?
Our response: We have changed as suggested.
Comment: Line 498. Is the increase in NH4+ production directly proportional to temperature or is production inhibited at some point as soil temperature increases? Conversely, what would happen in environments with a lower soil temperature?
Our response: After looking into the literature, we found that almost no study has focused on temperature as a variable to check for NH4+ produciton in soil. They have always combined them with pH. We found one interesting study-"Lasisi, A.A.; Akinremi, O.O. Kinetics and thermodynamics of urea hydrolysis in the presence of urease and nitrification inhibitors. an. J. Soil Sci. 2021, 101, 192–202." However, the results are still the same as mentioned already in the manuscript. Thus, we can say that although there is no direct link with increasing temp and NH4+ production, this could be mainly due to lack of studies here. Therefore, we have added a sentence about gap in this field- Line 514-516
Comment: Line 523-524. And in acid soils, how could this volatilization occur?
Our response: We were not able to locate this sentence in the uodated version of the manuscript sent to us and therefore unsure how and where we need to address this suggestion.
Comment: Line 548-555. Another important factor is that the clay and organic matter content can influence soil moisture regimes. Retaining moisture, decreasing the infiltration rate and therefore in some soils favoring its temporary flooding, which can favor the reduction of N.
Our response: The sentence mentioned was not found in the updated version of the manuscript provided to us. As a result, we are uncertain about the specific details and location where this suggestion should be addressed.
Comment: Include a section on main conclusions.
Our response: We have added a conclusion section at the end of the main body of the manuscript. This can be found from Line 835-861
Reviewer 4 Report
The authors really worked on a very interesting topic and collected a lot of review of literatures related to the topic. I really appreciate their hard work while writing this manuscript.
General Comments:
Overall, the sentences are extremely long and need to be rephrased (50-80 words in some sentences). I encourage for a professional English writing service.
In addition, the rationale of the paper needs to be improved
Some of the references are really old (>20 years). Please use some newer references.
Specific comments
Line 85 # Application of inhibitors can ensure N supply and eventually helps in crop production. Can inhibitors ensure crop production itself?
Line 85 # Please rewrite the following sentence: “To optimise the performance of inhibitors in agricultural systems to improve N availability with 86 plant demand, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which plants influence 87 microbial N transformations to improve the nutrition, identify the N forms that plants can 88 take up, and how N compounds are influenced by availability of various forms of N in 89 soils and by plant properties (Figure 1)”.
Line 124 # Please clarify this statement: “Several inorganic and organic N transporters…..”. Are these transporters associated with organic and inorganic N transport?
Line 219 # Please re-write the heading of the paragraph to make it clear
Line 222 # I would suggest to use urea over (H2N)2C=O (It would be easy for the others to understand)
Figure 2 # Please mention the name of the N2 to NH4+ conversion process e.g. symbiosis/ haber bosch process
Also, I cannot see any light green/dark green background in the figure
Figure 2# I am little confused about the length of the figure 2 caption
Line 266 # Are NIX and NXR same?
Line 290 # Only a few plants can use NH4+. Therefore, please re-write the statement to make it clear
Figure 4 # Please provide information of the other BNIs listed in figure 4 or may remove them
Line 811 and 814 # Please use subscript option for ammonium ion symbol
Line 824 # Same as line 811
Extremely long sentences that need to be improved
Author Response
Comment: Line 85 # Application of inhibitors can ensure N supply and eventually helps in crop production. Can inhibitors ensure crop production itself?
Our response: We have corrected this sentence as suggested
Comment: Line 85 # Please rewrite the following sentence: “To optimise the performance of inhibitors in agricultural systems to improve N availability with 86 plant demand, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which plants influence 87 microbial N transformations to improve the nutrition, identify the N forms that plants can 88 take up, and how N compounds are influenced by availability of various forms of N in 89 soils and by plant properties (Figure 1)”.
Our response: We have corrected this sentence as suggested.
Comment: Line 124 # Please clarify this statement: “Several inorganic and organic N transporters…..”. Are these transporters associated with organic and inorganic N transport?
Our response: Yes, this paragraph mentions about the transporters linked to organic and inorganic N transport in plants.
Comment: Line 219 # Please re-write the heading of the paragraph to make it clear
Our response: We have changed the heading to "Influence of Soil Nitrogen Conversions on Nr Loss Control".
Comment: Line 222 # I would suggest to use urea over (H2N)2C=O (It would be easy for the others to understand)
Our response: We have changed ((H2N)2C=O) to urea
Comment: Figure 2 # Please mention the name of the N2 to NH4+ conversion process e.g. symbiosis/ haber bosch process
Our response: The required changes have been made in the update figure.
Comment: Also, I cannot see any light green/dark green background in the figure
Our response: The background color has been updated.
Comment: Figure 2# I am little confused about the length of the figure 2 caption
Our response: We have tried to explain every reaction in the legend and hence the length of caption is long.
Comment: Line 266 # Are NIX and NXR same?
Our response: Yes, they are same, we have corrected and replaced NXR to NIX on Line 294
Comment: Line 290 # Only a few plants can use NH4+. Therefore, please re-write the statement to make it clear .
Our response: We were unable to find this specific sentence in the updated version of the manuscript provided to us. Consequently, we are unsure about the appropriate approach and location to address this suggestion.
Comment: Figure 4 # Please provide information of the other BNIs listed in figure 4 or may remove them
Our response: We have removed Figure 4 and accordingly changed all consequent figure numbers in the manuscript.
Comment: Line 811 and 814 # Please use subscript option for ammonium ion symbol
Our response: We have corrected these
Comment: Line 824 # Same as line 811
Our response: We were unable to locate the specified sentence in the revised manuscript, thus making it uncertain how and where to address the suggested recommendation.
