Butkus, Camille Rose
(2024)
Evaluating liposomes as carriers to retain agricultural nitrogen fertilizer.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Liposomes are microscale (0.025 – 2.5 um diameter) lipid vesicles that are used to deliver drugs to specific areas of the human body. Liposomes can also deliver nutrients to plants, possibly more efficiently than traditional fertilizers, which could reduce nitrogen (N) losses and improve overall N use efficiency on farms. However, because liposomes are composed of carbon (C), they may serve as a C source for soil microbes, stimulating unintended microbial activity. This increased microbial activity may, in turn, enhance biogeochemical cycling and impact the availability of encapsulated nutrients to crops. To assess the possible impacts of using liposomes as carriers for N, this study quantifies the effect of liposomes on soil C and N cycles in the absence of plants. We conducted an incubation experiment using agricultural soil from USDA LTAR no-till corn plots in Pennsylvania Furnace, PA. Soils were treated with C (aqueous empty liposomes (EL) or glucose), N (aqueous KNO3), or coupled C+N (N loaded liposomes (NL), EL + KNO3, or glucose + KNO3) additions. Water was added as the control treatment. The concentration of CO2 in the vial headspace was measured over the 7-day incubation period to determine potential C mineralization rates. Initial and final exchangeable nitrate (NO3--N) and ammonium (NH4+-N) in the soil were measured to determine potential nitrification and N mineralization rates. Nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations were also measured to examine N losses from denitrification. Our results show similar increased potential C mineralization rates of soil treated with NL and EL (46.2 ± 1.7 and 40.7 ± 3.3 mg C kg-1 dry soil day-1, respectively) relative to the control (8.26 ± 0.96 mg C kg-1 dry soil day-1). Liposome treatments, NL and EL, had net losses of NO3--N, while the control varied little during the 7-day incubation. A peak in N2O concentrations on day 1 in liposome treated soils suggested rapid denitrification. These findings indicate that soil microbes can utilize liposomes as a C source to drive rapid N immobilization, which can ultimately reduce N leaching losses in farm fields.
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| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
20 December 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
8 November 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
20 December 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
25 November 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
75 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Geology and Environmental Science |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
nitrogen, fertilizer, agriculture |
| Date Deposited: |
20 Dec 2024 14:37 |
| Last Modified: |
20 Dec 2024 14:37 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/47129 |
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