Can liming mitigate N2O fluxes from a urine-amended soil?

Soil Research ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Clough ◽  
R. R. Sherlock ◽  
F. M. Kelliher
Keyword(s):  
Soil Ph ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Synthetic Urine ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
N2o Fluxes ◽  
Treatment Application ◽  
Urine Treatment

Soil pH affects N2O production mechanisms. The ratio of N2O to N2 may decrease with increasing soil pH during denitrification. Two laboratory experiments were performed to examine the effect of liming on N2O emissions following synthetic urine applications over 42 and 60 days. A silt loam soil at field capacity (water-filled pore space of 57% after treatment application) was adjusted with Ca(OH)2 to produce soils ranging from pH 4.7 to 7.7. The first experiment employed 4 treatments: a control, KNO3 (500 kg N/ha), and synthetic urine at 500 kg N/ha and 1000 kg N/ha. A second experiment used 15N labelled urea in synthetic urine at 500 kg N/ha. The main effect of lime was to promote nitrification, which markedly affected N2O fluxes. After 60 days, the 500 kg N/ha synthetic urine treatment limed to pH 6.1 produced more N2O (0.82% of N applied) than any other soil pH. No optimum soil pH was found for the synthetic urine treatment at 1000 kg N/ha with nitrification incomplete after 60 days. N2O production via nitrifiers dominated the N2O production pathway with large residual NO3– pools. Denitrification was not enhanced since no 15N labelled N2 was detected. However, before any final conclusions can be drawn about the efficacy of liming as a mitigation tool it is vital that the effect of liming on possible denitrification mechanisms and products also be assessed, following nitrification and formation of a nitrate pool. Application of synthetic urine also initiated a priming effect with more carbon evolved as CO2 than was applied.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variability of nitrous oxide emissions in a mixed farming landscape of Denmark

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2989-3002 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Schelde ◽  
P. Cellier ◽  
T. Bertolini ◽  
T. Dalgaard ◽  
T. Weidinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
N2o Fluxes

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural land are variable at the landscape scale due to variability in land use, management, soil type, and topography. A field experiment was carried out in a typical mixed farming landscape in Denmark, to investigate the main drivers of variations in N2O emissions, measured using static chambers. Measurements were made over a period of 20 months, and sampling was intensified during two weeks in spring 2009 when chambers were installed at ten locations or fields to cover different crops and topography and slurry was applied to three of the fields. N2O emissions during spring 2009 were relatively low, with maximum values below 20 ng N m−2 s−1. This applied to all land use types including winter grain crops, grasslands, meadows, and wetlands. Slurry application to wheat fields resulted in short-lived two-fold increases in emissions. The moderate N2O fluxes and their moderate response to slurry application were attributed to dry soil conditions due to the absence of rain during the four previous weeks. Cumulative annual emissions from two arable fields that were both fertilized with mineral fertilizer and manure were large (17 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 and 5.5 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1) during the previous year when soil water conditions were favourable for N2O production during the first month following fertilizer application. Our findings confirm the importance of weather conditions as well as nitrogen management on N2O fluxes.

scholarly journals Trace gas fluxes of CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub> and N<sub>2</sub>O in a permanent grassland soil exposed to elevated CO<sub>2</sub> in the Giessen FACE study

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 9333-9342 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kaleem Abbasi ◽  
C. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Co2 ◽  
15N Tracer ◽  
Organic N ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Ch4 Oxidation ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
N Application ◽  
Oxidation Rates ◽  
Controlled Conditions ◽  
N2o Fluxes

Abstract. Long-term field observations showed that N2O fluxes observed shortly after N application were not significantly affected by elevated CO2 in the Giessen Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (FACE) study. To further investigate this unexpected result a 15N tracer study was carried out under controlled conditions where in parallel treatments either the NH4+ pool (15NH4NO3) or the NO3− pool (NH415NO3) was enriched with 15N. Fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O as well as the 15N enrichment of the N2O were measured. Denitrifying Enzyme Activity (DEA), total denitrification (N2 + N2O) and N2-to-N2O ratios were quantified in separate experiments. Over the 57 day incubation, N2O fluxes averaged 0.090 ng N2O-N g−1 h−1 under ambient and 0.083 ng N2O-N g−1 h−1 under elevated CO2 (not significantly different). The N2O production processes were identified by a two-source model. Results showed that N2O must have also been produced by a third source – possibly related to organic N transformation – which was stimulated by elevated CO2. Soil CO2 fluxes were approximately 20 % higher under elevated CO2 than soil from ambient but the differences were not significant. CH4 oxidation rates were on average −1.75 ng CH4-C g−1 h−1 in the elevated and −1.17 ng CH4-C g−1 h−1 in the ambient indicating that elevated CO2 increased the CH4 oxidation by 49 % compared to ambient CO2 under controlled conditions. N fertilization increased CH4 oxidation by 3-fold in both CO2 treatments. CO2 did not have any significant effect on DEA while total denitrification and N2-to-N2O ratios increased by 36 and 33 %, respectively. The results indicate that shortly after N application elevated CO2 must have stimulated both the N2O production and reduction to N2 to explain the increased N2-to-N2O ratio and at the same time explain the non-responsiveness of the N2O emissions. Thus, the observed variation of the CO2 effect on N2O emissions throughout the year is possibly governed by the dynamics of the N2O reductase activity.

scholarly journals Denitrification Rate and Its Potential to Predict Biogenic N2O Field Emissions in a Mediterranean Maize-Cropped Soil in Southern Italy

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annachiara Forte ◽  
Angelo Fierro
Keyword(s):  
Pore Space ◽  
Denitrification Rate ◽  
Linear Functions ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Soil Cores ◽  
High Soil ◽  
N2o Fluxes ◽  
Intact Soil Cores ◽  
Intact Soil ◽  
Soil Nitrates

The denitrification rate in C2H2-amended intact soil cores and soil N2O fluxes in closed static chambers were monitored in a Mediterranean irrigated maize-cropped field. The measurements were carried out during: (i) a standard fertilization management (SFM) activity and (ii) a manipulation experimental (ME) test on the effects of increased and reduced application rates of urea at the late fertilization. In the course of the SFM, the irrigations following early and late nitrogen fertilization led to pulses of denitrification rates (up to 1300 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1) and N2O fluxes (up to 320 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1), thanks to the combined action of high soil temperatures and not limiting nitrates and water filled pore space (WFPS). During the ME, high soil nitrates were noted in all the treatments in the first one month after the late fertilization, which promoted marked N-losses by microbial denitrification (from 500 to 1800 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1) every time the soil WFPS was not limiting. At similar maize yield responses to fertilizer treatments, this result suggested no competition for N between plant roots and soil microbial community and indicated a probable surplus of nitrogen fertilizer input at the investigated farm. Correlation and regression analyses (CRA) on the whole set of data showed significant relations between both the denitrification rates and the N2O fluxes with three soil physical-chemical parameters: nitrate concentration, WFPS and temperature. Specifically, the response functions of denitrification rate to soil nitrates, WFPS and temperature could be satisfactorily modelled according to simple Michaelis-Menten kinetic, exponential and linear functions, respectively. Furthermore, the CRA demonstrated a significant exponential relationship between N2O fluxes and denitrification and simple empirical functions to predict N2O emissions from the denitrification rate appeared more fitting (higher concordance correlation coefficient) than the predictive empirical algorithm based on soil nitrates, WFPS and temperature. In this regard, the empirically established relationships between the denitrification rate on intact soil cores under field conditions and the soil variables provided local-specific threshold values and coefficients which may effectively work to calibrate and adapt existing N2O process-based simulation models to the local pedo-climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Nitrous oxide emissions at the landscape scale: spatial and temporal variability

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 11941-11978 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Schelde ◽  
P. Cellier ◽  
T. Bertolini ◽  
T. Dalgaard ◽  
T. Weidinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Mineral Fertilizer ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
N2o Fluxes

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural land are variable at the landscape scale due to variability in land use, management, soil type, and topography. A field experiment was carried out in a typical mixed farming landscape in Denmark, to investigate the main drivers of variations in N2O emissions, measured using static chambers. Measurements were done over a period of 20 months, and sampling was intensified during two weeks in spring 2009 when chambers were installed at ten locations or fields to cover different crops and topography and slurry was applied to three of the fields. N2O emissions during the spring 2009 period were relatively low, with maximum values below 20 ng N m−2 s−1. This applied to all land use types including winter grain crops, grassland, meadow, and wetland. Slurry application to wheat fields resulted in short-lived two-fold increases in emissions. The moderate N2O fluxes and their moderate response to slurry application were attributed to dry soil moisture conditions due to the absence of rain during the four previous weeks. Measured cumulated annual emissions from two arable fields that were both fertilized with mineral fertilizer and manure were large (17 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 and 5.5 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1, respectively) during the previous year when soil water conditions were favourable for N2O production during the first month following fertilizer application, confirming the importance of the climatic regime on N2O fluxes.

scholarly journals Revisiting the relationship between soil moisture and N<sub>2</sub>O production pathways by measuring <sup>15</sup>N<sub>2</sub>O isotopomers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate A. Congreves ◽  
Trang Phan ◽  
Richard E. Farrell
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Site Preference ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Nitrification And Denitrification ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Understanding the production pathways of potent greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide (N2O), is essential for accurate flux prediction and for developing effective adaptation and mitigation strategies in response to climate change. Yet, there remain surprising gaps in our understanding and precise quantification of the underlying production pathways – such as the relationship between soil moisture and N2O production pathways. A powerful, but arguably underutilized, approach for quantifying the relative contribution of nitrification and denitrification to N2O production involves determining 15N2O isotopomers and 15N site preference (SP) via spectroscopic techniques. Using one such technique we conducted a short-term incubation to precisely quantify the relationship between soil moisture and N2O production pathways. For each of three soils, microcosms were arranged in a complete random design with four replicates; each microcosm consisted of air-dried soil packed into plastic petri dishes wherein moisture treatments were established for water contents equivalent to 45 to 105 % water-filled pore space (WFPS). The microcosms were placed in 1-L jars and sealed; headspace samples were collected after 24-h and analyzed for total N2O concentrations using gas chromatography, and for 15N2O isotopomers using cavity ring-down spectroscopy. Relatively low N2O fluxes and high SP values indicted nitrification during dry soil conditions, whereas at higher soil moisture, peak N2O emissions coincided with a sharp decline in SP indicating denitrification. This pattern supports the classic N2O production curves from nitrification and denitrification as inferred by earlier research; however, our isotopomer data enabled the quantification of source partitioning for either pathway thereby providing clarity on N2O sources during the transition from nitrification to denitrification. At soil moisture levels  78 %, denitrification completely dominated. Clearly, the soil moisture levels during transition is a key regulation of N2O production pathways.

scholarly journals Impacts of Nitrogen Addition on Nitrous Oxide Emission: Model-Data Comparison

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujin Zhang ◽  
Minna Ma ◽  
Huajun Fang ◽  
Dahe Qin ◽  
Shulan Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽  
N2o Emission ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Emission Model ◽  
N Addition ◽  
N2o Production

Abstract. The contributions of long-lived nitrous oxide (N2O) to the global climate and environment have received increasing attention. Especially, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has substantially increased in recent decades due to extensive use of fossil fuels in industry, which strongly stimulates the N2O emissions of the terrestrial ecosystem. Several models have been developed to simulate N2O emission, but there are still large differences in their N2O emission simulations and responses to atmospheric deposition over global or regional scales. Using observations from N addition experiments in a subtropical forest, this study compared six widely-used N2O models (i.e. DayCENT, DLEM, DNDC, DyN, NOE, and NGAS) to investigate their performances for reproducing N2O emission, and especially the impacts of two types of N additions (i.e. ammonium and nitrate: NH4+ and NO3−, respectively) and two levels (low and high) on N2O emission. In general, the six models reproduced the seasonal variations of N2O emission, but failed to reproduce relatively larger N2O emissions due to NH4+ compared to NO3− additions. Few models indicated larger N2O emission under high N addition levels for both NH4+ and NO3−. Moreover, there were substantial model differences for simulating the ratios of N2O emission from nitrification and denitrification processes due to disagreements in model structures and algorithms. This analysis highlights the need to improve representation of N2O production and diffusion, and the control of soil water-filled pore space on these processes in order to simulate the impacts of N deposition on N2O emission.

scholarly journals The effect of aggregates on N<sub>2</sub>O emission from denitrification in an agricultural peat soil

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 3253-3287 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Stolk ◽  
R. F. A. Hendriks ◽  
C. M. J. Jacobs ◽  
E. J. Moors ◽  
P. Kabat
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Peat Soil ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Model Combination ◽  
Model Concept ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Structured Soils ◽  
N2o Fluxes

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions are highly variable in time, with high peak emissions lasting as couple of days to weeks and low background emissions. This temporal variability is poorly understood which hampers the simulation of daily N2O emissions. In structured soils, like clay and peat, aggregates hamper the diffusion of oxygen, which leads to anaerobic microsites in the soil, favourable for denitrification. In this paper we studied the effect of aggregates in soils on the N2O emissions from denitrification. We presented a parameterization to simulate the effects of aggregates on N2O, following the mobile-immobile model concept. This parameterization was implemented in a field-scale hydrological-biogeochemical model combination. We compared the simulated fluxes with observed fluxes from a fertilized and drained peat soil with grass. The results of this study showed that aggregates strongly affect N2O emissions: peak emissions are lower, whereas the background emissions are slightly higher. Implementation of the effect of aggregates caused a decrease in the simulated annual emissions of more than 40%. The new parameterization also significantly improved the model performance to simulate observed N2O fluxes. Aggregates have more impact on the reduction of N2O than on the production of N2O. Reduction of N2O is more sensitive to changes in the drivers than production of N2O and is in that sense the key process to understand N2O emissions from denitrification. The effects of changing conditions on reduction of N2O relative to N2O production is dependent on the NO3 content of the soil. It is expected that in soils with a low NO3 content the influence of aggregates on the NO3 concentration is not negligible. This study showed that the current knowledge of the hydrological, biogeochemical and physical processes is sufficient to understand the observed N2O fluxes from a fertilized peatland. Further research is needed to test how aggregates affect the N2O fluxes in areas or periods with little NO3 in the soil.

scholarly journals Impact of extreme precipitation and water table change on N<sub>2</sub>O fluxes in a bio-energy poplar plantation

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 2057-2092 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Zona ◽  
I. A. Janssens ◽  
M. S. Verlinden ◽  
L. S. Broeckx ◽  
J. Cools ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
N2o Emission ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Extreme Rainfall Events ◽  
Rainfall Events

Abstract. A large fraction of the West European landscape is used for intensive agriculture. Several of these countries have very high nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, because of substantial use of fertilizers and high rates of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. N2O production in soils is controlled by water-filled pore space (WFPS) and substrate availability (NO3). Here we show that extreme precipitation (80 mm rainfall in 48 h) after a long dry period, led to a week-long peak in N2O emissions (up to about 2200 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1). In the first four of these peak emission days, N2O fluxes showed a pronounced diurnal pattern correlated to daytime increase in temperature and wind speed. It is possible that N2O was transported through the transpiration stream of the poplar trees and emitted through the stomates. However, during the following three high emission days, N2O emission was fairly stable with no pronounced diurnal trend, and was correlated with wind speed and WFPS (at 20 and 40 cm depth) but no longer with soil temperature. We hypothesized that wind speed facilitated N2O emission from the soil to the atmosphere through a significant pressure-pumping. Successive rainfall events and similar WFPS after this first intense precipitation did not lead to N2O emissions of the same magnitude. These findings suggest that climate change-induced modification in precipitation patterns may lead to high N2O emission pulses from soil, such that sparser and more extreme rainfall events after longer dry periods could lead to peak N2O emissions. The cumulative effects of more variable climate on annual N2O emission are still largely uncertain and need further investigation.

scholarly journals Enhanced N2O Production Induced by Soil Salinity at a Specific Range

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (14) ◽  
pp. 5169
Author(s):  
Yawei Li ◽  
Junzeng Xu ◽  
Boyi Liu ◽  
Haiyu Wang ◽  
Zhiming Qi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Ammonia Oxidation ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Salinity Range ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
N Accumulation ◽  
N2o Production ◽  
Negative Effect

Nitrous oxide (N2O) as a by-product of soil nitrogen (N) cylces, its production may be affected by soil salinity which have been proved to have significant negative effect on soil N transformation processes. The response of N2O production across a range of different soil salinities is poorly documented; accordingly, we conducted a laboratory incubation experiment using an array of soils bearing six different salinity levels ranging from 0.25 to 6.17 dS m−1. With ammonium-rich organic fertilizer as their N source, the soils were incubated at three soil moisture ( θ ) levels—50%, 75% and 100% of field capacity ( θ fc )—for six weeks. Both N2O fluxes and concentrations of ammonium, nitrite and nitrate (NH4+-N, NO2−-N and NO3−-N) were measured throughout the incubation period. The rates of NH4+-N consumption and NO3−-N accumulation increased with increasing soil moisture and decreased with increasing soil salinity, while the accumulation of NO2−-N increased first then decreased with increasing soil salinity. N2O emissions were significantly promoted by greater soil moisture. As soil salinity increased from 0.25 to 6.17 dS m−1, N2O emissions from soil first increased then decreased at all three soil moisture levels, with N2O emissions peaking at electric conductivity (EC) values of 1.01 and 2.02 dS m−1. N2O emissions form saline soil were found significantly positively correlated to soil NO2−-N accumulation. The present results suggest that greater soil salinity inhibits both steps of nitrification, but that its inhibition of nitrite oxidation is stronger than that on ammonia oxidation, which leads to higher NO2−-N accumulation and enhanced N2O emissions in soil with a specific salinity range.

Field-scale verification of nitrous oxide emission reduction with DCD in dairy-grazed pasture using measurements and modelling

Soil Research ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna L. Giltrap ◽  
Surinder Saggar ◽  
Jagrati Singh ◽  
Mike Harvey ◽  
Andrew McMillan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Sampling Error ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
N2o Emissions ◽  
Nitrification Inhibitors ◽  
Dndc Model ◽  
Input Parameters

Nitrous oxide (N2O) from agricultural soils is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand. Nitrification inhibitors are seen as a potential technology to reduce these N2O emissions from agricultural soils. In previous studies on the effect of dicyandiamide (DCD) on N2O emissions from animal excreta, DCD was directly applied to urine. However, farmers apply DCD to grazed pastures shortly before or after grazing rather than applying it specifically to the urine patches. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were: (1) to test, using chamber measurements, whether the same level of N2O reduction is achieved under grazed conditions where excretal N is non-uniformly deposited, (2) to apply the process-based NZ-DNDC model to simulate the effect of DCD on emission reductions, and (3) to perform a sensitivity analysis on the NZ-DNDC model to investigate how uncertainties in the input parameters affect the modelled N2O emissions. Two circular 1260-m2 treatment plots were grazed simultaneously for 5 h, by 20 cattle on each plot. The following day, DCD was applied in 800 L of water to one of the plots at 10 kg/ha and N2O emissions were measured periodically for 20 days. The cumulative N2O emissions were 220 ± 90 and 110 ± 20 g N2O-N/ha for the untreated and DCD-treated plots, respectively (based on the arithmetic mean and standard error of the chambers). This suggests a reduction in N2O emission from DCD application of ~50 ± 40% from a single grazing event. However, this result should be treated with caution because the possibility of sampling error due to the chamber distribution cannot be excluded. NZ-DNDC simulated N2O emissions of 169 and 68 g N2O-N/ha for the untreated and DCD-treated areas, respectively, corresponding to a reduction of 60% in N2O emissions from DCD application. This level of reduction is consistent with that found in experiments with individual urine patches. N2O emissions found through use of NZ-DNDC were sensitive to uncertainties in the input parameters. The combined effect of varying the initial soil NO3– and NH4+, soil moisture, soil organic carbon, bulk density, clay content, pH, and water-filled pore-space at field capacity inputs within plausible ranges was to change the simulated N2O emissions by –87% to +150%.

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