scholarly journals Effects of nitrification inhibitors (DCD and DMPP) on nitrous oxide emission, crop yield and nitrogen uptake in a wheat-maize cropping system

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 711-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Liu ◽  
K. Wang ◽  
X. Zheng

Abstract. The application of nitrification inhibitors together with ammonium-based fertilizers is proposed as a potent method to decrease nitrous oxide (N2O) emission while promoting yield and nitrogen use efficiency in fertilized agricultural fields. To evaluate the effects of nitrification inhibitors, we conducted year-round measurements of N2O fluxes, yield, aboveground biomass, plant carbon and nitrogen contents, soil inorganic nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon contents and the main environmental factors for urea (U), urea + dicyandiamide (DCD) and urea + 3,4-dimethylpyrazol-phosphate (DMPP) treatments in a wheat-maize rotation field. The cumulative N2O emissions were calculated to be 4.49 ± 0.21, 2.93 ± 0.06 and 2.78 ± 0.16 kg N ha−1 yr−1 for the U, DCD and DMPP treatments, respectively. Therefore, the DCD and DMPP treatments decreased the annual emissions by 35% and 38%, respectively. The variations of soil temperature, moisture and inorganic nitrogen content regulated the seasonal fluctuation of N2O emissions. When the emissions presented clearly temporal variations, year-round and high-frequency measurements should be adopted to estimate annual cumulative emissions and treatment effects. The application of nitrification inhibitors increased the soil inorganic nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon availability and shifted the main soil inorganic nitrogen form from nitrate to ammonium. The annual yield, aboveground biomass and nitrogen uptake by aboveground plants increased by 8.5–9.1%, 8.6–9.7% and 10.9–13.2%, respectively, for the DCD and DMPP treatments compared with the U treatment. The results demonstrate the roles the nitrification inhibitors play in enhancing yield and nitrogen use efficiency and reducing N2O emission from the wheat-maize cropping system.

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 2427-2437 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Liu ◽  
K. Wang ◽  
X. Zheng

Abstract. The application of nitrification inhibitors together with ammonium-based fertilizers is proposed as a potent method to decrease nitrous oxide (N2O) emission while promoting crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency in fertilized agricultural fields. To evaluate the effects of nitrification inhibitors, we conducted year-round measurements of N2O fluxes, yield, aboveground biomass, plant carbon and nitrogen contents, soil inorganic nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon contents and the main environmental factors for urea (U), urea &amp;plus; dicyandiamide (DCD) and urea &amp;plus; 3,4-dimethylpyrazol phosphate (DMPP) treatments in a wheat–maize rotation field. The cumulative N2O emissions were calculated to be 4.49 &amp;pm; 0.21, 2.93 &amp;pm; 0.06 and 2.78 &amp;pm; 0.16 kg N ha−1 yr−1 for the U, DCD and DMPP treatments, respectively. Therefore, the DCD and DMPP treatments significantly decreased the annual emissions by 35% and 38%, respectively (p < 0.01). The variations of soil temperature, moisture and inorganic nitrogen content regulated the seasonal fluctuation of N2O emissions. When the emissions presented clearly temporal variations, high-frequency measurements or optimized sampling schedule for intermittent measurements would likely provide more accurate estimations of annual cumulative emission and treatment effect. The application of nitrification inhibitors significantly increased the soil inorganic nitrogen content (p < 0.01); shifted the main soil inorganic nitrogen form from nitrate to ammonium; and tended to increase the dissolved organic carbon content, crop yield, aboveground biomass and nitrogen uptake by aboveground plant. The results demonstrate the roles the nitrification inhibitors play in enhancing yield and nitrogen use efficiency and reducing N2O emission from the wheat–maize cropping system.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 13571-13603 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. X. Ding ◽  
Z. M. Chen ◽  
H. Y. Yu ◽  
J. F. Luo ◽  
G. Y. Yoo ◽  
...  

Abstract. A field experiment was designed to study the effects of nitrogen (N) source and urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) or nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on nitrous oxide (N2O) emission and N use efficiency (NUE) in a sandy loam soil. Six treatments including no N fertilizer (control), N fertilizer urea alone (U), urea plus NBPT (NBPT), urea plus DCD (DCD), urea plus NBPT and DCD (NBPT + DCD), and nitrate-based fertilizer nitrophosphate (NP) were designed and implemented separately during the wheat growth period. Seasonal cumulative N2O emissions with urea alone amounted to 0.49 ± 0.12 and were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced to 0.28 ± 0.03, 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.26 ± 0.01kg N2O-N ha−1 by application of DCD, NBPT and NBPT + DCD, respectively. Cumulative N2O emissions from NP were 0.28 ± 0.01kg N2O-N ha−1. A single N2O flux peak was identified following basal fertilization, and DCD and/or NBPT inhibition effects mainly occurred during the peak emission period. The NP application significantly (P < 0.05) increased wheat yield by 12.3% and NUE from 28.8% (urea alone) to 35.9%, while urease and/or nitrification inhibitors showed a slight increase effect. Our results clearly indicated that the application of urea as basal fertilizer, but not as supplemental fertilizer, together with DCD and NBPT is an effective practice to reduce N2O emissions. The application of NP instead of urea would be an optimum agricultural strategy for reducing N2O emissions and increasing crop yield and NUE for wheat cultivation in soils of the North China Plain.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 803-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. X. Ding ◽  
Z. M. Chen ◽  
H. Y. Yu ◽  
J. F. Luo ◽  
G. Y. Yoo ◽  
...  

Abstract. A field experiment was designed to study the effects of nitrogen (N) source and urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) or nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on nitrous oxide (N2O) emission and N use efficiency (NUE) in a sandy loam soil. Six treatments including no N fertilizer (control), N fertilizer urea alone (U), urea plus NBPT (NBPT), urea plus DCD (DCD), urea plus NBPT and DCD (NBPT plus DCD) and nitrate-based fertilizer nitrophosphate (NP) were designed and implemented separately during the wheat growth period. Seasonal cumulative N2O emissions with urea alone amounted to 0.49 ± 0.12 kg N2O-N ha−1 and were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced to 0.28 ± 0.03, 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.26 ± 0.01 kg N2O-N ha−1 by application of DCD, NBPT and NBPT plus DCD, respectively. Cumulative N2O emissions from NP were 0.28 ± 0.01 kg N2O-N ha−1. A single N2O flux peak was identified following basal fertilization, and DCD and/or NBPT inhibition effects mainly occurred during the peak emission period. The NP application significantly (P < 0.05) increased wheat yield by 12.3% and NUE from 28.8% (urea alone) to 35.9%, while urease and/or nitrification inhibitors showed a slight increase effect. Our results clearly indicated that the application of urea as basal fertilizer, but not as supplemental fertilizer, together with DCD and NBPT is an effective practice to reduce N2O emissions. The application of NP instead of urea would be an optimum agricultural strategy for reducing N2O emissions and increasing crop yield and NUE for wheat cultivation in soils of the North China Plain.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1936
Author(s):  
John Kormla Nyameasem ◽  
Enis Ben Halima ◽  
Carsten Stefan Malisch ◽  
Bahar S. Razavi ◽  
Friedhelm Taube ◽  
...  

Soil–plant interactions affecting nitrous oxide (N2O) are not well-understood, and experimental data are scarce. Therefore, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in a 3 × 3 full factorial design, comprising three mineral N fertilizer rates (0, 150 and 300 kg N ha−1) applied to monoculture swards and a binary mixture of Plantago lanceolata and Lolium perenne. The parameters measured included daily N2O emissions, aboveground (AG) and belowground biomass (BG), N and C yields, as well as leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activity in the soil as an indicator for soil microbial activity. Nitrous oxide emission and LAP were measured using the static chamber method and fluorimetric microplate assays, respectively. Cumulative N2O emissions were about two times higher for P. lanceolata than L. perenne monoculture swards or the mixture (p < 0.05). The binary mixtures also showed the highest N use efficiency and LAP activity, which significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the C concentration in the belowground biomass. Plantago lanceolata was generally ineffective at reducing N2O emissions, probably due to the young age of the swards. Among the biological factors, N2O emission was significantly associated with biomass productivity, belowground C yield, belowground N use efficiency and soil microbial activity. Thus, the results suggested belowground resource allocation dynamics as a possible means by which swards impacted N2O emission from the soils. However, a high N deposition might reduce the N2O mitigation potential of grasslands.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yabo Zhang ◽  
Feng Liu ◽  
Juntao Wang ◽  
Hangwei Hu ◽  
Jizheng He ◽  
...  

Nitrification inhibitor and straw incorporation are widely used to improve crop nitrogen use efficiency in agricultural soil, but their effects on nitrous oxide (N2O) emission across different soil types and the microbial mechanisms remain less understood. In this study, we used controlled experiment and DNA-based molecular analysis to study how nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide, DCD) and straw incorporation affect soil nitrogen balance, N2O emission and microbial nitrifiers/denitrifers in three distinct agricultural soils (the black, fluvo-aquic and red soils) across China. Both DCD and straw incorporation improved nitrogen balance by increasing NH4+ and decreasing NO3- in all soils. DCD tended to decrease N2O emission from all soils especially the Fluvo-aquic one, while straw incorporation reduced N2O emission only in the fluvo-aquic soil but increased N2O emission in the other two especially the red soil (by ~600%). T-RFLP analysis revealed that the denitriers community structure are distinct among the three soils, but was not strongly affected by DCD or straw incorporation. qPCR analysis revealed that DCD or straw incorporation had no significant effect on nitrifier abundance, but increased nitrous oxide reductase nosZ gene abundance in the black/fluvo-aquic soil rather than the red soil. Structural equational modelling further confirmed that, when accounting for treatments and soil properties, nosZ gene abundance is the only biological factor significantly determined N2O emission in different soil types. Taken together, our work advanced the knowledge on the agricultural practices and N2O emission in cropland soils, and suggested that straw incorporation may not be a good choice for the red and black soil areas; management practices should be used as per soil type to balance between nitrogen use efficiency and N2O emission.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (23) ◽  
pp. 4731-4745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Cowan ◽  
Peter Levy ◽  
Andrea Moring ◽  
Ivan Simmons ◽  
Colin Bache ◽  
...  

Abstract. Three different nitrogen (N) fertiliser types, ammonium nitrate, urea and urea coated with a urease inhibitor (Agrotain®), were applied at standard rates (70 kg N ha−1) to experimental plots in a typical and intensively managed grassland area at the Easter Bush Farm Estate (Scotland). The nitrogen use efficiency of the fertilisers was investigated as well as nitrogen losses in the form of nitrous oxide fluxes (N2O) and ammonia (NH3) during fertilisation events in the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons. Nitrous oxide was measured by the standard static chamber technique and analysed using Bayesian statistics. Ammonia was measured using passive samplers combined with the Flux Interpretation by Dispersion and Exchange over Short Range (FIDES) inverse dispersion model. On average, fertilisation with ammonium nitrate supported the largest yields and had the highest nitrogen use efficiency, but as large spatial and seasonal variation persisted across the plots, yield differences between the three fertiliser types and zero N control were not consistent. Overall, ammonium nitrate treatment was found to increase yields significantly (p value < 0.05) when compared to the urea fertilisers used in this study. Ammonium nitrate was the largest emitter of N2O (0.76 % of applied N), and the urea was the largest emitter of NH3 (16.5 % of applied N). Urea coated with a urease inhibitor did not significantly increase yields when compared to uncoated urea; however, ammonia emissions were only 10 % of the magnitude measured for the uncoated urea, and N2O emissions were only 47 % of the magnitude of those measured for ammonium nitrate fertiliser. This study suggests that urea coated with a urease inhibitor is environmentally the best choice in regards to nitrogen pollution, but because of its larger cost and lack of agronomic benefits, it is not economically attractive when compared to ammonium nitrate.


Soil Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmali Bordoloi ◽  
K. K. Baruah ◽  
P. Bhattacharyya

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas with high global warming potential emitted from agricultural sources. The effects of tillage practices and different levels of N fertiliser on seasonal fluxes of N2O were investigated in a field planted with the wheat variety Sonalika. The experiment was conducted during 2012–13 and 2013–14 under conventional tillage (CT) and reduced tillage (RT) farming systems in combination with four different levels of nitrogen fertiliser (i.e. zero nitrogen (F1), 60kgNha–1 (F2), 80kgNha–1 (F3) and 100kgNha–1 (F4)). Both tillage practices and fertiliser significantly (P<0.01) affected seasonal cumulative N2O emissions and wheat yield. However, there was no significant difference in N2O emissions between RTF1 and CTF1 (zero nitrogen). Compared with RT, N2O emission decreased under the CT practice by 2.49%, 10.11%, 7.9% and 27.46% in CTF1, CTF2, CTF3 and CTF4 respectively. Highest and lowest seasonal cumulative fluxes were recorded in RTF4 (N 100kgha–1) and CTF1 (N 0kgha–1) respectively. During the wheat-growing period, nitrogen use efficiency decreased with increasing nitrogen levels and treatment with 60 kg-Nha–1 in the CT practice (CTF2) was found to be effective in increasing nitrogen use efficiency and decreasing yield-scaled N2O emissions.


Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangdi D. Li ◽  
Graeme D. Schwenke ◽  
Richard C. Hayes ◽  
Hongtao Xing ◽  
Adam J. Lowrie ◽  
...  

Nitrification and urease inhibitors have been used to reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and increase nitrogen use efficiency in many agricultural systems. However, their agronomic benefits, such as the improvement of grain yield, is uncertain. A two-year field experiment was conducted to (1) investigate whether the use of 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) or N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) can reduce N2O emissions and increase grain yield and (2) explore the financial benefit of using DMPP or NBPT in a rain-fed cropping system in south-eastern Australia. The experiment was conducted at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in 2012 and canola (Brassica napus L.) in 2013. Results showed that urea coated with DMPP reduced the cumulative N2O emission by 34% for a wheat crop in 2012 (P < 0.05) and by 62% for a canola crop in 2013 (P < 0.05) compared with normal urea, but urea coated NBPT had no effect on N2O emission for the wheat crop in 2012. Neither nitrification nor urease inhibitors increased crop yields because the low rainfall experienced led to little potential for gross N loss through denitrification, leaching or volatilisation pathways. In such dry years, only government or other financial incentives for N2O mitigation would make the use of DMPP with applied N economically viable.


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