Open AccessThe effects of nitrogen fertilization on N2O emissions from a rubber plantation
Author(s) -
Wenjun Zhou,
Heng Ji,
Jing Zhu,
Yiping Zhang,
Liqing Sha,
Yuntong Liu,
Xiang Zhang,
Wei Zhao,
Dong Yu,
Xiaolong Bai,
You-Xin Lin,
Junhui Zhang,
Xunhua Zheng
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/srep28230
Subject(s) - rainforest , natural rubber , environmental science , human fertilization , hevea brasiliensis , tropical rainforest , agronomy , tropics , fertilizer , carbon sink , sink (geography) , forestry , agroforestry , climate change , ecology , biology , geography , chemistry , cartography , organic chemistry
To gain the effects of N fertilizer applications on N 2 O emissions and local climate change in fertilized rubber ( Hevea brasiliensi s) plantations in the tropics, we measured N 2 O fluxes from fertilized (75 kg N ha −1 yr −1 ) and unfertilized rubber plantations at Xishuangbanna in southwest China over a 2-year period. The N 2 O emissions from the fertilized and unfertilized plots were 4.0 and 2.5 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , respectively, and the N 2 O emission factor was 1.96%. Soil moisture, soil temperature, and the area weighted mean ammoniacal nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) content controlled the variations in N 2 O flux from the fertilized and unfertilized rubber plantations. NH 4 + -N did not influence temporal changes in N 2 O emissions from the trench, slope, or terrace plots, but controlled spatial variations in N 2 O emissions among the treatments. On a unit area basis, the 100-year carbon dioxide equivalence of the fertilized rubber plantation N 2 O offsets 5.8% and 31.5% of carbon sink of the rubber plantation and local tropical rainforest, respectively. When entire land area in Xishuangbanna is considered, N 2 O emissions from fertilized rubber plantations offset 17.1% of the tropical rainforest’s carbon sink. The results show that if tropical rainforests are converted to fertilized rubber plantations, regional N 2 O emissions may enhance local climate warming.