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Mitigation Alternatives to Decrease Nitrous Oxides Emissions and Urea‐Nitrogen Loss and Their Effect on Methane Flux
Author(s) -
Delgado J. A.,
Mosier A. R.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1996.00472425002500050025x
Subject(s) - urea , fertilizer , nitrous oxide , nitrogen , chemistry , nitrification , zoology , agronomy , coated urea , hordeum vulgare , poaceae , biology , organic chemistry
Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ) are greenhouse gases that are contributing to global warming potential. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is one of the most important sources of anthropogenic N 2 O emissions. A field study was conducted to compare N‐use efficiency and effect on N 2 O and CH 4 flux, of urea, urea plus the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (U + DCD), and a control release fertilizer, polyolefin coated urea (POCU) in irrigated spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) in northeastern Colorado. Each treatment received 90 kg urea‐N ha −1 and microplots labeled with 15 N‐fertilizer were established. Average N 2 O emissions were 4.5, 5.2, 6.9, and 8.2 g N ha −1 d −1 for control, U + DCD, POCU, and urea, respectively. During the initial 21 d after fertilization, N 2 O emissions were reduced by 82 and 71% in the U + DCD and POCU treatments, respectively, but continued release of N fertilizer from POCU maintained higher N 2 O emissions through the remainder of the growing season. No treatment effect on CH 4 oxidation in soils was observed. Fertilizer 15 N found 50 to 110 cm below the soil surface was lower in the POCU and U + DCD treatments. At harvest, recovery of 15 N‐fertilizer in the plant‐soil system was 98, 90, and 85% from POCU, urea, and U + DCD, respectively. Grain yield was 2.2, 2.5, and 2.7 Mg ha −1 for POCU, urea, and U + DCD, respectively. Dicyandiamide and POCU showed the potential to be used as mitigation alternatives to decrease N 2 O emissions from N fertilizer and movement of N out of the root zone, but N release from POCU does need to be formulated to better match crop growth demands.