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Nitrogen, Tillage, and Crop Rotation Effects on Carbon Dioxide and Methane Fluxes from Irrigated Cropping Systems
Author(s) -
Alluvione Francesco,
Halvorson Ardell D.,
Del Grosso Stephen J.
Publication year - 2009
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/jeq2008.0517
Subject(s) - loam , tillage , agronomy , crop rotation , carbon dioxide , plough , cropping system , chemistry , soil carbon , human fertilization , soil water , growing season , hordeum vulgare , zoology , crop , environmental science , poaceae , biology , soil science , organic chemistry
Long‐term effects of tillage intensity, N fertilization, and crop rotation on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) flux from semiarid irrigated soils are poorly understood. We evaluated effects of: (i) tillage intensity [no‐till (NT) and conventional moldboard plow tillage (CT)] in a continuous corn rotation; (ii) N fertilization levels [0–246 kg N ha −1 for corn ( Zea mays L.); 0 and 56 kg N ha −1 for dry bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.); 0 and 112 kg N ha −1 for barley ( Hordeum distichon L.)]; and (iii) crop rotation under NT soil management [corn‐barley (NT‐CB); continuous corn (NT‐CC); corn‐dry bean (NT‐CDb)] on CO 2 and CH 4 flux from a clay loam soil. Carbon dioxide and CH 4 fluxes were monitored one to three times per week using vented nonsteady state closed chambers. No‐till reduced (14%) growing season (154 d) cumulative CO 2 emissions relative to CT (NT: 2.08 Mg CO 2 –C ha −1 ; CT: 2.41 Mg CO 2 –C ha −1 ), while N fertilization had no effect. Significantly lower (18%) growing season CO 2 fluxes were found in NT‐CDb than NT‐CC and NT‐CB (11.4, 13.2 and 13.9 kg CO 2 –C ha −1 d −1 respectively). Growing season CH 4 emissions were higher in NT (20.2 g CH 4 ha −1 ) than in CT (1.2 g CH 4 ha −1 ). Nitrogen fertilization and cropping rotation did not affect CH 4 flux. Implementation of NT for 7 yr with no N fertilization was not adequate for restoring the CH 4 oxidation capacity of this clay loam soil relative to CT plowed and fertilized soil.