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Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Solid and Liquid Organic Fertilizers Applied to Lettuce
Author(s) -
Toonsiri Phasita,
Del Grosso Stephen J.,
Sukor Arina,
Davis Jessica G.
Publication year - 2016
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/jeq2015.12.0623
Subject(s) - fertilizer , nitrous oxide , organic fertilizer , nitrogen , greenhouse gas , environmental science , chemistry , lactuca , agronomy , zoology , environmental chemistry , ecology , organic chemistry , biology
Improper application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and environmental factors can cause the loss of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) to the environment. Different types of fertilizers with different C/N ratios may have different effects on the environment. The focus of this study was to evaluate the effects of environmental factors and four organic fertilizers (feather meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, and cyano‐fertilizer) applied at different rates (0, 28, 56, and 112 kg N ha −1 ) on N 2 O emissions and to track CO 2 emissions from a lettuce field ( Lactuca sativa L.). The study was conducted in 2013 and 2014 and compared preplant‐applied solid fertilizers (feather meal and blood meal) and multiple applications of liquid fertilizers (fish emulsion and cyano‐fertilizer). Three days a week, N 2 O and CO 2 emissions were measured twice per day in 2013 and once per day in 2014 using a closed‐static chamber, and gas samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. Preplant‐applied solid fertilizers significantly increased cumulative N 2 O emissions as compared with control, but multiple applications of liquid fertilizers did not. Emission factors for N 2 O ranged from 0 to 0.1% for multiple applications of liquid fertilizers and 0.6 to 11% for preplant‐applied solid fertilizers, which could be overestimated due to chamber placement over fertilizer bands. In 2014, solid fertilizers with higher C/N ratios (3.3–3.5) resulted in higher CO 2 emissions than liquid fertilizers (C/N ratio, 0.9–1.5). Therefore, organic farmers should consider the use of multiple applications of liquid fertilizers as a means to reduce soil greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining high yields. Core Ideas Multiple applications of liquid fertilizer can reduce GHG emissions. Type of fertilizer and fertilizer application method can influence N 2 O emissions. Soil temperature and soil water content influence N 2 O emissions.