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Effect of Crop Residue Removal and Straw Addition on Nitrous Oxide Emissions from a Horticulturally Used Soil in South Germany
Author(s) -
Seiz Perik,
GuzmanBustamante Ivan,
Schulz Rudolf,
Müller Torsten,
Ruser Reiner
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2018.11.0448
Subject(s) - straw , nitrous oxide , crop residue , agronomy , human fertilization , leaching (pedology) , brassica oleracea , chemistry , nitrogen , crop , residue (chemistry) , brassica , nitrate , zoology , soil water , environmental science , biology , agriculture , ecology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , soil science
Core Ideas The main aim was to reduce N 2 O emission through crop residue removal or N immobilization through straw addition in fall. Annual N 2 O emission was reduced by 74% through removal of vegetable crop residues in fall. N 2 O emission in the removal treatment was as low as in the unfertilized control. Straw addition in autumn failed to reduce N 2 O emission ( p = 0.057). Vegetable production, such as cauliflower ( Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) or broccoli ( Brassica oleracea var. italica P.), is often associated with high N surpluses, posing the risk for substantial N losses. Straw addition in autumn to immobilize surplus N over winter or removal of vegetable crop residues were shown to reduce nitrate leaching efficiently. However, the effect of these management measures on the release of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is still unclear. We determined N 2 O fluxes from a vegetable field with a silty texture in southern Germany over 2 yr in the following treatments: no N fertilization (−N), conventional N fertilization without (CON), and N fertilization with crop residue removal (−CR) or straw addition (+S). Marketable fresh matter yields and N uptake showed only minor differences among all N‐fertilized treatments. Enhanced N 2 O fluxes occurred over a period of nearly 6 mo in the first year in autumn and winter after crop residue incorporation. Positive correlations between N 2 O fluxes and driving soil variables suggested denitrification as the major N 2 O source. Cumulative N 2 O emission ranged between 5.2 (−CR) and 37.2 kg N 2 O–N ha −1 yr −1 (CON). Crop residue removal reduced N 2 O emission in CON very efficiently by 74%. Straw addition reduced N 2 O emission in only 1 yr. The N 2 O emission factors were 4.3, 1.9, and 3.1 for CON, −CR, and +S, respectively. The high N 2 O reduction by crop residue removal seems to be promising in terms of mitigation, but long‐term effects, such as missing humus reproduction, should be considered in future studies.