Effect of fertilization and irrigation schedule on water and fertilizer solute transport for wheat crop in a sub-humid sub-tropical region

In order to increase the water and fertilizer use efficiency and decrease the losses of water and fertilizer solutes (N and P), it is necessary to assess the influence of level of fertilization and irrigation schedule on movement and balance of water and fertilizers in the root zone. With this goal, the reported study was undertaken to determine the effect of fertilization and irrigation schedule on water movement and fertilizer solute transport in wheat crop field in a sub-tropical sub-humid region. Field experiments were conducted on wheat crop of cultivar Sonalika (Triticum aestivum L.) during the years 2002–2003, 2003–2004 and 2004–2005. Each experiment consisted of four fertilizer treatments and three irrigation treatments during the wheat growth period. During the experiment, the irrigation treatments were: I₁ = 10% maximum allowable depletion (MAD) of available soil water (ASW); I₂ = 40% MAD of ASW; I₃ = 60% MAD of ASW. The fertilizer treatments during the experiment were: F₁ = control treatment with N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 0:0:0 kg ha⁻¹; F₂ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 80:40:40 kg ha⁻¹; F₃ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 120:60:60 kg ha⁻¹ and F₄ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 160:80:80 kg ha⁻¹. The results of the investigation revealed that low volume high frequency irrigation results in higher deep percolation losses than the low frequency high volume irrigation with different levels of fertilization for wheat crop in coarse lateritic soil, whereas different levels of fertilization did not significantly affect soil water balance of the wheat crop root zone during all the irrigation schedules. Level of fertilization and irrigation schedule had significant effect on nitrogen leaching loss whereas irrigation schedules had no significant effect on nitrogen uptake under different levels of fertilization. On the other hand, the leaching loss of phosphorus was not significantly influenced by the irrigation schedule and level of fertilization of wheat crop. This indicated that PO₄–P leaching loss was very low in the soil solution as compared to nitrogen due to fixation of phosphorus in soils. From the observed data of nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency, it was revealed that irrigation schedule with 40% maximum allowable depletion of available soil water with F₂ fertilizer treatment (N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 80:40:40 kg ha⁻¹) was the threshold limit for wheat crop with respect to nitrogen and phosphorus use, crop yield and environmental pollution.     

Variations of denitrification in a farming catchment area

We measured denitrification at 15 sites during 1 year in a agricultural catchment in Brittany, France. Our objective was to assess the relative importance of heterotrophic denitrification on the fate of excess nitrogen at the catchment scale, and to quantify the relative importance of riparian areas on the N₂O emissions. Using the C₂H₂ inhibition technique, denitrification rate on soil core and denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) were each determined, for samples taken from two soil layers: 0–20 and 20–40 cm. Denitrification rates, ranging from 0 to 417 mg N m⁻² d⁻¹, were significantly higher in riparian areas than for hillslopes (median of 24.87 against 10.38 mg N m⁻² d⁻¹). However, since denitrification rates are significant in the hillslope and given that hillslope surface area is much greater (79% of catchment surface), this domain could be responsible for half of the overall denitrified nitrogen (N). Also, the 20–40 cm deep soil layer was found to account for more than 46% of the denitrification. The DEA indicates the potential for denitrifying activity by the soil under non-limiting conditions, measured values ranged from 76.48 to 530.63 ng N g⁻¹ dry soil h⁻¹. The ratio N₂O/(N₂O + N₂) was about 60% with no clear spatial or temporal trends. Soil moisture appeared to be the main limiting factor for denitrification at the field scale. The results suggest that, for this catchment, denitrification is a major route for nitrogen removal, but a significant proportion of this removal occurs as N₂O.     

Modelling nitrogen cycles of farming systems as basis of site- and farm-specific nitrogen management

The paper describes a model designed for analysing interrelated nitrogen (N) fluxes in farming systems. It combines the partial N balance, farm gate balance, barn balance and soil surface balance, in order to analyse all relevant N fluxes between the subsystems soil–plant–animal–environment and to reflect conclusive and consistent management systems. Such a system approach allows identifying the causes of varying N surplus and N utilisation.The REPRO model has been applied in the experimental farm Scheyern in southern Germany, which had been subdivided into an organic (org) and a conventional (con) farming system in 1992. Detailed series of long-term measuring data are available for the experimental farm, which have been used for evaluating the software for its efficiency and applicability under very different management, yet nearly equal site conditions.The organic farm is multi-structured with a legume-based crop rotation (N₂ fixation: 83 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The livestock density is 1.4 LSU ha⁻¹. The farm is oriented on closed mass cycles.The conventional farm is a simple-structured cash crop system based on mineral N (N input 145 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Averaging the years 1999–2002, the organic crop rotation reached, with regard to the harvested products, about 81% (6.9 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) of the DM yield and about 93% (140 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) of the N removal of the conventional rotation. Related to the cropped area, the N surplus calculated for the organic rotation was 38 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ versus 44 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for the conventional rotation. The N utilisation reached 0.77 (org) and 0.79 (con), respectively. The different structure of the farms favoured an enhancement of the soil organic nitrogen stock (35 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) in the organic crop rotation and caused a decline in the conventional system (−24 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Taking account of these changes, which were substantiated by measurements, N surplus in the organic rotation decreased to 3 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, while it increased to 68 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the conventional system. The adjusted N utilisation value amounted to 0.98 (org) and 0.69 (con), respectively.     

Effect of diet manipulation in dairy cow N balance and nitrogen oxides emissions from grasslands in northern Spain

Dietary modifications in dairy cattle have been reported as a useful strategy to alter the composition of manure. Many reports have been published on how changes in dietary crude protein content and forage-to-concentrate ratio reduces animal nitrogen (N) excretion, but little information exists about the effect of diet modification on nitrous oxide (N₂O) and nitric oxide (NO) emission when the subsequent slurry is applied on grassland. Two diets differing in forage:concentrate ratio (high forage or HF diet, 75:25; low forage or LF diet, 55:45) were tested to detect the improvement of N use efficiency in milk and the reduction of urinary and fecal N excretion. Triticale silage and barley grain were used as the main forage and concentrate sources in the diets. The subsequent slurries were characterized for N and ammonium-N content (NH₄⁺-N) and applied on grassland in order to study total and pattern of emission of N₂O and NO.The HF diet reduced the voluntary dry matter intake of the cows, N intake and urinary and fecal N excretion. However, the reduction of N intake did not improve the N use efficiency in milk (NUE) (21.0%) and did not reduce N excretion per unit of milk produced (15 g N l⁻¹) due to the lower milk yield. Slurries were similar in N content but differed in NH₄⁺ content, being lower in HF. Therefore, different slurry amounts were needed to be applied on grassland to reach the correct fertilisation rate (120 kg NH₄⁺-N ha⁻¹). Total emissions of N₂O (5.8 and 5.0 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹) and NO (507.2 and 568.6 g NO-N ha⁻¹), and the pattern of emissions were not affected by dietary treatments. When fertilisation management depends on the collected volume to empty the slurry pit, higher N₂O and NO emissions per kg of slurry could be expected from LF slurry. Nevertheless, if slurry is applied following recommendation rates, N₂O and NO emission per unit of milk produced might be slightly lower from LF slurry. Grass yield (1.5 t dry matter ha⁻¹) and N uptake (50 kg N ha⁻¹) did not vary due to the applications of different slurries, and was attributed to low rainfalls. The correct management of the slurries on grasslands may justify an adequate nutritional strategy of dairy herds from an environmental and productive point of view.     

Simulated dynamics of carbon stocks driven by changes in land use, management and climate in a tropical moist ecosystem of Ghana

Sub-Saharan Africa is large and diverse with regions of food insecurity and high vulnerability to climate change. This project quantifies carbon stocks and fluxes in the humid forest zone of Ghana, as a part of an assessment in West Africa. The General Ensemble biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS) was used to simulate the responses of natural and managed systems to projected scenarios of changes in climate, land use and cover, and nitrogen fertilization in the Assin district of Ghana. Model inputs included historical land use and cover data, historical climate records and projected climate changes, and national management inventories. Our results show that deforestation for crop production led to a loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) by 33% from 1900 to 2000. The results also show that the trend of carbon emissions from cropland in the 20th century will continue through the 21st century and will be increased under the projected warming and drying scenarios. Nitrogen (N) fertilization in agricultural systems could offset SOC loss by 6% with 30 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and by 11% with 60 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. To increase N fertilizer input would be one of the vital adaptive measures to ensure food security and maintain agricultural sustainability through the 21st century.     

Gaseous emissions from weaned pigs raised on different floor systems

Gaseous emissions from agriculture contribute to a number of environmental effects. Carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are greenhouse gases taking part to the global problem of climate change. Ammonia (NH₃) emissions are responsible of soil acidification and eutrophication and contribute also to indirect emissions of N₂O. This work evaluated the influence of the type of floor on the emissions of these gases in the raising of weaned pigs. Two trials were carried out. In the first trial, the animals were kept either on fully slatted floor or on straw-based deep litter and, in the second one, either on fully slatted floor or on sawdust-based deep litter. For each trial and on each type of floor, 2 successive batches of weaned pigs were raised without changing the litter or emptying the slurry pit between the 2 batches. The rooms were automatically ventilated to maintain a constant ambient temperature.The performance of the animals was not significantly different according to the floor type. In trial 1, the nitrogen contents of the straw deep litter (including the substrate) and slurry were respectively 276 and 389 g pig⁻¹. In trial 2, the sawdust deep litter and slurry nitrogen contents were respectively 122 and 318 g pig⁻¹.Raising pigs on straw deep litter produced proportionately around 100% more NH₃ than raising pigs on slatted floor (0.61 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 0.31 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.05). Differences in CO₂, H₂O and CH₄ emissions were not significant between systems. Raising pigs on sawdust deep litter produced also proportionately more NH₃ (+52%; 0.55 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 0.36 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.01) but also more CO₂ (+25%; 427 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 341 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.001) and H₂O (+65%; 981 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 593 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.001) and less CH₄ (−40%; 0.52 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 0.86 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.001) than raising pigs on slatted floor. Practically no N₂O emission was observed from rooms with slatted floor while the N₂O emissions were 0.03 and 0.32 g N₂O-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ for the straw and sawdust deep litter respectively. The warming potential of the greenhouse gases (N₂O + CH₄), were about 22, 34 and 168 g CO₂ equivalents per day and per pig on fully slatted floor, straw or sawdust deep litter respectively.In conclusion, pollutant gas emissions from rearing of weaned pig seem lower with fully slatted plastic floor system than with deep litter systems.     

An inhibitor of urease activity effectively reduces ammonia emissions from soil treated with urea under Mediterranean conditions

Urea is an important source of ammonia (NH₃) emissions to the atmosphere from agricultural soils. Abatement strategies are necessary in order to achieve NH₃ emission targets by reducing those emissions. In this context, a field experiment was carried out on a sunflower crop in spring 2006 with the aim of evaluating the effect of the N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) in the mitigation of volatilized NH₃ from a urea-fertilised soil. Ammonia emission was quantified, using the integrated horizontal flux (IHF) method, following application of urea with and without the urease inhibitor NBPT. Urea and a mixture of urea and NBPT (0.14%, w/w) were surface-applied at a rate of 170 kg N ha⁻¹ to circular plots (diameter 40 m). The soil was irrigated with 10 mm of water just after the application of urea to dissolve and incorporate it into the upper layer of soil. Over the duration of the measurement period (36 days) three peaks of NH₃ were observed. The first peak was associated with hydrolysis of urea after irrigation and the others with the increase of ammonia in soil solution after changes in atmospheric variables such as wind speed and rainfall. The total NH₃ emission during the whole experiment was 17.3 ± 0.5 kg NH₃–N ha⁻¹ in the case of urea treated soils and 10.0 ± 2.2 kg NH₃–N ha⁻¹ where NBPT was included with the urea (10.1 and 5.9%, respectively, of the applied urea–N). The lower NH₃ emissions from plots fertilised with urea + NBPT, compared with urea alone, were associated with a reduction in urease activity during the first 9 days after inhibitor application. This reduction in enzymatic activity promoted a decrease in the exchangeable NH₄⁺ pool.     

Modelling greenhouse gas emissions from European conventional and organic dairy farms

Agriculture is an important contributor to global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), in particular for methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Emissions from farms with a stock of ruminant animals are particularly high due to CH₄ emissions from enteric fermentation and manure handling, and due to the intensive nitrogen (N) cycle on such farms leading to direct and indirect N₂O emissions. The whole-farm model, FarmGHG, was designed to quantify the flows of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) on dairy farms. The aim of the model was to allow quantification of effects of management practices and mitigation options on GHG emissions. The model provides assessments of emissions from both the production unit and the pre-chains. However, the model does not quantify changes in soil C storage.Model dairy farms were defined within five European agro-ecological zones for both organic and conventional systems. The model farms were all defined to have the same utilised agricultural area (50 ha). Cows on conventional and organic model farms were defined to achieve the same milk yield, so the basic difference between conventional and organic farms was expressed in the livestock density. The organic farms were defined to be 100% self-sufficient with respect to feed. The conventional farms, on the other hand, import concentrates as supplementary feed and their livestock density was defined to be 75% higher than the organic farm density. Regional differences between farms were expressed in the milk yield, the crop rotations, and the cow housing system and manure management method most common to each region.The model results showed that the emissions at farm level could be related to either the farm N surplus or the farm N efficiency. The farm N surplus appeared to be a good proxy for GHG emissions per unit of land area. The GHG emissions increased from 3.0 Mg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ at a N surplus of 56 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ to 15.9 Mg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ at a N surplus of 319 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The farm N surplus can relatively easily be determined on practical farms from the farm records of imports and exports and the composition of the crop rotation. The GHG emissions per product unit (milk or metabolic energy) were quite closely related to the farm N efficiency, and a doubling of the N efficiency from 12.5 to 25% reduced the emissions per product unit by ca. 50%. The farm N efficiency may therefore be used as a proxy for comparing the efficiencies of farms with respect to supplying products with a low GHG emission.     

Restricted autumn grazing to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from dairy pastures in Southland,New Zealand

Animal excreta deposited on pasture during grazing represent the single largest source of N₂O emissions in New Zealand. These emissions are highest when pastures are grazed during the wet autumn/winter season. The strategic use of a feed pad on dairy farms could restrict the amount of excreta N returned to pasture during this time of year, and thus reduce N₂O emissions and other environmental losses. The effect of restricting autumn grazing to 3 h per day on N₂O emissions and NO₃ leaching losses was measured in a 3-year field study. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured weekly between April and September using a soil cover methodology. Nitrate leaching losses were measured from the NO₃ concentration of drainage water that was collected from the hydrologically isolated and artificially drained field plots. Restricted autumn grazing reduced both N₂O emissions and NO₃ leaching losses from grazed pasture by about 40%. The effect of this grazing regime on total on-farm N₂O emissions was estimated using the field measurements and the New Zealand IPCC inventory methodology. These calculations indicated that restricted autumn grazing could reduce direct and indirect on-farm N₂O emissions by 7–11%, and could thus be an effective tool for reducing N₂O emissions, while also reducing NO₃ leaching losses, and preventing soil and sward damage. The study further highlighted that the currently used IPCC inventory methodology cannot easily account for reductions in national N₂O emission following adoption of N₂O mitigation strategies. It also reinforced the need for assessing the impact of mitigation strategies at a whole farm level.     

Atmospheric deposition contributes little nutrient and sediment to stream flow from an agricultural watershed

Atmospheric deposition of nutrients within agricultural watersheds has received scant attention and is poorly understood compared to nutrient transport in surface and subsurface water flow pathways. Thus, we determined the deposition of phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and sediment in a mixed land use watershed in south-central Pennsylvania (39.5 ha; 50% corn–wheat–soybean rotation, 20% pasture, and 30% woodland), in comparison with stream loads at several locations along its reach between 2004 and 2006. There was a significant difference in deposition rates among land uses (P < 0.05) with more P and N deposited on cropland (1.93 kg P and 10.71 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) than pasture (1.10 kg P and 8.06 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and woodland (0.36 and 2.33 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Although not significant, sediment showed the same trends among land uses. A significant relationship was found between P in deposition and P in soil <10-m away from the samplers suggesting much of the deposited sample was derived from local soil. Samplers adjacent to the stream channel showed deposition rates (1.64 kg P and 8.83 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) similar to those on cropland. However, accounting for the surface area of the stream, direct deposition of P, N, and sediment probably accounted for <3% of P and <1% of N and sediment load in stream flow from the watershed (1.41 kg P, 27.09 kg N, and 1343 kg sediment ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ at the outlet). This suggests that strategies to mitigate nutrient and sediment loss in this mixed-land use watershed should focus on runoff pathways.     

Potential nitrogen enrichment of soil and surface water by atmospheric ammonia sorption in intensive livestock production areas

Elevated atmospheric NH₃ levels near intensive livestock operations can add significant N to local agroecosystems. In this study, the potential atmospheric NH₃ sorbed by soil and water was assessed over a 2-year period starting October 2000 in an intensive livestock production area in southern Alberta, Canada. Fifty-two uneven grid sampling sites were selected in the 53,905 ha study area. The sorption rate of atmospheric NH₃ was estimated weekly by exposing distilled water and air-dried soil samples to the atmosphere at the sampling sites. The increases in NH₄–N content in the samples after 1-week exposure was regarded as an index of the atmospheric NH₃ sorbed for that week. The NH₃ sorption rates were highly variable across the 52 sites, with water ranging from 4 to 125 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ with a mean of 22 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and soil from 5 to 84 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ with a mean of 20 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Considerable variation in NH₃–N sorption across the study area reflects the effects of size, direction (upwind or downwind) and proximity of nearby livestock operations or other NH₃ sources and operators’ activities around the sampling sites. The NH₃ sorption rate at each site also varied considerably in response to weather conditions. The high rate of NH₃ input poses a direct risk of surface water eutrophication in intensive livestock operation areas. If fertilizer recommendations are not reduced to account for NH₃ sorption by soil, excess N may also contribute to eutrophication through runoff and leaching.     

Urease inhibitor reduces N losses and improves plant-bioavailability of urea applied in fine particle and granular forms under field conditions

A field lysimeter/mini plot experiment was established in a silt loam soil near Lincoln, New Zealand, to investigate the effectiveness of urea fertilizer in fine particle application (FPA), with or without the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT - “Agrotain”), in decreasing nitrogen (N) losses and improving N uptake efficiency. The five treatments were: control (no N) and ¹⁵N-labelled urea, with or without NBPT, applied to lysimeters or mini plots (unlabelled urea), either in granular form to the soil surface or in FPA form (through a spray) at a rate equivalent to 100 kg N ha⁻¹. Gaseous emissions of ammonia (NH₃) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching, herbage dry-matter (DM) production, N-response efficiency, total N uptake and total recovery of applied ¹⁵N in the plant and soil varied with urea application method and with addition of NBPT. Urea with NBPT, applied in granular or FPA form, was more effective than in application without NBPT: N₂O emissions were reduced by 7-12%, NH₃ emissions by 65-69% and NO₃⁻ leaching losses by 36-55% compared with granular urea. Urea alone and with NBPT, applied in FPA form increased herbage DM production by 27% and 38%, respectively. The N response efficiency increased from 10 kg DM kg⁻¹ of applied N with granular urea to 19 kg DM kg⁻¹ with FPA urea and to 23 kg DM kg⁻¹ with FPA urea plus NBPT. Urea applied in FPA form resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) higher ¹⁵N recovery in the shoots compared with granular treatments and this was improved further when urea in FPA form was applied with NBPT. These results suggest that applying urea with NBPT in FPA form has potential as a management tool in mitigating N losses, improving N-response efficiency and increasing herbage DM production in intensive grassland systems.     

High fluxes but different patterns of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from soil in a cattle overwintering area

Cattle overwintering areas common in central Europe may represent significant point sources of the important greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide (N₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). A 2-year field study was carried out in order to estimate the emissions of N₂O and CO₂ from soil in a cattle overwintering area located in the southwest of the Czech Republic. The measurements were performed at three sampling locations along a gradient of animal impact (severe, moderate, slight) to test the hypothesis that emissions of CO₂ and N₂O are positively related to the degree of impact. In addition to CO₂ and N₂O fluxes determined by using non-vented manual closed chambers, soil mineral nitrogen (NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻), pH and temperature were determined to assess their regulatory role and impact on gas fluxes. The overwintering area was about 4 ha and it had been used for overwintering of about 90 cows since 1995. Deposition of animal excreta resulted in a significant accumulation of nitrogen in the soil during winter, but most of the N₂O was emitted during a few short periods in spring and/or in late autumn. Maximum N₂O fluxes of up to 2.5 mg N₂O-N m⁻² h⁻¹ were recorded at the most impacted location near the animal house, where the highest concentrations of soil mineral nitrogen also occurred. The emissions of CO₂ showed a completely different pattern to those of N₂O, being correlated with soil temperature; the highest emissions thus occurred in June–July, while very low fluxes were found in winter. Emission values ranged from about 0 to 700 mg C-CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹. Furthermore, the effect of animal impact on CO₂ emissions was opposite to that on N₂O fluxes, as the highest CO₂ fluxes were mostly recorded at the least impacted location, where respiration of plants most likely increased overall CO₂ production. The results show that cattle overwintering areas are important sources of greenhouse gases, including N₂O and CO₂. Fluxes of these two gases are, however, differently distributed over the year, which also suggests that they are controlled by different environmental and soil factors.     

Spatial and long-term variability of soil loss due to crop harvesting and the importance relative to water erosion: A case study from Belgium

The harvest of crops such as sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), leek (Allium porrum L.) and carrot (Daucus carota L.) causes soil loss from arable land because soil adhering to the crop and soil clods that failed to be separated by the harvesting machine, are exported from the field together with these harvested crops. These soil losses can be of the same order of magnitude as soil losses caused by water erosion processes, but are often neglected in soil erosion research. In this article we developed a methodology to investigate the spatial and long-term (1846–2004) variability of soil loss due to crop harvesting (SLCH) in Belgium and the spatial distribution of the importance of SLCH relative to soil losses caused by water erosion processes in Flanders. The study is based on long-term time series of soil tare data of crop processing factories and area and crop yield statistics. Until the middle of the 20th century, potato and roots and tubers grown as second crop, had the largest share in the SLCH-crop growing area in Belgium. Sugar beet gained importance from the end of the 19th century onwards and has now, of all SLCH crops, the largest growing area. We could estimate that, partly due to increasing crop yields and the mechanisation of the harvesting process, SLCH per hectare of cropland increased from 0.4 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in 1846 to 2.4 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in the 1970s and early 1980s. Since then mean annual soil losses decreased again to 1.8 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in 2004. It was assessed that total yearly SLCH in Belgium rose from more than 575,000 Mg in the middle of the 19th century to more than 1.7 × 10⁶ Mg in the 1970s and early 1980s, while current SLCH values are 1.4 × 10⁶ Mg. We estimated that since 1846, more than 163 × 10⁶ Mg soil was exported from cropland in Belgium through this erosion process, which corresponds to 109 hm³ or an average soil profile truncation of 1.15 cm. Average sediment export from cropland in Flanders was 3.7 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in 2002, of which 46% was due to SLCH and 54% was due to water erosion processes. The relative importance of SLCH varied, depending on the agricultural region, between 38% and 94%.     

Sheepfolds as “hotspots” of nitric oxide (NO) emission in an Inner Mongolian steppe

We investigated nitric oxide (NO) fluxes at a summer and a winter sheepfold in the Baiyinxile livestock farm, near Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, which are a typical feature of the regional husbandry. Using a manual static opaque chamber/chemiluminescence measuring system, we intermittently observed fluxes in the summer sheepfold between May 28th and September 26th 2005 and in both winter and summer sheepfolds between March 8th and October 18th 2006. During these periods, mean NO emissions (±S.E., in terms of mass of nitrogen) were 124.0 ± 28.7, 134.6 ± 23.3 (summer sheepfold) and 214.4 ± 79.6 μg NO–N m⁻² h⁻¹ (winter sheepfold), respectively, and thus, three magnitudes higher than observed steppe NO emissions in the same region. The NO fluxes were not significantly different between the 2 years, but in summer they were much higher than in spring (p < 0.05). Temperature and moisture of the faeces layer significantly regulated the NO fluxes (p < 0.01). The direct NO emission factor (EF) for faeces and urine excreted in the sheepfolds was 0.7 g NO–N_emitted kg⁻¹ N_excreted, which was almost 37 times lower than a recently reported N₂O EF. We estimated the total NO emission from the sheepfolds of the Baiyinxile livestock farm to be 1.82 ± 0.43 tons NO–N year⁻¹, which accounts to approximately 12.3% of the total NO emission from this steppe region. With the rapid increase of livestock numbers, sheepfold NO emissions may further increase and contribute to high N deposition in confined areas around sheepfolds.     

Greenhouse gas emissions in restored secondary tropical peat swamp forests

Restoration of deforested and drained tropical peat swamp forests is globally relevant in the context of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The seasonal flux of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in a restoration concession in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, was measured in the two contrasting land covers: shrubs and secondary forests growing on peatlands. We found that land covers had high, but insignificantly different, soil carbon stocks of 949?+?56 and 1126?+?147 Mg ha^?1, respectively. The mean annual CO₂ flux from the soil of shrub areas was 52.4?±?4.1 Mg ha^?1 year^?1, and from secondary peat swamp forests was 42.9?±?3.6 Mg ha^?1 year^?1. The significant difference in mean soil temperature in the shrubs (31.2 °C) and secondary peat swamp forests (26.3 °C) was responsible for the difference in total CO₂ fluxes of these sites. We also found the mean annual total soil respiration was almost equally partitioned between heterotrophic respiration (20.8?+?1.3 Mg ha^?1 year^?1) and autotrophic respiration (22.6?+?1.5 Mg ha^?1 year^?1). Lowered ground water level up to ??40 cm in both land covers caused the increase of CO₂ fluxes to 40–75%. These numbers contribute to the provision of emission factors for rewetted organic soils required in the national reporting using the 2013 Supplement of the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for wetlands as part of the obligation under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

     

Nitrous oxide emissions from organic and conventional crop rotations in five European countries

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agriculture are currently estimated from N inputs using emission factors, and little is known about the importance of regional or management-related differences. This paper summarizes the results of a study in which N₂O emission rates were recorded on 15–26 occasions during a 12-month period in organic and conventional dairy crop rotations in five European countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, UK). A common methodology based on static chambers was used for N₂O flux measurements, and N₂O data were compiled together with information about N inputs (from fertilizers, N₂ fixation, atmospheric deposition and excretal returns), crop rotations and soil properties. Organic rotations received only manure as N fertilizer, while manure accounted for 0–100% of fertilizer N in conventional rotations. A linear regression model was used to examine effects of location, system and crop category on N₂O emissions, while a second model examined effects of soil properties. Nitrous oxide emissions were higher from conventional than from organic crop rotations except in Austria and, according to the statistical analysis, the differences between locations and crop categories were significant. Ammonium was significantly related to N₂O emissions, although this effect was dominated by observations from a grazing system. Despite the limited number of samplings, annual emissions were estimated by interpolation. Across the two systems and five locations there was a significant relationship between total N inputs and N₂O emissions at the crop rotation level which indicated that annually 1.6 ± 0.2% (mean ± standard error) of total N inputs were lost as N₂O, while there was a background emission of 1.4 ± 0.3 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Although this measurement program emphasized system effects at the expense of high temporal resolution, the results indicate that N input is a significant determinant for N₂O emissions from agricultural soils.     

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel demand and solar energy conversion efficiency in European bioethanol production for automotive purposes

Crop derived biofuels such as (bio)ethanol are increasingly applied for automotive purposes. They have, however, a relatively low efficiency in converting solar energy into automotive power. The outcome of life cycle studies concerning ethanol as to fossil fuel inputs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with such inputs depend strongly on the assumptions made regarding e.g. allocation, inclusion of upstream processes and estimates of environmentally relevant in- and outputs. Peer reviewed studies suggest that CO₂ emissions linked to life cycle fossil fuel input are typically about 2.1–3.0 kg CO₂ kg⁻¹ starch-derived ethanol. When biofuel production involves agricultural practices that are common in Europe there are net losses of carbon from soil and emissions of the greenhouse gas N₂O. Dependent on choices regarding allocation, they may, for wheat (starch) be in the order of 0.6–2.5 kg CO₂ equivalent kg⁻¹ of ethanol. This makes ethanol derived from starch, or sugar crops, in Europe still less attractive for mitigating climate change. In case of wheat, changes in agricultural practice may reduce or reverse carbon loss from soils. When biofuel production from crops leads to expansion of cropland while reducing forested areas or grassland, added impetus will be given to climate change.     

Greenhouse gas emissions from rice based cropping systems: Economic and technologic challenges and opportunities

Recent market slump in rice, less rainfall during monsoon, high temperature and scarcity of water during dry season leads to lower grain yield and less profit from rice cultivation in India. Farmers’ grow upland crops like chickpea (Cicer arietinum), greengram (Vigna radiate), mustard (Brassica nigra), corn (Zea maize), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), potato (Solanum tuberosum), sunflower (Helianthus annuus) etc. along with rice (Oryza sativa) during the dry season. However, knowledge of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from these rice based cropping systems is very limited. In the present study four rice based cropping systems was studied along with rice-rice rotation system as control in respect of GHG emission, yield potential and economic feasibility. Conventional plantation and fertilizer application methodology was followed for each crop. Methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) flux from field plots were studied with conventional closed chamber method using gas chromatograph. CH₄ flux was recorded highest from rice-rice rotation plots (304.25 kg ha⁻¹). N₂O flux was recorded 1.02 kg ha⁻¹ from rice-rice rotation system during wet season. However, during wet season, higher N₂O flux (1.93 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded from rice-potato-sesame rotation plots. Annual N₂O flux was also recorded significantly low (3.42 kg ha⁻¹) from rice-rice rotation plots and high (6.19 kg ha⁻¹) from rice-chickpea-greengram rotation plots. Significantly lower annual grain yield was recorded from rice-rice rotation plots (9.25 Mg ha⁻¹) whereas it was 18.84 Mg rice eq ha⁻¹ from rice-potato-sesame rotation system. The global warming potential (GWP) of rice-rice rotation system was recorded significantly high (8.62 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹) compare to plots with different rice based cropping systems. Computing all C-emission from cradle-to-grave, highest total C-cost was recorded from the rice-rice rotation system ($62.00 ha⁻¹). We have made an attempt to calculate the C-credit of different rice based cropping systems by considering the difference of C-cost with control. The study suggests that the rice-potato-sesame is most sustainable among different cropping system studied in terms of economic profit ($62.00 ha⁻¹). We have made an attempt to calculate the C-credit of different rice based cropping systems by considering the difference of C-cost with control. The study suggests that the rice-potato-sesame is most sustainable among different cropping system studied in terms of economic profit (1248.21 ha⁻¹) and C-credit ($38.60 ha⁻¹). The result of the study may be limited to the study region; however, the study has potential use in respect to the development of agriculture practice for adaptation to climate change.     

Emissions of N2O and NH3, and nitrogen leaching from direct seeded rice under different tillage practices in central China

Tillage practices affect the fate of fertilizer nitrogen (N) through influencing transformations of N, but few studies have examined N₂O and NH₃ emissions, and N leaching from different rice tillage systems. Thus the objective of this study was to assess N₂O emission, NH₃ volatilization and N leaching from direct seeded rice in conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) production systems in the subtropical region of China during the 2008 and 2009 rice growing seasons. Treatments were established following a split-plot design of a randomized complete block with tillage practices as the main plot and N fertilizer level as the sub-plot treatment, and there were four treatments: NT + no fertilizer (NT0), CT + no fertilizer (CT0), NT + compound fertilizer (NTC) and CT + compound fertilizer (CTC), respectively. Results showed that N fertilization significantly increased (p < 0.01) N₂O emissions, NH₃ volatilization and N leaching from rice fields in both years. In general, there was no significant difference in N₂O emissions and NH₃ volatilization between NT0 and CT0 in both years, while NTC had significantly higher (p < 0.05) N₂O emissions and NH₃ volatilization compared to CTC. Over the two rice growing seasons, NTC showed 32% and 47% higher N₂O emissions, and 29% and 52% higher NH₃ losses than CTC. Higher (p < 0.05) N₂O emissions from NTC than CTC were presumably due to higher soil organic C and greater denitrification. Total N and NO₃^? concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) in CTC than NTC, but larger volumes of percolation water in NTC than CTC resulted in no significant difference in leakage of total N and NO₃^?. Hence, application of N fertilizer in combination with NT appeared to be ineffective in reducing N losses from N fertilizer in paddy fields.