Modelling impacts of alternative farming management practices on greenhouse gas emissions from a winter wheat–maize rotation system in China

Agricultural production plays an important role in affecting atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Field measurements were conducted in Quzhou County, Hebei Province in the North China Plains to quantify carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from a winter wheat–maize rotation field, a common cropping system across the Chinese agricultural regions. The observed flux data in conjunction with the local climate, soil and management information were utilized to test a process-based model, Denitrification–Decomposition or DNDC, for its applicability for the cropping system. The validated DNDC was then used for predicting impacts of three management alternatives (i.e., no-till, increased crop residue incorporation and reduced fertilizer application rate) on CO₂ and N₂O emissions from the target field. Results from the simulations indicated that (1) CO₂ emissions were significantly affected by temperature, initial SOC, tillage method, and quantity and quality of the organic matter added in the soils; (2) increases in temperature, initial SOC, total fertilizer N input, and manure amendment substantially increased N₂O emissions; and (3) temperature, initial SOC, tillage, and quantity and quality of the organic matter added in the soil all had significant effects on global warming. Finally, five 50-year scenarios were simulated with DNDC to predict their long-term impacts on crop yield, soil C dynamics, nitrate leaching losses, and N₂O emissions. The modelled results suggested that implementation of manure amendment or crop residue incorporation instead of increased fertilizer application rates would more efficiently mitigate GHG emissions from the tested agro-ecosystem. The multi-impacts provided a sound basis for comprehensive assessments on the management alternatives.     

Assessing the potential for greenhouse gas mitigation in intensively managed annual cropping systems at the regional scale

We predicted changes in yields and direct net soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from converting conventional to alternative management practices across one of the world's most productive agricultural regions, the Central Valley of California, using the DAYCENT model. Alternative practices included conservation tillage, winter cover cropping, manure application, a 25% reduction in N fertilizer input and combinations of these. Alternative practices were evaluated for all unique combinations of crop rotation, climate, and soil types for the period 1997-2006. The crops included were alfalfa, corn, cotton, melon, safflower, sunflower, tomato, and wheat. Our predictions indicate that, adopting alternative management practices would decrease yields up to 5%. Changes in modeled SOC and net soil GHG fluxes corresponded to values reported in the literature. Average potential reductions of net soil GHG fluxes with alternative practices ranged from −0.7 to −3.3 Mg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the Sacramento Valley and −0.5 to −2.5 Mg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for the San Joaquin Valley. While adopting a single alternative practice led to modest net soil GHG flux reductions (on average −1 Mg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), combining two or more of these practices led to greater decreases in net soil GHG fluxes of up to −3 Mg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. At the regional scale, the combination of winter cover cropping with manure application was particularly efficient in reducing GHG emissions. However, GHG mitigation potentials were mostly non-permanent because 60-80% of the decreases in net soil GHG fluxes were attributed to increases in SOC, except for the reduced fertilizer input practice, where reductions were mainly attributed to decreased N₂O emissions. In conclusion, there are long-term GHG mitigation potentials within agriculture, but spatial and temporal aggregation will be necessary to reduce uncertainties around GHG emission reductions and the delivery risk of the associated C credits.     

氮肥管理措施对黑土玉米田温室气体排放的影响

采用静态箱-气相色谱法研究了不同氮肥管理措施(农民常规施肥、减氮20%、添加硝化抑制剂、施用控释肥)对黑土玉米田温室气体排放的影响.结果表明:黑土玉米田施肥(基肥和追肥)后1~3d出现N2O排放峰,施肥后16d内N2O排放量占生育期总排放量的28.8%~41.9%.减施氮肥20%显著降低土壤N2O排放,生育期内的N2O累积排放量减少了17.6%~46.1%,综合温室效应降低30.7%~67.8%,温室气体排放强度降低29.1%~67.0%.等氮量投入时,添加吡啶抑制剂土壤N2O排放量、综合温室效应和温室气体排放强度最低.玉米拔节~乳熟期出现了较强的土壤CO2排放,黑土玉米田是大气中CH4的一个较弱的“汇”,施氮和添加硝化抑制剂对黑土玉米田CO2排放和CH4吸收没有显著影响.添加硝化抑制剂和施用控释肥不影响玉米产量.在本试验条件下,减氮20%并添加吡啶抑制剂在保证玉米产量的同时, 减排增收效果优于其他施肥措施,适宜在黑土区玉米种植中推广使用.     

Managing the nitrogen cycle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from crop production and biofuel expansion

Public policies are promoting biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuel consumption in order to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the mitigation benefit can be at least partially compromised by emissions occurring during feedstock production. One of the key sources of GHG emissions from biofuel feedstock production, as well as conventional crops, is soil nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is largely driven by nitrogen (N) management. Our objective was to determine how much GHG emissions could be reduced by encouraging alternative N management practices through application of nitrification inhibitors and a cap on N fertilization. We used the US Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS2) as the basis for a case study to evaluate technical and economic drivers influencing the N management mitigation strategies. We estimated soil N₂O emissions using the DayCent ecosystem model and applied the US Forest and Agricultural Sector Optimization Model with Greenhouse Gases (FASOMGHG) to project GHG emissions for the agricultural sector, as influenced by biofuel scenarios and N management options. Relative to the current RSF2 policy with no N management interventions, results show decreases in N₂O emissions ranging from 3 to 4 % for the agricultural sector (5.5–6.5 million metric tonnes CO₂?eq.?year^?1; 1 million metric tonnes is equivalent to a Teragram) in response to a cap that reduces N fertilizer application and even larger reductions with application of nitrification inhibitors, ranging from 9 to 10 % (15.5–16.6 million tonnes CO₂?eq.?year^?1). The results demonstrate that climate and energy policies promoting biofuel production could consider options to manage the N cycle with alternative fertilization practices for the agricultural sector and likely enhance the mitigation of GHG emissions associated with biofuels.     

The potential of world cropland soils to sequester C and mitigate the greenhouse effect

Soil emission of CO₂ is closely linked to soil degradation, decrease in soil organic carbon (SOC) content and decline in soil quality. Enhancing soil quality through adoption of best management practices (BMPs) and soil restoration can increase SOC content and soil productivity, and partially mitigate the greenhouse effect. The C sequestration potential through judicious management of world cropland includes 0.08–0.12 Pg/yr by erosion control, 0.02–0.03 Pg/yr by restoration of severely degraded soils, 0.02–0.04 Pg/yr by reclamation of salt-affected soils, 0.15–0.175 Pg/yr by adoption of conservation tillage and crop residue management, 0.18–0.24 Pg/yr by adoption of improved cropping system and 0.30–0.40 Pg/yr as C offset through biofuel production. The total C sequestration potential of the world cropland is about 0.75–1.0 Pg/yr or about 50% of annual emission of 1.6–1.8 Pg by deforestation and other agricultural activities. This finite soil-C sink could be filled over a 20 to 50-year period, during which energy related emission reductions gradually take effect at global scale. Improving soil quality is a win–win strategy, while increasing productivity it also improves environment and partially mitigates the greenhouse effect. Intensification of farming and increasing biomass production can lead to increased sequestration of C in soils, and to partly meet commitments under the Kyoto Protocol at national and global scales. Global reduction in C emission may have to be substantial if the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ is to be stabilized at 550 ppmv. However, realization of this potential would require developing channels of communication between scientists and land managers and policy makers, and providing economic incentives.     

Greenhouse gas mitigation with scarce land: The potential contribution of increased nitrogen input

Agricultural lands have been identified to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions primarily by production of energy crops and substituting fossil energy resources and through carbon sequestration in soils. Increased fertilizer input resulting in increased yields may reduce the area needed for crop production. The surplus area could be used for energy production without affecting the land use necessary for food and feed production. We built a model to investigate the effect of changing nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates on cropping area required for a given amount of crops. We found that an increase in nitrogen fertilizer supply is only justified if GHG mitigation with additional land is higher than 9–15 t carbon dioxide equivalents per hectare (CO₂-eq._./ha). The mitigation potential of bioenergy production from energy crops is most often not in this range. Hence, from a GHG abatement point of view land should rather be used to produce crops at moderate fertilizer rate than to produce energy crops. This may change if farmers are forced to reduce their N input due to taxes or governmental regulations as it is the case in Denmark. However, with a fertilizer rate 10 % below the economical optimum a reduction of N input is still more effective than the production of bioenergy unless mitigation effect of the bioenergy production exceeds 7 t carbon dioxide (CO₂)-eq._./ha. An intensification of land use in terms of N supply to provide more land for bioenergy production can only in exceptional cases be justified to mitigate GHG emissions with bioenergy under current frame conditions in Germany and Denmark.     

Sustainable land management practices as providers of several ecosystem services under rainfed Mediterranean agroecosystems

Little is known about the multiple impacts of sustainable land management practices on soil and water conservation, carbon sequestration, mitigation of global change and crop yield productivity in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems. We hypothesized that a shift from intensive tillage to more conservative tillage management practices (reduced tillage optionally combined with green manure) leads to an improvement in soil structure and quality and will reduce soil erosion and enhance carbon sequestration in semiarid Mediterranean rainfed agroecosystems. To test the hypothesis, we assessed the effects of different tillage treatments (conventional (CT), reduced (RT), reduced tillage combined with green manure (RTG), and no tillage (NT)) on soil structure and soil water content, runoff and erosion control, soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, crop yield and carbon sequestration in two semiarid agroecosystems with organic rainfed almond (Prunus dulcis Mill) in the Murcia Region (southeast Spain). It was found that reduction and suppression of tillage under almonds led to an increase in soil water content in both agroecosystems. Crop yields ranged from 775 to 1,766 kg ha^?1 between tillage treatments, but we did not find a clear relation between soil water content and crop yield. RT and RTG treatments showed lower soil erosion rates and higher crop yields of almonds than under CT treatment. Overall, higher soil organic carbon contents and aggregate stability were observed under RTG treatment than under RT or CT treatment. It is concluded that conversion from CT to RTG is suitable to increase carbon inputs without enhancing soil CO₂ emissions in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems.     

Nitrogen fertilizer management for nitrous oxide (N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O) mitigation in intensive corn (Maize) production: an emissions reduction protocol for US Midwest agriculture

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a major greenhouse gas (GHG) product of intensive agriculture. Fertilizer nitrogen (N) rate is the best single predictor of N₂O emissions in row-crop agriculture in the US Midwest. We use this relationship to propose a transparent, scientifically robust protocol that can be utilized by developers of agricultural offset projects for generating fungible GHG emission reduction credits for the emerging US carbon cap and trade market. By coupling predicted N₂O flux with the recently developed maximum return to N (MRTN) approach for determining economically profitable N input rates for optimized crop yield, we provide the basis for incentivizing N₂O reductions without affecting yields. The protocol, if widely adopted, could reduce N₂O from fertilized row-crop agriculture by more than 50%. Although other management and environmental factors can influence N₂O emissions, fertilizer N rate can be viewed as a single unambiguous proxy—a transparent, tangible, and readily manageable commodity. Our protocol addresses baseline establishment, additionality, permanence, variability, and leakage, and provides for producers and other stakeholders the economic and environmental incentives necessary for adoption of agricultural N₂O reduction offset projects.     

Pulse emissions of N2O and CO2 from an arable field depending on fertilization and tillage practice

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from soil are characterized by strong emission pulses. Although several mechanisms are known to create them, pulses are difficult to predict. Currently there is no established systematic way to identify pulses from long-term static chamber measurement results. In this study we suggest a simple algorithm for pulse identification. The algorithm was applied on time series of N₂O and carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes from a field study on the long-term impact of fertilization and tillage practice. Between 4 and 9% of N₂O values were pulse values; 20-60% of total emission was emitted as pulses. Minimum tillage resulted in more pulses than plowing. In contrast, long-term averages of N₂O losses from nitrogen (N) fertilizer were similar (3-4%) for all management practices. N₂O emissions per crop yield for increased fertilization practice were double the values for reduced fertilization practice independent of tillage practice. CO₂ emission pulses were scarce and there was no significant effect of management practice on CO₂ pulse probability.     

华北平原农田管理措施对冬小麦-夏玉米轮作系统N2O和CH4排放的影响

华北平原是我国重要的粮食生产基地,其农业生产对N_2O和CH_4也具有重要影响.本研究设置包括3类不同农田管理措施的田间试验,即免耕(No-tillage,N)/旋耕(Rotary,T)、秸秆清茬(Cleaning,S0)/还田(Straw,S1)以及不同氮肥水平(常规氮肥(F2),优化氮肥(F1)和空白处理(F0)),分析对产量、N_2O和CH_4排放的影响以及与土壤性状的关系.结果表明,优化氮肥能保持和当地常规氮肥水平相同的粮食产量,同时可以有效降低温室气体CO2-eq(45.4%).秸秆还田可以显著降低N_2O的排放,其中在夏玉米季效果尤为明显.施用氮肥能够抑制土壤对CH_4的吸收.夏玉米季是N_2O排放的主要时期(N_2O累积排放占全年的59%~78%).土壤NO-3含量、WFPS和土壤温度都对N_2O有显著影响.主效应和交互作用分析证明,氮肥水平对两季作物产量、秸秆还田对冬小麦的产量有显著影响;耕作方式与氮肥水平、秸秆还田分别对两季作物产量和CH_4有极显著的交互作用,秸秆处理和氮肥水平对CH_4排放和冬小麦产量有显著的交互作用;三因素的交互作用体现在对冬小麦产量和两季作物的总产量有显著影响.在华北平原当前氮肥水平上降低30%仍能维持和当地常规农业管理措施相同的作物产量,降低N_2O和CH_4排放45%以上,秸秆还田体现出降低N_2O排放以及长期提高土壤有机碳水平的效益.     

Identifying high-yield low-emission pathways for the cereal production in South Asia

Increasing agricultural production to meet the growing demand for food whilst reducing agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is the major challenge under the changing climate. To develop long-term policies that address these challenges, strategies are needed to identify high-yield low-emission pathways for particular agricultural production systems. In this paper, we used bio-physical and socio-economic models to analyze the impact of different management practices on crop yield and emissions in two contrasting agricultural production systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) of India. The result revealed the importance of considering both management and socio-economic factors in the development of high-yield low-emission pathways for cereal production systems. Nitrogen use rate and frequency of application, tillage and residue management and manure application significantly affected GHG emissions from the cereal systems. In addition, various socio-economic factors such as gender, level of education, training on climate change adaptation and mitigation and access to information significantly influenced the adoption of technologies contributing to high-yield low-emission pathways. We discussed the policy implications of these findings in the context of food security and climate change.     

秸秆与氮肥配比对农田土壤内外源碳释放的影响

秸秆配施氮肥调节C/N比不仅影响外源秸秆的矿化,也影响内源土壤有机碳（SOC）的分解（即激发效应）,因此研究秸秆与氮肥配比对土壤内外源有机碳分解的影响,对于农田温室气体减排和土壤肥力提升具有双重意义.本研究以山东桓台农田土壤为研究对象,为了探究秸秆与氮肥的配比对秸秆与SOC分解的影响,在不同氮肥水平下,采用¹³C标记玉米秸秆进行室内土壤培养32周,设置4个处理：CK、秸秆（S）、秸秆+低量尿素（SN1）和秸秆+高量尿素（SN2）.在整个培养期进行16次动态取样,借助¹³C两元线性模型,拆分土壤释放CO₂中源于秸秆和SOC的比例.结果表明,随着培养时间的进行,SOC分解对土壤释放CO₂的贡献呈先减少后升高的趋势,相反,秸秆矿化对土壤释放CO₂的贡献呈先升高后减少的趋势,到培养期末,SOC和秸秆分解对土壤CO₂释放的贡献分别为0.84~0.86和0.14~0.16;在整个培养期,施氮对秸秆累计分解的影响呈先增加后减少的趋势,高氮和低氮施用对秸秆分解的促进程度最高分别为15.8%和7.9%,经历整个培养期,低氮抑制秸秆幅度达到7.1%,而高氮呈轻度促进秸秆分解的趋势（0.7%）.在整个培养期,秸秆配施不同氮量对SOC矿化的激发效应程度呈先升高后降低趋势,在第7 d取样达到最高为55%~148%,并且随着施氮量增加而升高,随着培养时间的进行,各处理的激发效应程度趋于相等,约为50%.因此,秸秆配施氮肥调节C：N不仅影响外源秸秆对SOC的贡献,也影响内源SOC的分解,进而影响土壤碳的固持,经过整个培养期,土壤残留秸秆碳不能完全补偿因激发效应导致SOC的损失,导致SOC库的净亏损.     

Disaggregated greenhouse gas emission inventories from agriculture via a coupled economic-ecosystem model

Estimates of regional greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural systems are needed to evaluate possible mitigation strategies with respect to environmental effectiveness and economic feasibility. Therefore, in this study, we used the GIS-coupled economic-ecosystem model EFEM–DNDC to assess disaggregated regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from typical livestock and crop production systems in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Southwest Germany. EFEM is an economic farm production model based on linear programming of typical agricultural production systems and simulates all relevant farm management processes and GHG emissions. DNDC is a process-oriented ecosystem model that describes the complete biogeochemical C and N cycle of agricultural soils, including all trace gases.Direct soil emissions were mainly related to N₂O, whereas CH₄ uptake had marginal influence (net soil C uptake or release was not considered). The simulated N₂O emissions appeared to be highly correlated to N fertilizer application (R² = 0.79). The emission factor for Baden-Württemberg was 0.97% of the applied N after excluding background emissions.Analysis of the production systems showed that total GHG emissions from crop based production systems were considerably lower (2.6–3.4 Mg CO₂ eq ha⁻¹) than from livestock based systems (5.2–5.3 Mg CO₂ eq ha⁻¹). Average production system GHG emissions for Baden-Württemberg were 4.5 Mg CO₂ eq ha⁻¹. Of the total 38% were derived from N₂O (direct and indirect soil emissions, and manure storage), 40% were from CH₄ (enteric fermentation and manure storage), and 22% were from CO₂ (mainly fertilizer production, gasoline, heating, and additional feed). The stocking rate was highly correlated (R² = 0.85) to the total production system GHG emissions and appears to be a useful indicator of regional emission levels.     

菜地氨氧化微生物驱动的N2O和NO对有机无机肥配施的响应

氨氧化细菌（AOB）和氨氧化古菌（AOA）是驱动土壤氨氧化过程的"引擎".氨氧化过程在土壤氧化亚氮（N₂O）和一氧化氮（NO）排放过程中扮演着重要角色.有机无机肥配施是实现化肥零增长和作物稳产增产的重要途径，但在有机无机肥配施下，菜地土壤AOB和AOA对氨氧化过程的相对贡献仍不清楚.本研究采用选择性抑制的方法（辛炔和乙炔）区分有机肥添加近3年后（2016年10月—2019年5月）AOB和AOA在氨氧化过程中对碱性菜地土壤N₂O和NO产生的相对贡献.试验共设5种施肥处理：不施氮肥（CK）、单施尿素（N）、单施有机肥（M）、50%尿素+50%有机肥（M1N1）和80%尿素+20%有机肥（M1N4）.结果表明，有机无机肥配施（M1N1和M1N4）可显著增加土壤电导率、有机碳和全氮含量.培养试验发现，与N处理相比，M和M1N1处理分别使N₂O排放量增加100.7%和38.8%，NO排放量增加77.9%和42.8%，AOB基因丰度增加16.6%和10.2%，同时，AOB对N₂O排放的相对贡献增加6.5%.相反，M1N4处理分别使N₂O和NO排放量降低19.3%和4.8%，AOB基因丰度降低37.5%，同时，AOB对N₂O及NO排放的相对贡献分别降低7.8%和7.4%.相关分析表明，土壤N₂O和NO累积排放量与土壤AOB基因丰度呈显著正相关（p<0.05），与土壤AOA基因丰度无显著相关性.有机无机肥配施下AOB是氨氧化过程的主要驱动者，适当比例的有机无机肥配施（即M1N4）措施可在一定程度上减弱AOB对碱性菜地土壤N₂O及NO排放的相对贡献.     

生物质炭对华北平原4种典型土壤N2O排放的影响

生物质炭作为一种新型的土壤改良剂,在降低土壤温室气体排放方面发挥着重要作用.为明确生物质炭对冬小麦苗期土壤N_2O排放的影响,以华北平原的4种典型土壤(水稻土、砂姜黑土、褐土和潮土)为研究对象,进行田间试验,设置了4个处理:对照(CK)、单施化肥(NPK)、单施生物质炭(BC)和化肥与生物质炭配施(NPK+BC).结果表明,单施化肥显著增加了4种土壤N_2O排放,与对照相比,水稻土、砂姜黑土、褐土和潮土N_2O排放分别增加了314%、116%、240%和282%.添加生物质炭对华北平原4种土壤N_2O排放影响存在差异,与CK相比,单施生物质炭水稻土、褐土N_2O排放显著增加了72. 4%和50. 9%,而砂姜黑土和潮土BC与CK处理无显著差异.与NPK相比,生物质炭与化肥配施显著降低了4种土壤N_2O排放.添加生物质炭提高了4种土壤pH,其中,初始pH最低的水稻土,受生物质炭影响较显著,施肥则降低了4种土壤pH.砂姜黑土、褐土和潮土施肥处理N_2O排放通量均与铵态氮含量呈显著正相关,水稻土和砂姜黑土单施生物质炭处理N_2O排放通量与硝态氮含量呈显著正相关.     

Development of a new model for the simulation of N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O emissions: a case-study on wheat cropping systems under humid Mediterranean climate

Improving the quantification of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural land has become an issue of major concern due to its strong contribution to the greenhouse effect and to the fact that N₂O is now the most significant ozone-depleting emission to the atmosphere. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a new field-scale, simple and empirical model that simulates monthly nitrogen (N) flows in cropping systems based on site characteristics and management practices. We explored its sensitivity for a Basque region of Spain growing winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under humid Mediterranean conditions to varied weather conditions and different scenarios of: (i) fertiliser rates, (ii) soil texture, (iii) organic/mineral fertilisation, (iv) slurry injection/no injection and (v) tillage/no tillage. The model showed sensitivity to most of the changes in the tested parameters. On average, simulated N₂O emissions decreased: (i) with the decrease in N fertiliser rates, (ii) in lighter textured soils, (iii) with organic fertilisation, (iv) after non-injecting slurry and (v) under no-tillage. The model showed that it could be useful to simulate some of the potential trade-offs that may occur after implementation of specific N pollution mitigation measures (e.g. trade-offs in crop productivity and ammonia (NH₃) volatilisation after implementation of measures that target a reduction in N₂O emissions). In a validation exercise, simulated and measured yield and soil moisture showed reasonable agreement. Although the model showed discrepancies for monthly-averaged N₂O fluxes, the peak after fertilisation application was reasonably well simulated. These results and the simplicity and user-friendliness of the model suggest that its structure is appropriate and, if properly calibrated for different soil types and weather conditions, it could be a useful model to be used in carbon footprint studies or to develop site-specific emission factors for current or future climatic scenarios.     

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.     

Long-term tillage effects on atrazine and fluometuron sorption in Coastal Plain soils

Conservation tillage (CnT) management practices are known to increase levels of soil organic matter (SOM) in southeastern Coastal Plain soils. Plant residues in CnT systems accumulate at the surface and, with time, will form a layer enriched in SOM. The authors hypothesize that herbicide sorption will be highest in this SOM-enriched zone of CnT systems when compared to sorption at a similar depth in conventional tillage (CT) systems. The objective was to characterize the impact of two different tillage systems, CnT and CT, on sorption of atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N′-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] and fluometuron [N,N-dimethyl-N′-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl urea] in plots of Norfolk loamy sand (fine-loamy, siliceous thermic Typic Kandiudult). The plots have been under CnT and CT management for 18 yrs. Bulk (0–15 cm) and five equal incremental soil samples to a 15 cm depth were collected from 10 CnT and 10 CT plots, and the atrazine (ATR) and fluometuron (FLMT) sorption coefficients (K_d) were measured using batch equilibration. Significantly higher herbicide K_d values occurred in the CnT 0–3 cm samples, indicating that the highest amount of herbicide sorption occurred in the top few cm of soil. This corresponded to the stratified soil organic carbon (SOC) contents in topsoil of the CnT plots. In addition, analyses of covariance using SOC as the covariant to test for tillage effects indicated complex interactions among SOC, tillage, and depth. Those results confirm that tillage and soil depth will affect SOC contents of a Norfolk loamy sand, which correspondly will influence the magnitude of ATR and FLMT sorption.     

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.     

Water regime-nitrogen fertilizer incorporation interaction: Field study on methane and nitrous oxide emissions from a rice agroecosystem in Harbin, China

Water regime and nitrogen (N) fertilizer are two important factors impacting greenhouse gases (GHG) emission from paddy field, whereas their effects have not been well studied in cold region. In this study, we conducted a two-year field experiment to study the impacts of water regime and N fertilizer on rice yields and GHG emissions in Harbin, China, a cold region located in high latitudes. Our results showed that intermittent irrigation significantly decreased methane (CH₄) emission compared with continuous flooding, however, the decrement was far lower than the global average level. The N₂O emissions were very small when flooded but peaked at the beginning of the disappearance of floodwater. The N fertilizer treatments increased CH₄ emissions at low level (75kgN/ha). But both CH₄ and N₂O emissions were uninfluenced at the levels of 150kgN/ha and 225kgN/ha. Rice yields increased under intermittent irrigation and were highest at the level of 150kgN/ha. From our results, we recommended that the intermittent irrigation and 150kgN/ha as the ideal water regime-nitrogen fertilizer incorporation for this area to achieve low GHG emissions without impacting rice yields.