Manure and Inorganic Nitrogen Affect Trace Gas Emissions under Semi-Arid Irrigated Corn.

Dairy manure is often applied to cropped soils as a substitute for inorganic N fertilizers, but the impacts of manure on soil trace gas fluxes, yields, and soil N are uncertain in the semiarid western United States. Soil carbon dioxide (CO-C), methane (CH-C), nitrous oxide (NO-N), and ammonia (NH-N) emissions were monitored using surface chambers from five N treatments: (i) partially composted solid dairy manure (DM) (412 kg N ha), (ii) DM + AgrotainPlus (DM+AP), (iii) enhanced efficiency N fertilizer (SuperU [SU]) (179 kg N ha), (iv) urea (179 kg N ha), and (v) check (no N applied), to determine their effect on growing season (GS) and nongrowing season emissions from a tilled clay loam soil under irrigated, continuous corn production for 3 yr. SuperU and AgrotainPlus contain urease and nitrification inhibitors. Averaged over years, GS soil CO-C emissions were greater for DM and DM+AP than for urea, SU, and check treatments due to the large amount of C added with the manure; CH-C emissions did not vary among N treatments; and NO-N emissions decreased in the order urea = DM = DM+AP > SU > check. AgrotainPlus added to the DM did not reduce NO-N emissions compared with DM. Cumulative NH-N emissions after manure application decreased in the order urea > SU > check, with no significant differences between SU, DM, and DM+AP. Dairy manure provided slow-release N with nitrate intensities lower than urea and NO-N emissions similar to urea. These results highlight the importance of best-management practices such as immediate irrigation after N application and use of urease and nitrification inhibitors to minimize N losses.

Nitrogen placement and source effects on nitrous oxide emissions and yields of irrigated corn.

Limited information is available on how N fertilizer placement affects soil nitrous oxide (NO) emissions under irrigated conditions in the semiarid western United States. Our objective was to compare surface banding near corn row and broadcasting of three N sources (urea, polymer-coated urea [PCU], and stabilized urea [SU] containing urease and nitrification inhibitors) on NO emissions from a clay loam soil under sprinkler-irrigated continuous corn production. The N fertilizers were applied at a rate of 202 kg N ha to strip-till (2010 and 2011) and no-till (2011) corn at crop emergence, with ∼19 mm irrigation water applied the next day. Band-applied N had a 1.46-fold greater NO emission than broadcast N averaged over N sources and three studies. Soil NO-N emissions from urea were 1.48- and 1.74-fold greater than from PCU and SU, respectively, when averaged over N placement and studies. The N placement × source interaction was not significant. Averaged across studies, grain yield and N uptake did not vary with N placement, whereas grain yields were greater for SU than PCU but were not different from urea. Nitrous oxide emissions per unit of N applied, per unit of grain yield, and per unit N uptake were 59, 49, and 47% greater, respectively, with banded than with broadcast N fertilizer. These studies show that N placement and N source selection are important manageable factors that can affect NO emissions and need to be considered when developing NO mitigation practices in irrigated cropping systems in the semiarid western United States.

Nitrogen source and placement effects on soil nitrous oxide emissions from no-till corn.

A nitrogen (N) source comparison study was conducted to further evaluate the effects of inorganic N source and placement on growing-season and non-crop period soil nitrous oxide (NO). Commercially available controlled-release N fertilizers were evaluated for their potential to reduce NO emissions from a clay loam soil compared with conventionally used granular urea and urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) fertilizers in an irrigated no-till (NT) corn ( L.) production system. Controlled-release N fertilizers evaluated were: a polymer-coated urea (ESN), stabilized urea (SuperU), and UAN+AgrotainPlus (SuperU and AgrotainPlus contain nitrification and urease inhibitors). Each N source was surface band applied (202 kg N ha) near the corn row at emergence and watered into the soil the next day. Subsurface banded ESN (ESNssb) and check (no N applied) treatments were included. Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured during two growing seasons and after harvest using static, vented chambers. All N sources had significantly lower growing-season NO emissions than granular urea (0.7% of applied N), with UAN+AgrotainPlus (0.2% of applied N) and ESN (0.3% of applied N) having lower emissions than UAN (0.4% of applied N). Similar trends were observed when expressing NO emissions on a grain yield and N uptake basis. Corn grain yields were not different among N sources but were greater than the check. Selection of N fertilizer source can be a mitigation practice for reducing NO emissions in NT, irrigated corn in semiarid areas. In our study, UAN+AgrotainPlus consistently had the lowest level of NO emissions with no yield loss.

Nitrogen source effects on soil nitrous oxide emissions from strip-till corn.

Nitrogen (N) application to crops generally results in increased nitrous oxide (NO) emissions. Commercially available, enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers were evaluated for their potential to reduce NO emissions from a clay loam soil compared with conventionally used granular urea and urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) fertilizers in an irrigated strip-till (ST) corn ( L.) production system. Enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers evaluated were a controlled-release, polymer-coated urea (ESN), stabilized urea, and UAN products containing nitrification and urease inhibitors (SuperU and UAN+AgrotainPlus), and UAN containing a slow-release N source (Nfusion). Each N source was surface-band applied (202 kg N ha) at corn emergence and watered into the soil the next day. A subsurface-band ESN treatment was included. Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured during two growing seasons using static, vented chambers and a gas chromatograph analyzer. All N sources had significantly lower growing season NO emissions than granular urea, with UAN+AgrotainPlus and UAN+Nfusion having lower emissions than UAN. Similar trends were observed when expressing NO emissions on a grain yield and N uptake basis. Loss of NO-N per kilogram of N applied was <0.8% for all N sources. Corn grain yields were not different among N sources but greater than treatments with no N applied. Selection of N fertilizer source can be a mitigation practice for reducing NO emissions in strip-till, irrigated corn in semiarid areas.

Nitrogen source effects on nitrous oxide emissions from irrigated no-till corn.

Nitrogen fertilization is essential for optimizing crop yields; however, it may potentially increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The study objective was to assess the ability of commercially available enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers to reduce N2O emissions following their application in comparison with conventional dry granular urea and liquid urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) fertilizers in an irrigated no-till (NT) corn (Zea mays L.) production system. Four enhanced-efficiency fertilizers were evaluated: two polymer-coated urea products (ESN and Duration III) and two fertilizers containing nitrification and urease inhibitors (SuperU and UAN+AgrotainPlus). Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured during two growing seasons using static, vented chambers and a gas chromatograph analyzer. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers significantly reduced growing-season N2O-N emissions in comparison with urea, including UAN. SuperU and UAN+AgrotainPlus had significantly lower N2O-N emissions than UAN. Compared with urea, SuperU reduced N2O-N emissions 48%, ESN 34%, Duration III 31%, UAN 27%, and UAN+AgrotainPlus 53% averaged over 2 yr. Compared with UAN, UAN+AgrotainPlus reduced N2O emissions 35% and SuperU 29% averaged over 2 yr. The N2O-N loss as a percentage of N applied was 0.3% for urea, with all other N sources having significantly lower losses. Grain production was not reduced by the use of alternative N sources. This work shows that enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers can potentially reduce N2O-N emissions without affecting yields from irrigated NT corn systems in the semiarid central Great Plains.

Nitrogen, tillage, and crop rotation effects on carbon dioxide and methane fluxes from irrigated cropping systems.

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.

Nitrogen, tillage, and crop rotation effects on nitrous oxide emissions from irrigated cropping systems.

We evaluated the effects of irrigated crop management practices on nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emissions from soil. Emissions were monitored from several irrigated cropping systems receiving N fertilizer rates ranging from 0 to 246 kg N ha(-1) during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. Cropping systems included conventional-till (CT) continuous corn (Zea mays L.), no-till (NT) continuous corn, NT corn-dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (NT-CDb), and NT corn-barley (Hordeum distichon L.) (NT-CB). In 2005, half the N was subsurface band applied as urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) at planting to all corn plots, with the rest of the N applied surface broadcast as a polymer-coated urea (PCU) in mid-June. The entire N rate was applied as UAN at barley and dry bean planting in the NT-CB and NT-CDb plots in 2005. All plots were in corn in 2006, with PCU being applied at half the N rate at corn emergence and a second N application as dry urea in mid-June followed by irrigation, both banded on the soil surface in the corn row. Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured during the growing season using static, vented chambers (1-3 times wk(-1)) and a gas chromatograph analyzer. Linear increases in N(2)O emissions were observed with increasing N-fertilizer rate, but emission amounts varied with growing season. Growing season N(2)O emissions were greater from the NT-CDb system during the corn phase of the rotation than from the other cropping systems. Crop rotation and N rate had more effect than tillage system on N(2)O emissions. Nitrous oxide emissions from N application ranged from 0.30 to 0.75% of N applied. Spikes in N(2)O emissions after N fertilizer application were greater with UAN and urea than with PCU fertilizer. The PCU showed potential for reducing N(2)O emissions from irrigated cropping systems.

Achieving Lower Nitrogen Balance and Higher Nitrogen Recovery Efficiency Reduces Nitrous Oxide Emissions in North America's Maize Cropping Systems.

Few studies have assessed the common, yet unproven, hypothesis that an increase of plant nitrogen (N) uptake and/or recovery efficiency (NRE) will reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emission during crop production. Understanding the relationships between N2O emissions and crop N uptake and use efficiency parameters can help inform crop N management recommendations for both efficiency and environmental goals. Analyses were conducted to determine which of several commonly used crop N uptake-derived parameters related most strongly to growing season N2O emissions under varying N management practices in North American maize systems. Nitrogen uptake-derived variables included total aboveground N uptake (TNU), grain N uptake (GNU), N recovery efficiency (NRE), net N balance (NNB) in relation to GNU [NNB(GNU)] and TNU [NNB(TNU)], and surplus N (SN). The relationship between N2O and N application rate was sigmoidal with relatively small emissions for N rates <130 kg ha-1, and a sharp increase for N rates from 130 to 220 kg ha-1; on average, N2O increased linearly by about 5 g N per kg of N applied for rates up to 220 kg ha-1. Fairly strong and significant negative relationships existed between N2O and NRE when management focused on N application rate (r2 = 0.52) or rate and timing combinations (r2 = 0.65). For every percentage point increase, N2O decreased by 13 g N ha-1 in response to N rates, and by 20 g N ha-1 for NRE changes in response to rate-by-timing treatments. However, more consistent positive relationships (R2 = 0.73-0.77) existed between N2O and NNB(TNU), NNB(GNU), and SN, regardless of rate and timing of N application; on average N2O emission increased by about 5, 7, and 8 g N, respectively, per kg increase of NNB(GNU), NNB(TNU), and SN. Neither N source nor placement influenced the relationship between N2O and NRE. Overall, our analysis indicated that a careful selection of appropriate N rate applied at the right time can both increase NRE and reduce N2O. However, N2O reduction benefits of optimum N rate-by-timing practices were achieved most consistently with management systems that reduced NNB through an increase of grain N removal or total plant N uptake relative to the total fertilizer N applied to maize. Future research assessing crop or N management effects on N2O should include N uptake parameter measurements to better understand N2O emission relationships to plant NRE and N uptake.

Net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity in irrigated cropping systems in northeastern Colorado.

The impact of management on global warming potential (GWP), crop production, and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) in irrigated agriculture is not well documented. A no-till (NT) cropping systems study initiated in 1999 to evaluate soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential in irrigated agriculture was used in this study to make trace gas flux measurements for 3 yr to facilitate a complete greenhouse gas accounting of GWP and GHGI. Fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O were measured using static, vented chambers, one to three times per week, year round, from April 2002 through October 2004 within conventional-till continuous corn (CT-CC) and NT continuous corn (NT-CC) plots and in NT corn-soybean rotation (NT-CB) plots. Nitrogen fertilizer rates ranged from 0 to 224 kg N ha(-1). Methane fluxes were small and did not differ between tillage systems. Nitrous oxide fluxes increased linearly with increasing N fertilizer rate each year, but emission rates varied with years. Carbon dioxide efflux was higher in CT compared to NT in 2002 but was not different by tillage in 2003 or 2004. Based on soil respiration and residue C inputs, NT soils were net sinks of GWP when adequate fertilizer was added to maintain crop production. The CT soils were smaller net sinks for GWP than NT soils. The determinant for the net GWP relationship was a balance between soil respiration and N2O emissions. Based on soil C sequestration, only NT soils were net sinks for GWP. Both estimates of GWP and GHGI indicate that when appropriate crop production levels are achieved, net CO2 emissions are reduced. The results suggest that economic viability and environmental conservation can be achieved by minimizing tillage and utilizing appropriate levels of fertilizer.

Simulating variably-saturated reactive transport of selenium and nitrogen in agricultural groundwater systems.

Selenium (Se) contamination in environmental systems has become a major issue in many regions world-wide during the previous decades, with both elevated and deficient Se concentrations in groundwater, surface water, soils and associated cultivated crops reported. To provide a tool that can assess baseline conditions and explore remediation strategies, this paper presents a numerical model capable of simulating the reactive transport of Se species in large-scale variably-saturated groundwater systems influenced by agricultural practices. Developed by incorporating a Se reaction module into the multi-species, variably-saturated reactive transport model UZF-RT3D, model features include near-surface Se cycling due to agricultural practices, oxidation-reduction reactions, and the inclusion of a nitrogen (N) cycle and reaction module due to the dependence of Se transformation and speciation on the presence of nitrate (NO3). Although the primary motivation is applying the model to large-scale systems, this paper presents applications to agricultural soil profile systems to corroborate the near-surface module processes that are vital in estimating mass loadings to the saturated zone in large-scale fate and transport studies. The first application jointly tests the Se and N modules for corn test plots receiving varying loadings of fertilizer, whereas the second application tests the N module for fertilized and unfertilized test plots. Results indicate that the model is successful in reproducing observed measurements of Se and NO3 concentrations, particularly in lower soil layers and hence in regards to leaching. For the first application, the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) is used to condition model parameters, demonstrating the usefulness of the EnKF in real-world reactive transport systems.