Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Precipitation and nitrogen application stimulate soil nitrous oxide emission

Journal Article · · Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [4]
  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou (China); Tennessee State Univ., Nashville, TN (United States); Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)
  2. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou (China)
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  4. Tennessee State Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)

Precipitation and nitrogen (N) fertilization are the two most important drivers for soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission. However, the effects of changes in N fertilization and precipitation patterns (i.e., precipitation intensity and frequency) on N2O emissions in agricultural fields are still unclear. In this study, we simulated soil N2O emission under different precipitation patterns (6 precipitation intensities, and 12 precipitation frequencies by either merging or splitting precipitation events) and N fertilization rates (low, typical, and high N fertilization) in a cornfield using the DeNitrification-DeComposition model. The model was parameterized and validated using meteorological data and N experimental measurements in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Results showed that soil water filled pore space (WFPS) and simulated soil N2O emission increased as precipitation intensity increased. Less frequent but high intensity precipitation treatments reduced the soil WFPS by 25.2% and stimulated soil N2O emission by 45.3%, while more frequent but low intensity precipitation treatments increased soil WFPS by 9.0% and reduced soil N2O emission by 23.9%. Compared to typical N fertilization, the sensitivity of soil N2O emission to precipitation was higher under high N than low N fertilization treatments, and the response ratios were 50.0% and 40.1%, respectively. There was significant interactive effect of precipitation intensity and N fertilization on soil N2O emission. Furthermore, these findings improved our understanding of precipitation and N impacts on soil N2O emissions and provided useful knowledge for irrigation and N fertilizer management in agriculture to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1808172
Journal Information:
Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, Journal Name: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 120; ISSN 1385-1314
Publisher:
Springer NatureCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (62)

Assessing the impacts of tillage and fertilization management on nitrous oxide emissions in a cornfield using the DNDC model: MODELING N 2 O EMISSION IN A CORNFIELD journal February 2016
Rapid changes in carbon and phosphorus after rewetting of dry soil journal September 2010
Water pulses and biogeochemical cycles in arid and semiarid ecosystems journal February 2004
Effects of multiple global change treatments on soil N2O fluxes journal October 2011
Soil N2O emissions in Mediterranean arable crops as affected by reduced tillage and N rate journal November 2019
Importance of macroaggregate dynamics in controlling soil carbon stabilization: short-term effects of physical disturbance induced by dry–wet cycles journal January 2001
DNDC: A process-based model of greenhouse gas fluxes from agricultural soils journal March 2010
Effects of irrigation, fertilization and crop straw management on nitrous oxide and nitric oxide emissions from a wheat–maize rotation field in northern China journal January 2011
Linear and nonlinear dependency of direct nitrous oxide emissions on fertilizer nitrogen input: A meta-analysis journal March 2013
Effect of drip irrigation frequency, nitrogen rate and mulching on nitrous oxide emissions in a semi-arid climate: An assessment across two years in an apple orchard journal November 2016
Global nitrous oxide emission factors from agricultural soils after addition of organic amendments: A meta-analysis journal January 2017
Modeling impacts of mulching and climate change on crop production and N2O emission in the Loess Plateau of China journal April 2019
Assessing nitrous oxide and nitrate leaching mitigation potential in US corn crop systems using the DNDC model journal October 2019
Application of the DNDC model to estimate N 2 O emissions under different types of irrigation in vineyards in Ningxia, China journal January 2016
Quantifying the contribution of nitrification and denitrification to the nitrous oxide flux using 15N tracers journal December 2006
Deficit irrigation combined with reduced N-fertilizer rate can mitigate the high nitrous oxide emissions from Chinese drip-fertigated maize field journal October 2019
Effects of increasing precipitation and nitrogen deposition on CH4 and N2O fluxes and ecosystem respiration in a degraded steppe in Inner Mongolia, China journal January 2013
Estimating greenhouse gases emissions from horticultural peat soils using a DNDC modelling approach journal March 2019
The effect of drip irrigation and drip fertigation on N2O and NO emissions, water saving and grain yields in a maize field in the North China Plain journal January 2017
Interactive impacts of nitrogen input and water amendment on growing season fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O in a semiarid grassland, Northern China journal February 2017
Global analysis of agricultural soil denitrification in response to fertilizer nitrogen journal March 2018
Prediction of N2O emissions under different field management practices and climate conditions journal January 2019
Evaluation of four modelling approaches to estimate nitrous oxide emissions in China's cropland journal February 2019
Drying and rewetting effects on C and N mineralization and microbial activity in surface and subsurface California grassland soils journal September 2008
Drying and rewetting conditions differentially affect the mineralization of fresh plant litter and extant soil organic matter journal September 2018
Short-term precipitation pulses stimulate soil CO2 emission but do not alter CH4 and N2O fluxes in a northern hardwood forest journal March 2019
Greenhouse gas fluxes under drought and nitrogen addition in a Southern California grassland journal April 2019
Role of nitrifier denitrification in the production of nitrous oxide journal October 2001
Effects of drying–rewetting frequency on soil carbon and nitrogen transformations journal June 2002
Different pathways of formation of N2O, N2 and NO in black earth soil journal February 2000
Sources of nitrous oxide in soils journal January 1997
Emissions of N 2 O and NO from fertilized fields: Summary of available measurement data : SUMMARY OF NO AND N journal October 2002
A 3-year field measurement of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice paddies in China: Effects of water regime, crop residue, and fertilizer application: EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT ON CHINA journal May 2005
Changes in Irrigation Practices Likely Mitigate Nitrous Oxide Emissions From California Cropland journal October 2018
A model of nitrous oxide evolution from soil driven by rainfall events: 1. Model structure and sensitivity journal June 1992
A model of nitrous oxide evolution from soil driven by rainfall events: 2. Model applications journal June 1992
Climate extremes and the carbon cycle journal August 2013
The terrestrial biosphere as a net source of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere journal March 2016
Global agriculture and nitrous oxide emissions journal May 2012
A comprehensive quantification of global nitrous oxide sources and sinks journal October 2020
Direct Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Tropical And Sub-Tropical Agricultural Systems - A Review And Modelling Of Emission Factors journal March 2017
Influence of O 2 availability on NO and N 2 O release by nitrification and denitrification in soils journal April 1998
Nitrous oxide emission factors for agricultural soils in Great Britain: the impact of soil water-filled pore space and other controlling variables journal February 2003
Nitrous oxide emission from Australian agricultural lands and mitigation options: a review journal January 2003
Global metaanalysis of the nonlinear response of soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions to fertilizer nitrogen journal June 2014
Nitrous oxide emissions from soils: how well do we understand the processes and their controls?
  • Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus; Baggs, Elizabeth M.; Dannenmann, Michael
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 368, Issue 1621 https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0122
journal July 2013
Characterizing differences in precipitation regimes of extreme wet and dry years: implications for climate change experiments journal April 2015
Terrestrial N 2 O emissions and related functional genes under climate change: A global meta‐analysis journal October 2019
Soil GHG fluxes are altered by N deposition: New data indicate lower N stimulation of the N 2 O flux and greater stimulation of the calculated C pools journal January 2020
N 2 O emissions from an irrigated and non-irrigated organic soil in eastern Canada as influenced by N fertilizer addition journal April 2010
Reappraisal of drying and wetting effects on C and N mineralization and fluxes in soils journal April 2009
Responses of terrestrial ecosystems to temperature and precipitation change: a meta-analysis of experimental manipulation: META-ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION journal January 2011
Soil environmental conditions rather than denitrifier abundance and diversity drive potential denitrification after changes in land uses: DENITRIFIER RESPONSE TO LAND-USE CHANGES journal November 2010
Precipitation manipulation experiments - challenges and recommendations for the future journal May 2012
Ecological responses to heavy rainfall depend on seasonal timing and multi‐year recurrence journal May 2019
The role of multiple global change factors in driving soil functions and microbial biodiversity journal November 2019
Responses and mechanisms of soil greenhouse gas fluxes to changes in precipitation intensity and duration: a meta-analysis for a global perspective journal December 2018
Impact of CO 2 -Induced Warming on Simulated Hurricane Intensity and Precipitation: Sensitivity to the Choice of Climate Model and Convective Parameterization journal September 2004
Projected Seasonal Changes in Large-Scale Global Precipitation and Temperature Extremes Based on the CMIP5 Ensemble journal July 2020
Corn Yield and Soil Nitrous Oxide Emission under Different Fertilizer and Soil Management: A Three-Year Field Experiment in Middle Tennessee journal April 2015
Nitrous oxide emissions from a commercial cornfield (Zea mays) measured using the eddy covariance technique journal January 2014
Processes regulating progressive nitrogen limitation under elevated carbon dioxide: a meta-analysis journal January 2016

Similar Records

Measurement of nitrous oxide emission dynamics from soil
Conference · Mon Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 1996 · OSTI ID:466081

Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide fluxes from a bare soil using a micrometeorological approach
Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996 · Journal of Environmental Quality · OSTI ID:381013