Sunday, February 1, 2009

Soil Methane and Nitrous Oxide Dynamics as Influenced by Tillage and Fertilizer Management Practices.

Ermson Z. Nyakatawa, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, 4900 Meridian St, Normal, AL 35762

Land application of organic and inorganic fertilizers can significantly contribute to the enrichment of the atmosphere with greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).  This paper discusses emissions of CH4 and N2O from an agricultural soil receiving poultry manure (PM) and ammonium nitrate (AN) inorganic fertilizer in conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) systems using surface (SA), soil incorporation (SI), or band (BA) fertilizer application methods, on a Decatur silt loam soil under corn (Zea mays L.) production in north Alabama. Soil gas samples were collected from the field using the static chamber method and analyzed for CH4 and N2O concentrations using a Varian CP-3800 GC. NET soil CH4 fluxes in plots which received 150 kg Nha-1 in the form of poultry manure in NT system using surface application method (NT-PM-SA) and in plots which received 150 kg Nha-1 in the form of AN in CT system using soil incorporation application method (CT-AN-SI) were 3.6 and 5.1 µg m-2 s-1, respectively, during spring and summer of 2008. Soils under the other treatments including a grass fallow control were net sinks of atmospheric CH4. The highest NET soil N2O fluxes were observed in plots which received 150 kg Nha-1 in the form of PM in NT system using BA method (NT-PM-BA) (184.6 µg m-2 s-1), followed by plots which received the CT-AN-SI treatment (46.7 µg m-2 s-1) and then in plots which received 150 kg Nha-1 AN in CT system using surface application (CT-AN-SA) treatment (37.7 µg m-2 s-1). Our results so far suggests that among the treatments being studied, application of PM in NT system using surface or band application methods and application of AN in CT system using surface or soil incorporation methods have the greatest potential to supply CH4 and N2O greenhouse gases to the environment.