Inhibition of nitrification and effects on N2O and CO2 emissions estimated using the flux gradient method from agricultural soils in Southern Manitoba

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Date
2024-08-21
Authors
Mustard, Shannon Nicole Blossom
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Abstract

Nitrification inhibitors reduce the emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) from agricultural soils treated with ammoniacal nitrogen fertilizers. Most studies to date, and all for Manitoba, have examined the benefits of nitrification inhibitors on N2O emissions using soil chambers. Here, N2O emissions were monitored using the flux gradient method, and the effect of nitrification inhibition of spring-applied nitrogen fertilizers on clay and loam farm fields near Glenlea and Clearwater, Manitoba, respectively, was examined. Established since 2005, the Trace Gas Manitoba (TGAS-MAN) research site on a clay field was used to examine the effect of the nitrification inhibitor, eNtrenchTM, coated urea in 2022 and the nitrification and urease inhibitor, SuperUTM, in 2023. The TGAS-MAN site utilized two 4-ha fields for each inhibited and uninhibited fertilizer treatment, all seeded to spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in 2022 and canola (Brassica napus L.) in 2023. A new flux gradient installation was established on the loam field, Trace Gas Harvest Moon (TGAS-HM). This site utilized one 4-ha field of anhydrous ammonia treated with the nitrification inhibitor, Centuro®, and one of uninhibited anhydrous ammonia planted to grain corn (Zea mays L.). In 2022, soil moisture and high air temperature and humidity challenged fertilizer flow through operational machinery and an evaluation on the inhibition of nitrification and N2O emissions. In 2023, SuperU reduced cumulative (Jan 1st – Dec 31st) N2O emissions by 1,786.1 kg CO2-eq ha-1 compared to conventional urea. Both treatments lost approximately 6,200 kg CO2-eq ha-1 in 2022, compared to 2023 where SuperU lost 1,774 kg CO2-eq ha-1 and conventional urea lost 4,224 kg CO2-eq ha-1. Growing season (May 1st – Oct 13th) cumulative N2O emissions for anhydrous ammonia was 1.4 kg N2O-N ha-1 and, contrary to expectation, 1.8 kg N2O-N ha-1 for the Centuro® treatment. Across both research sites and study years, differences in treatment grain yield were not statistically significant. Study findings highlight greater N2O emissions for clay than loam soils in Manitoba, the challenges of coating urea with nitrification inhibitors for commercial purposes, employing the flux gradient method to observe a reduction in N2O emissions using SuperUTM, and the surprising ineffectiveness of a new nitrification inhibition product, Centuro®, to reduce N2O emissions.

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nitrification inhibitors, flux gradient, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, remote site
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