Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Fluxes of nitrous oxide from soil under different crop rotations and tillage systems in the South of Brazil

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The zero tillage (ZT) system is used in a large area (>24 Mha) of crop production in Brazil. This management system can contribute to soil C sequestration, but many studies in other countries have registered greater nitrous oxide emissions under ZT compared to conventional tillage (CT), which may reduce greenhouse gas mitigation benefits. The aim of this study was to estimate the emission of N2O from cropping systems under conventional and zero tillage in an 18-year-old experiment conducted on a Rhodic Ferralsol in the South of Brazil. Fluxes of N2O were measured over two years using static-closed chambers in the two tillage systems with three crop rotations. Soil water filled pore space (%WFPS) and soil mineral N were monitored along with rainfall and air temperature. Estimates of N2O emissions were obtained by integrating the fluxes with time and also by applying the IPCC direct emission factor (EF1 = 1%) to the amounts of N added as fertilisers and returned as crop residues. Fluxes of N2O were relatively low, apart from a short period at the beginning of measurements. No relationship between N2O fluxes and %WFPS or mineral N were observed. Nitrous oxide emissions were not influenced either by tillage system or crop rotation. For the crop rotation receiving high rates of N fertiliser in the second year, field-measured N2O emissions were significantly underestimated by the IPCC emission factor 1 (EF1). For the other treatments measured N2O emissions fell within the EF1 uncertainty range, but always considerably lower than the EF1 estimate, which suggests IPCC EF1 overestimates true N2O emissions for the Ferralsol under evaluation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alves BJR, Boddey RM, Urquiaga S (2003) The success of BNF in soybean in Brazil. Plant Soil 252:1–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ball BC, Scott A, Parker JP (1999) Field N2O, CO2 and CH4 fluxes in relation to tillage compaction and soil quality in Scotland. Soil Till Res 53:29–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bayer C, Mielniczuk J, Amado TJC, Martin-Neto L, Fernandes SV (2000) Organic matter storage in a sandy clay loam Acrisol affected by tillage and cropping systems in southern Brazil. Soil Till Res 54:101–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergersen FJ, Peoples MB, Turner GL (1988) Isotopic discriminations during the accumulation of nitrogen by soybeans. Aust J Plant Physiol 15:407–420

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boddey RM, Sá JC de M, Alves BJR, Urquiaga S (1997) The contribution of biological nitrogen fixation for sustainable agricultural systems in the tropics. Soil Biol Biochem 29:787–799

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho AM, Bustamante MMC, Kozovits AR, Miranda LN de, Vivaldi LJ, Sousa DMG (2006) Emissão de óxidos de nitrogênio associada à aplicação de uréia sob plantio convencional e direto. Pesq Agropec Bras 41:679–685

    Google Scholar 

  • Choudhary MA, Akramkhanov A, Saggar S (2002) Nitrous oxide emissions from a New Zealand cropped soil: tillage effects, spatial and seasonal variability. Agric Ecosyst Environ 93:33–43

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Conen F, Dobbie KE, Smith KA (2000) Predicting N2O emissions from agricultural land through related soil parameters. Global Change Biol 6:417–426

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson EA, Matson PA, Vitousek PM, Riley R, Dunkin K, Garcia-Mendez G, Maass JM (1993) Processes regulating soil emissions of NO and N2O in a seasonally dry tropical forest. Ecol 74:130–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson EA, Bustamante MMC, Pinto ADS (2001) Emissions of nitrous oxide and nitric oxide from soils of native and exotic ecosystems of the Amazon and Cerrado regions of Brazil. Scientific World 1:312–319

    Google Scholar 

  • Denmead OT, Freney JR, Simpson JR (1979) Studies of nitrous oxide emission from a grass sward. Soil Sci Soc Am J 43:726–728

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Diekow J, Mielniczuk J, Knicker H, Bayer C, Dick DP, Kogel-Knabner I (2005) Soil C and N stocks as affected by cropping systems and nitrogen fertilisation in a southern Brazil Acrisol managed under no-tillage for 17 years. Soil Till Res 81:87–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IBGE-LSPA (2007). Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – Levantamento Sistemático da Produção Agrícola. Retrieved Dec 5, 2007, from http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/default.asp?t=5&z=t&o=1&u1=1&u2=1&u3=1&u4=1&u5=1&u6=1&u7=1&u8=1&u9=3&u10=1&u11=26674&u12=1&u13=1&u14=1

  • IPCC (2006) International Panel for Climate Change. Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories., http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/index.htm. Cited July, 2006

  • IUSS (2006) International Union of Soil Sciences Working Group. World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2006. World Soil Resources Reports No. 103, FAO, Rome. 132 pp

  • Keeney DR, Nelson DW (1982) Nitrogen: inorganic forms. In: Page AL et al (eds) Methods of soil analysis, part 2: chemical and microbiological properties. Soil Science Society of America, 2nd edn. Madison, WI, pp 643–698

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessavalou A, Doran JW, Mosier AR, Drijber RA (1998) Greenhouse gas fluxes following tillage and wetting in a wheat-fallow cropping system. J Environ Qual 27:1105–1116

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • La Scala N Jr, Lopes A, Marques J Jr, Pereira GT (2001) Carbon dioxide emissions after application of tillage systems for a dark red latosol in Southern Brazil. Soil Till Res 62:163–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R, Kimble JM, Stewart BA (2000) Global climate change and tropical ecosystems, 1st edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL

    Google Scholar 

  • Linn DW, Doran JW (1984) Effect of water-filled pore space on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide production in tilled and non-tilled soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 48:1267–1272

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XJ, Mosier AR, Halvorson AD, Zhang FS (2006) The impact of nitrogen placement and tillage on NO, N2O, CH4 and CO2 fluxes from a clay loam soil. Plant Soil 280:177–188

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Machado PLO de A, Silva CA (2001) Soil management under no-tillage systems in the tropics with special reference to Brazil. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 61:119–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melo RW, Fontana DC, Berlato MA (2004) Indicadores de produção de soja no Rio Grande do Sul comparados ao zoneamento agrícola. Pesq Agropec Bras 39:1167–1175

    Google Scholar 

  • Metay A, Oliver R, Scopel E, Douzet J-M, Moreira JAA, Maraux F, Feigl BJ, Feller C (2007) N2O and CH4 emissions from soils under conventional and no-till management practices in Goiânia (Cerrados, Brazil). Geoderma 141:78–88

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mosier AR, Wassmann E, Verchot L, King JM, Palm CA (2004) Methane and nitrogen oxide fluxes in tropical soils: sources, sinks and mechanims. Environ Develop Sustainability 6:11–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okito A, Alves BJR, Urquiaga S, Boddey RM (2004) Isotopic fractionation during N2 fixation by four tropical legumes. Soil Biol Biochem 36:1179–1190

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prinn R (2004) Non-CO greenhouse gases. In: Field CB, Raupach MR (eds) The global carbon cycle: integrating humans climate and natural world. Island Press, Washington, pp 75–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramos MG, Villatoro MAA, Urquiaga S, Alves BJR, Boddey RM (2001) Quantification of the contribution of biological nitrogen fixation to tropical green manure crops and the residual benefit to a subsequent maize crop using 15N-isotope techniques. J Biotech 91:105–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sá JC de M, Cerri CC, Dick WA, Lal R, Filho SPV, Piccolo MC, Feigl BE (2001) Organic matter dynamics and carbon sequestration rates for a tillage chronosequence in a Brazilian Oxisol. Soil Sci Soc Am J 65:1486–1499

    Google Scholar 

  • Shearer GB, Kohl DH (1986) N2-fixation in field settings: estimations based on natural 15N abundance. Aust J Plant Physiol 13:699–756

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sisti CPJ, Santos HP de, Kochhann RA, Alves BJR, Urquiaga S, Boddey RM (2004) Change in carbon and nitrogen stocks in soil under 13 years of conventional or zero tillage in southern Brazil. Soil Till Res 76:39–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Six J, Conant RT, Paul EA, Paustian K (2002) Stabilization mechanisms of soil organic matter: implications for C-saturation of soils. Plant Soil 241:155–176

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Six J, Breidt FJ, Conant RT, Mosier AR, Paustian K (2004) The potential to mitigate global warming with no-tillage management is only realized when practised in the long term. Global Change Biol 10:155–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KA, Conen F (2004) Impacts of land management on fluxes of trace greenhouse gases. Soil Use Manage 20:255–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KA, Ball T, Conen F, Dobbie KE., Massheder J, Rey A (2003) Exchange of greenhouse gases between soil and atmosphere: interactions of soil physical factors and biological processes. Eur J Soil Sci 54:779–791

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner JL (1994) Crop residue effects on water conservation. In: Unger PL (ed) Managing agricultural residues. CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, FL, pp 41–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Teixeira MA, Murray ML, Carvalho MG (2006) Assessment of land use and land use change and forestry (LULUCF) as CDM projects in Brazil. Ecol Econ 60:260–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urquiaga S, Cruz KHS, Boddey RM (1992) Contribution of nitrogen fixation to sugar cane: nitrogen-15 and nitrogen-balance estimates. Soil Sci Soc Am J 56:105–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinten AJA, Ball BC, O’Sullivan MF, Henshall JK (2002) The effects of cultivation method, fertilizer input and previous sward type on organic C and N storage and gaseous losses under spring and winter barley following long-term leys. J Agric Sci 139:231–243

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoneyama T, Fujita K, Yoshida T, Matsumoto T, Kambayashi I (1986) Variation in natural abundance of 15N among plant parts and in 15N/14N fractionation during N2 fixation in the legume rhizobia symbiotic system. Plant Cell Physiol 27:791–799

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was principally funded by Embrapa, the research grants ‘‘Cientista de Nosso Estado’’ from the Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ) awarded to SU, BJRA and RMB, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA—Contract 12978). The authors thank Altiberto M. Baeta, Monalisa S. Coelho and Roberto G. de Souza at Embrapa- Agrobiologia for their technical assistance. The first author, CPJ, gratefully acknowledges the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) for a PhD fellowship and, BJRA, SU and RMB for research fellowships.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert M. Boddey.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jantalia, C.P., dos Santos, H.P., Urquiaga, S. et al. Fluxes of nitrous oxide from soil under different crop rotations and tillage systems in the South of Brazil. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 82, 161–173 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-008-9178-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-008-9178-y

Keywords

Navigation