Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Soil Research Soil Research Society
Soil, land care and environmental research
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SR > SR07218
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 46(7)

N2O and N2 emissions from pasture and wetland soils with and without amendments of nitrate, lime and zeolite under laboratory condition

M. Zaman A D , M. L. Nguyen B and S. Saggar C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Summit-Quinphos (NZ) Ltd, Private Bag 3029, Waikato mail Centre 3240, Hamilton, New Zealand.

B Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food & Agriculture, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria.

C Landcare Research, Private Bag 11052, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

D Corresponding author. Email: zamanm_99@yahoo.com

Australian Journal of Soil Research 46(7) 526-534 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07218
Submitted: 21 November 2007  Accepted: 10 April 2008   Published: 8 October 2008

Abstract

Pasture and wetland soils are regarded as the major source of nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2) emissions as they receive regular inputs of N from various sources. To understand the factors affecting N2O and N2 emissions and their ratio as influenced by soil amendments (zeolite or lime), we conducted laboratory experiments using 10-L plastic containers at 25°C for 28 days. Soil samples (0–0.1 m soil depth) collected from pasture and adjacent wetland sites were treated with nitrate-N (NO3–) at 200 kg N/ha with and without added lime or zeolite. Nitrous oxide and N2 emissions were measured periodically from soil subsamples collected in 1-L gas jars using acetylene (C2H2) inhibition technique, and soil ammonium (NH4+) and NO3– concentrations were determined to assess the changes in N transformation. Soil NO3–-N disappeared relatively faster in wetland soil than that in pasture soil. In the presence of added NO3–, wetland soils emitted significantly more N2O and N2 than pasture soils, while the reverse trend was observed in the absence of NO3–. Total N2O emitted as percentage of the applied N was 25% for wetland and 5.7% for pasture soils. Total N2 emissions expressed as a percentage of the applied N from wetland and pasture soils were 5–9% and 0.29–0.74%, respectively. Higher N2O and N2 emissions and lower N2O : N2 ratios from wetland soils than pasture soils were probably due to the higher water content and greater availability of soluble C in wetland. Zeolite applied to wetland soils reduced N2O emissions but had little effect on N2O emissions from pasture soils. Liming appeared to exacerbate N2O emissions from fertilised lands and treatment wetlands and shift the balance between N2O and N2, and may be considered as one of the potential management tools to reduce the amount of fertiliser N moving from pasture and wetland into waterways.

Additional keywords: acetylene reduction, lime, mitigation, nitrate, N2O, N2, pasture, wetland, zeolite.


Acknowledgment

We thank Summit Quinphos (NZ) Ltd and NIWA for funding this project. We also thank our NIWA Hamilton staff members Kerry Costley and James Sukius for their technical assistance in the field and laboratory work. We also thank Professor Art Gold, Department of Natural Resources Sciences, Coastal Institute in Kingston, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, for his help in designing the experiment and positive comments in preparing this manuscript.


References


Arah JRM, Smith KA (1991) Nitrous oxide production and denitrification in Scottish arable soils. Journal of Soil Science 42, 351–367.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Aulakh MS, Khera TS, Doran JW, Bronson KF (2001) Denitrification, N2O and CO2 fluxes in rice-wheat cropping system as affected by crop residues, fertilizer N and legume green manure. Biology and Fertility of Soils 34, 375–389.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Barton L, McLay CDA, Schipper LA, Smith CT (1999) Annual denitrification rates in agricultural and forest soils: a review. Australian Journal of Soil Research 37, 1073–1093.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Bhandral R , Bolan NS , Saggar S , Hedley MJ (2005) Effect of compaction and nitrogen sources on nitrous oxide emissions. In ‘Proceedings of the 18th Annual Workshop on Developments in Fertiliser Application Technologies and Nutrient Management’. (Eds LD Currie, JA Hanly) pp. 201–208. (Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre, Massey University: Palmerston North, New Zealand)

Blakemore LC , Searle BK , Daly BK (1987) Methods for chemical analysis of soils. New Zealand Soil Bureau of Science Report 80, Department of Science and Industrial Research Lower Hutt, New Zealand.

Bouwman AF, Boumas LJM, Batjes NH (2002) Emissions of N2O and NO from fertilized fields: Summary of available measurement data. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 16, 1–13. open url image1

Burns DA, Nguyen ML (2002) Nitrate movement and removal along a shallow groundwater flow path in a riparian wetland within a sheep-grazed pastoral catchment, Results of a tracer study. New Zealand Journal Marine and Freshwater Research 36, 371–385. open url image1

Cavigelli MA, Robertson GP (2001) Role of denitrifier diversity in rates of nitrous oxide consumption in a terrestrial ecosystem. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 33, 297–310.
| Crossref |
open url image1

Cho CM, Burton DL, Chang C (1997) Denitrification and fluxes of nitrogenous gases from soil under steady oxygen distribution. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 77, 261–269. open url image1

Clough TJ, Sherlock RR, Kelliher FM (2003) Can liming mitigate N2O fluxes from a urine-amended soil? Australian Journal of Soil Research 41, 439–457.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Cooper AB , Ngapo NI , Parminter TG , Stroud MJ (1997) Encouraging implementation of riparian buffer schemes – the New Zealand experience. In ‘Buffer zones: Their processes and potential in water protection’. (Eds NE Haycock, TP Burt, KWT Goulding, G Pinay) pp. 255–264. (Quest Environmental: UK)

Corre MD, Pennock DJ, Van Kissel C, Kirk Elliott D (1999) Estimation of annual nitrous oxide emissions from a transitional grassland-forest region in Saskatchewan, Canada. Biogeochemistry 44, 29–49.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Daum D, Schenk MK (1998) Influence of nutrient solution pH on N2O and N2 emissions from a soilless culture system. Plant and Soil 203, 279–287.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

de Klein CAM, Barton L, Sherlock RR, Li Z, Littlejohn RP (2003) Estimating a nitrous oxide emission factor for animal urine from some New Zealand pastoral soils. Australian Journal of Soil Research 41, 381–399.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Di HJ, Cameron KC (2006) Nitrous oxide emissions from two dairy pasture soils as affected by different rates of fine particle suspension nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide. Biology and Fertility of Soils 42, 472–480.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Dobbie KE, Smith KA (2003) Impact of different forms of N fertilizers on N2O emission from intensive grassland. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 67, 37–46.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Fennessy MS, Cronk JK (1997) The effectiveness and restoration potential of riparian ecotones for the management of no point source pollution, particularly nitrate. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 27, 285–317. open url image1

Firestone MK (1982) Biological denitrification. In ‘Nitrogen in agricultural soils’. Number 22 in the series agronomy. (Ed. FJ Stevenson) pp. 289–326. (American Society of Agronomy Inc., Crop Science Society of America Inc., Soil Science Society of America Inc.: Madison, WI)

Firestone MK , Davidson EA (1989) Microbiological basis of NO and N2O production and consumption in soil. In ‘Exchange of the trace gases between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere’. Report for the Dahlem Workshop on exchange of gases between Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Atmosphere, Berlin 1989. (Eds MO Andreae, DS Schimel) pp. 7–22. (John Wiley: New York)

Flessa H, Wild U, Klemisch M, Pfadenhauer J (1998) Nitrous oxide and methane fluxes from organic soils under agriculture. European Journal of Soil Science 49, 327–335.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Groffman PM , Gold AJ , Kellog DQ , Addy K (2002) Mechanisms, rates and assessment of N2O in groundwater, riparian zones and rivers. In ‘Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases, Scientific Understanding, Control Options and Policy Aspects’. 21–23 January 2002, Maastricht, Netherlands. (Eds J Van Ham, APM Baede, R Guicherit, JGFM Williams-Jacobse) pp. 159–166. (Millpress: Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Hefting MM, Bobbink R, de Caluwe H (2003) Nitrous oxide emission and denitrification in chronically nitrate-loaded riparian buffer zones. Journal of Environmental Quality 32, 1194–1203.
| PubMed |
open url image1

Hoffmann CC, Rysgaard S, Berg P (2000) Denitrification rates predicted by nitrogen-15 labeled nitrate microcosm studies, in-situ measurements, and modelling. Journal of Environmental Quality 29, 2020–2028. open url image1

Inubushi K, Naganuma H, Kitahara S (1996) Contribution of denitrification and autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrification to nitrous oxide production in Andosols. Biology and Fertility of Soils 23, 292–298.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Linn DM, Doran JW (1984) Effect of water-filled pore space on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide production in tilled and nontilled soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 48, 1267–1272. open url image1

Luo J, Saggar S (2008) Nitrous oxide and methane emissions from a dairy farm stand-off pad. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48, 179–182.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Luo J , Saggar S , Bhandral R , Lindsey S , Bolan N , Qiu W , Kear M , Sun W (2007) Nitrous oxide emissions from a livestock stand-off pad and farm dairy effluent applied to pastoral soils. In ‘Nutrient removal and water quality issues. Proceedings of the Annual New Zealand Land Treatment Collective Conference’. Technical Session 28. (Eds H Wang, M Quintern) pp. 139–149.

Maag M, Vinther FP (1996) Nitrous oxide emission by nitrification and denitrification in different soil types and at different soil moisture contents and temperature. Applied Soil Ecology 4, 5–14.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Matheson FE, Nguyen ML, Cooper AB, Burt TP (2003) Short-term nitrogen transformation rates in riparian wetland soil determined with nitrogen-15. Biology and Fertility of Soils 38, 129–136.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

MfE (2007) New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990–2005. The National Inventory Report and common reporting format, Ministry for the Environment, Wellington, New Zealand.

Monaghan RM , de Klein CAM , Wilcock RJ , Smith LC , Thorrold BS (2005) Managing nutrient losses and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farm within the Bog Burn catchment, Southland. In ‘Proceedings of the 18th Annual Workshop on Developments in Fertiliser Application Technologies and Nutrient Management’. (Eds LD Currie, JA Hanly) pp. 151–161. (Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre, Massey University: Palmerston North, New Zealand)

Nguyen ML, Tanner CC (1998) Ammonium removal from wastewaters using natural New Zealand zeolites. New Zealand Journal of Agriculture Research 41, 427–446. open url image1

Rutherford JC, Nguyen ML (2004) Nitrate removal in riparian wetlands, interactions between surface flow and soils. Journal of Environmental Quality 33, 1133–1143.
| PubMed |
open url image1

Sahrawat KL , Keeney DR (1986) Nitrous oxide emission from soils. In ‘Advances in soil science, Vol. 4’. (Ed. BA Stewart) pp. 103–148. (Springer-Verlag: New York)

Schmidt EL , Belser LW (1994) Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria. In ‘Methods of soil analysis. Part 2, Microbiological and biochemical properties’. (Eds RW Weaver, S Angle, P Bottomley, D Bezdicek, S Smith, A Tabatabai, A Wollum) pp. 159–177. (Soil Science Society of America Inc.: Madison, WI)

Silver WL, Herman DJ, Firestone MK (2001) Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in upland tropical forest soils. Ecology 82, 2410–2416. open url image1

Šimek M, Cooper JE (2002) The influence of soil pH on denitrification: progress towards the understanding of this interaction over the last 50 years. European Journal of Soil Science 53, 345–354.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Singh J , Saggar S , Bolan N , Zaman M (2006) Influence of urease and nitrification inhibitors on ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions under field conditions. In ‘Proceedings of the 19th Annual Workshop on Implementing Sustainable Nutrient Management Strategies in Agriculture’. (Eds LD Currie, JA Hanly) pp. 162–170. (Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre, Massey University: Palmerston North, New Zealand)

Smith CJ, Chalk PM, Crawford DM, Wood T (1994) Estimating gross nitrogen mineralization and immobilization rates in anaerobic and aerobic soil suspensions. Soil Science Society of America Journal 58, 1652–1660. open url image1

Smith KA, Ball T, Conen F, Dobbie KE, Rey A (2003) Exchange of greenhouse gases between soil and atmosphere, interactions of soil physical factors and biological processes. European Journal of Soil Science 54, 779–791.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Stevens RJ, Laughlin RJ (1998) Measurements of nitrous oxide and di-nitrogen emissions from agricultural soils. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 52, 131–139.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

SYSTAT (1994) ‘Systat for Windows, Version 5 edition.’ (Systat Inc.: Evanston, IL)

Tiedje JM (1982) Denitrification. In ‘Methods of soil analysis. Part 2’. 2nd edn, Agronomy Monograph No. 9. (Ed. AL Page) pp. 1011–1026. (American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America: Madison, WI)

Tiedje JM (1988) Ecology of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium. In ‘Biology of anaerobic microorganisms’. (Ed. JB Zehnder) pp. 179–244. (John Wiley: New York)

Tiedje JM, Simkins S, Groffman PM (1989) Perspectives on measurement of denitrification in the field including recommended protocols for acetylene based methods. Plant and Soil 115, 261–284.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Walker JT, Geron CD, Vose JM, Swank WT (2002) Nitrogen trace gas emissions from a riparian ecosystem in southern Appalachia. Chemosphere 49, 1389–1398.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | open url image1

Weier KL, Doran JW, Power JF, Walters DT (1993) Denitrification and the dinitrogen/nitrous oxide ratio as affected by soil water, available carbon, and nitrate. Soil Science Society of America Journal 57, 66–72. open url image1

Weier KL, Gilliam JW (1986) Effect of acidity on denitrification and nitrous oxide evolution from Atlantic Coastal Plain soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 50, 1202–1205. open url image1

Well RJ, Augustin J, Davis SM, Griffith K, Myrold DD (2001) Production and transport of denitrification gases in shallow ground water. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 60, 65–75.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Zaman M, Chang SX (2004) Substrate type, temperature, and moisture content affect gross and net soil N mineralization and nitrification rates in agroforestry systems. Biology and Fertility of Soils 39, 269–279.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Zaman M, Nguyen ML, Blennerhassett JD, Quin BF (2008) Reducing NH3, N2O and NO3 −-N losses from a pasture soil with urease or nitrification inhibitors and elemental S-amended nitrogenous fertilizers. Biology and Fertility of Soils 44, 693–705.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Zaman M, Nguyen ML, Matheson FE, Blennerhassett JD, Quin BF (2007) Can soil amendments (zeolite or lime) shift the balance between nitrous oxide and dinitrogen emissions from pasture and wetland soils receiving urine or urea-N? Australian Journal of Soil Research 45, 543–553.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1