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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Emission estimation of nitrous oxide (N2O) from a wheat cropping system under varying tillage practices and different levels of nitrogen fertiliser

Nirmali Bordoloi A , K. K. Baruah A C and P. Bhattacharyya B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Environmental Science, Tezpur University, Tezpur-784028, Assam, India.

B Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand, 815301, India.

C Corresponding author. Email: kkbaruah14@gmail.com; kkbaruah@tezu.ernet.in

Soil Research 54(6) 767-776 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR15268
Submitted: 17 September 2015  Accepted: 7 December 2015   Published: 4 July 2016

Abstract

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas with high global warming potential emitted from agricultural sources. The effects of tillage practices and different levels of N fertiliser on seasonal fluxes of N2O were investigated in a field planted with the wheat variety Sonalika. The experiment was conducted during 2012–13 and 2013–14 under conventional tillage (CT) and reduced tillage (RT) farming systems in combination with four different levels of nitrogen fertiliser (i.e. zero nitrogen (F1), 60 kg N ha–1 (F2), 80 kg N ha–1 (F3) and 100 kg N ha–1 (F4)). Both tillage practices and fertiliser significantly (P < 0.01) affected seasonal cumulative N2O emissions and wheat yield. However, there was no significant difference in N2O emissions between RTF1 and CTF1 (zero nitrogen). Compared with RT, N2O emission decreased under the CT practice by 2.49%, 10.11%, 7.9% and 27.46% in CTF1, CTF2, CTF3 and CTF4 respectively. Highest and lowest seasonal cumulative fluxes were recorded in RTF4 (N 100 kg ha–1) and CTF1 (N 0 kg ha–1) respectively. During the wheat-growing period, nitrogen use efficiency decreased with increasing nitrogen levels and treatment with 60 kg-N ha–1 in the CT practice (CTF2) was found to be effective in increasing nitrogen use efficiency and decreasing yield-scaled N2O emissions.

Additional keywords: agronomic nitrogen use efficiency, mineral nitrogen, soil organic carbon.


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