Inhibition of nitrification to mitigate nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions in grazed grassland: a review

Purpose

Climate change is arguably the biggest environmental challenge facing humanity today. Livestock production systems are a major source of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a potent greenhouse gas with a long-term global warming potential 298 times that of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Nitrate (NO₃ ^?) leaching from soil causes water contamination, and this is a major environmental issue worldwide. Agriculture is identified as the dominant source for NO₃ ^? in surface and ground waters. In grazed grassland systems where animals graze outdoor pastures, most of the N₂O and NO₃ ^? are from nitrogen (N) returned to the soil in the excreta of the grazing animal, particularly the urine. This paper reviews published literature on the use of nitrification inhibitors (NI) to treat grazed pasture soils to mitigate NO₃ ^? leaching and N₂O emissions.

Materials and methods

This paper provides a review on: ammonia oxidisers, including ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) and ammonia oxidising archaea (AOA), that are responsible for ammonia oxidation in the urine patch areas of grazed pastures; the effectiveness of NIs, such as dicyandiamide (DCD) and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), in inhibiting the growth and activity of ammonia oxidisers; the efficacy of DCD and DMPP in reducing NO₃ ^? leaching and N₂O emissions in grazed pastures; additional benefits of using NI in grazed pasture, including increased pasture production, decreased cation leaching and decreased NO₃ ^? concentrations in plants; and major factors that may affect the efficacy of NIs.

Results and discussion

Research from a number of laboratory and field studies have conclusively demonstrated that treating grazed pasture soils with a NI, such as DCD, is an effective means of reducing NO₃ ^? leaching and N₂O emissions from grazed livestock production systems. Results show that N₂O emissions from animal urine-N can be reduced by an average of 57 % and NO₃ ^? leaching from animal urine patches can be reduced by 30 to 50 %. The NI technology has been shown to be effective under a wide range of soil and environmental conditions. The NI technology also provides other benefits, including increased pasture production, reduced cation (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and K⁺) leaching and reduced NO₃ ^? concentration in pasture plants which would reduce the risk of NO₃ ^? poisoning for the animal.

Conclusions

The use of NIs such as DCD to treat grazed pasture soil is a scientifically sound and practically viable technology that can effectively mitigate NO₃ ^? leaching and N₂O emissions in grazed livestock production systems.

     

The contribution of agricultural practices to nitrous oxide emissions in semi-arid Mali

The yield and flux of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emitted from continuous cereals (with and without urea), legumes/cereal in rotation and cereal/legume in rotation all with or without organic manure was monitored from January 2004 to February 2005. All treatments except continuous cereals had phosphate added. The cereal grown July–October in 2003 and 2004 was pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum) and the legume was a bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ). The 10 m × 10 m plots were established in a semi-arid climate in Mali. The addition of organic manure and both inorganic fertilizers increased yield and N₂O emissions. Continuous cereals treated with both organic manure and urea emitted significantly less N₂O (882 g N/ha per year) than plots receiving no organic manure(1535 g N/ha per year). Growing N-fixing crops in rotation did not significantly increase N₂O emissions. This study supports the new practice of growing cereal and legumes in rotation as an environmentally sustainable system in semi-arid Mali.     

Dehydrogenase activity, redox potential, and emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from Cambisols under flooding conditions

Samples from topsoils (0-10 cm) of 16 Polish arable Cambisols developed from different parent materials (sand, silt, sandy gravel, loess, loam and clay), were incubated under flooded conditions with NO₃^-. Dehydrogenase activity, redox potential (Eh), and emissions of CO₂ and N₂O were measured. According to dehydrogenase activity, the soils were divided into two groups: those of low activity (I), where the final dehydrogenase activity was <0.03 nmol triphenylformazan (TPF) g^-1 min^-1, and those with high final dehydrogenase activity (II), >0.03 nmol TPF g^-1 min^-1. Generation of CO₂ and of N₂O under flooded conditions was shown to be significantly related to dehydrogenase activity. Soil dehydrogenase activity increased curvilinearly with organic matter content, showed a maximum at pH 7.1, and decreased curvilinearly with Eh. The final cumulative CO₂ production increased linearly with soil organic matter content and curvilinearly with dehydrogenase activity and decreased linearly with Eh. The most significant relationship was found with dehydrogenase activity (R²=0.74, P<0.001). The final cumulative N₂O production decreased linearly with Eh and increased curvilinearly with pH and dehydrogenase activity but linearly with organic matter content; the most significant relation being found with dehydrogenase activity (R²=0.69, P<0.001). The CO₂:N₂O ratio in the gases evolved increased curvilinearly with Eh and decreased with dehydrogenase activity and N₂O and CO₂ production.     

Effects of forage type and gibberellic acid on nitrate leaching losses

Nitrogen (N) leaching from soil into water is a significant concern for intensively grazed forage‐based systems because it can cause a decline in water quality and is a risk to human health. Urine patches from grazing animals are the main source of this N. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect that forage type and gibberellic acid (GA) application had on N leaching and herbage N uptake from urine patches on perennial ryegrass–white clover (RGWC), Italian ryegrass and lucerne. A lysimeter study was conducted over 17 months to measure herbage growth, N uptake and N loss to water beneath each of the three forage types with the following treatments: control, urine (700 kg N/ha) and urine with GA (8 g GA active ingredient/ha). Compared with RGWC (205 kg N/ha), N leaching losses were 35.3% lower from Italian ryegrass (133 kg N/ha) and 98.5% higher from lucerne (407 kg N/ha). These differences in leaching loss are likely to be due to winter plant growth and N uptake. During the winter months, Italian ryegrass had higher N uptake, whereas lucerne had lower N uptake, compared with RGWC. The application of GA had no effect on N leaching losses, DM yield or N uptake of forage treated with 700 kg N/ha urine.     

The effect of soil texture and soil drainage on emissions of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide

Abstract. Agricultural soils are important sources of the tropospheric ozone precursor NO and the greenhouse gas N₂O. Emissions are controlled primarily by parameters that vary the soil mineral N supply, temperature and soil aeration. In this field experiment, the importance of soil physical properties on emissions of NO and N₂O are identified. Fluxes were measured from 13 soils which belonged to 11 different soil series, ranging from poorly drained silty clay loams to freely drained sandy loams. All soils were under the same soil management regime and crop type (winter barley) and in the same maritime climate zone. Despite this, emissions of NO and N₂O ranged over two orders of magnitude on all three measurement occasions, in spring before and after fertilizer application, and in autumn after harvest. NO emissions ranged from 0.3 to 215 μg NO-N m^–2 h^–1, with maximum emissions always from the most sandy, freely drained soil. Nitrous oxide emissions ranged from 0 to 193 μg N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1. Seasonal shifts in soil aeration caused maximum N₂O emissions to switch from freely drained sandy soils in spring to imperfectly drained soils with high clay contents in autumn. Although effects of soil type on emissions were not consistent, N₂O emission was best related to a combination of bulk density and clay content and the NO/N₂O ratio decreased logarithmically with increasing water filled pore space.     

Soil nitrous oxide emissions from grassland: Potential inhibitor effect of hippuric acid

In grassland systems, cattle and sheep urine patches are recognized as nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission hot spots due to the high urinary nitrogen (N) concentrations. Hippuric acid (HA) is one of the constituents of ruminant urine that has been reported as a natural inhibitor of soil N₂O emissions. The aim of this study was to examine the potential for elevated ruminant urine HA concentrations to reduce N₂O emissions, in situ, on an acidic heavy clay soil under poorly drained conditions (WFPS > 85%). A randomized complete block design experiment with three replications and four treatments was conducted using the closed‐static‐flux chamber methodology. The four treatments were applied inside the chambers: control with no artificial urine application (C), control artificial urine (U), and enriched artificial urine with two rates of HA (55.8 and 90 mM, U+HA1, U+HA2). Soil inorganic‐N, soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), soil pH as well as N₂O and methane (CH₄) fluxes were monitored over a 79‐d period. Although N₂O emissions were not affected by the HA enriched urine treatments, U+HA2 positively affected the retention of N as until day 3, when the soil pH dropped to values < 5. Subsequently, as a consequence of rainfall events and soil acidification, it is likely that leaching or sorption onto clay reduced the efficacy of HA, masking any treatment differential effect on N₂O emissions. Moreover, CH₄ fluxes as well as DOC results reflected the soil anaerobic conditions which did not favour nitrification processes. Further research is needed to determine the fate of HA into the soil which might clarify the lack of an in situ effect of this compound.     

The effect of reduced tillage on nitrous oxide emissions of silt loam soils

The effect of reduced tillage (RT) on nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions of soils from fields with root crops under a temperate climate was studied. Three silt loam fields under RT agriculture were compared with their respective conventional tillage (CT) field with comparable crop rotation and manure application. Undisturbed soil samples taken in September 2005 and February 2006 were incubated under laboratory conditions for 10 days. The N₂O emission of soils taken in September 2005 varied from 50 to 1,095 μg N kg⁻¹ dry soil. The N₂O emissions of soils from the RT fields taken in September 2005 were statistically (P < 0.05) higher or comparable than the N₂O emissions from their respective CT soil. The N₂O emission of soils taken in February 2006 varied from 0 to 233 μg N kg⁻¹ dry soil. The N₂O emissions of soils from the RT fields taken in February 2006 tended to be higher than the N₂O emissions from their respective CT soil. A positive and significant Pearson correlation of the N₂O–N emissions with nitrate nitrogen (NO₃ ⁻–N) content in the soil was found (P < 0.01). Leaving the straw on the field, a typical feature of RT, decreased NO₃ ⁻–N content of the soil and reduced N₂O emissions from RT soils.     

Effective mitigation of nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions in intensive vegetable production systems using a nitrification inhibitor,dicyandiamide

Purpose  

Vegetable production is one of the most intensive agricultural systems with high rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer use and irrigation, conditions conducive for nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a nitrification inhibitor, dicyandiamide (DCD), in decreasing NO₃⁻ leaching and N₂O emissions in vegetable production systems.     

Effect of biochar and nitrapyrin on nitrous oxide and nitric oxide emissions from a sandy loam soil cropped to maize

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the combined or individual effects of biochar and nitrapyrin (a nitrification inhibitor) on N₂O and NO emissions from a sandy loam soil cropped to maize. The study included nine treatments: addition of urea alone or combined with nitrapyrin to soils that had been amended with biochar at 0, 3, 6, and 12 t ha^?1 in the preceding year, and a control without the addition of N fertilizer. Peaks in N₂O and NO flux occurred simultaneously following fertilizer application and intense rainfall events, and the peak of NO flux was much higher than that of N₂O following application of basal fertilizer. Mean emission ratios of NO/N₂O ranged from 1.11 to 1.72, suggesting that N₂O was primarily derived from nitrification. Cumulative N₂O and NO emissions were 1.00 kg N₂O-N ha^?1 and 1.39 kg NO-N ha^?1 in the N treatment, respectively, decreasing to 0.81–0.85 kg N₂O-N ha^?1 and 1.31–1.35 kg NO-N ha^?1 in the biochar amended soils, respectively, while there was no significant difference among the treatments. NO emissions were significantly lower in the nitrapyrin treatments than in the N fertilization-alone treatments (P?<?0.05), but there was no effect on N₂O emissions. Neither biochar nor nitrapyrin amendment affected maize yield or N uptake. Overall, our results showed that biochar amendment in the preceding year had little effect on N₂O and NO emissions in the following year, while the nitrapyrin decreased NO, but not N₂O emissions, probably due to suppression of denitrification caused by the low soil moisture content.     

Effects of simulated acid rain on uptake,accumulation, and retention of fluoride in forage crops

Forage crops accumulate F from exposures to the air pollutant HF and the rate and amount taken up can be affected by a number of external factors, one of which is precipitation. To assess how precipitation, including acidic precipitation, alters F uptake and retention in forage, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. var. Saranac) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. var. Kentucky 31) were subjected to extended exposures to HF and were treated periodically with various solutions (pH 5.6, 4.0, and 3.0) supplied as simulated rain or, for comparisons, as soil amendments. None of the treatments affected growth, but precipitation treatments significantly reduced the F content of both species relative to plants that received the same volumes of the same solutions added to the soil. Analyses of washed and unwashed foliage indicated that this loss of F was primarily due to the removal of F from foliar surfaces. There was no effect of pH of rain on the F content of tall fescue, but for alfalfa an increase in acidity from pH 4.0 to 3.0 resulted in a further decrease in the F content of foliage, suggesting that in addition to removing superficial F, the more acidic simulated rain resulted in the leaching of F from within foliage was well.     

Efficiency of nitrification inhibitor DMPP to reduce nitrous oxide emissions under different temperature and moisture conditions

Agricultural intensification has led to the use of very high inputs of nitrogen fertilizers into cultivated land. As a consequence of this, nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions have increased significantly. Nowadays, the challenge is to mitigate these emissions in order to reduce global warming. Addition of nitrification inhibitors (NI) to fertilizers can reduce the losses of N₂O to the atmosphere, but field studies have shown that their efficiency varies depending greatly on the environmental conditions. Soil water content and temperature are key factors controlling N₂O emissions from soils and they seem to be also key parameters responsible for the variation in nitrification inhibitors efficiency. We present a laboratory study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazol phosphate (DMPP) at three different temperatures (10, 15 and 20 °C) and three soil water contents (40%, 60% and 80% of WFPS) on N₂O emissions following the application of 1.2 mg N kg⁻¹ dry soil (equivalent to 140 kg N ha⁻¹). Also the CO₂ and CH₄ emissions were followed to see the possible side effects of DMPP on the overall microbial activities. Nitrogen was applied either as ammonium sulfate nitrate (ASN) or as ENTEC 26 (ASN + DMPP). The application of ENTEC 26 was effective reducing N₂O losses up to the levels of an unfertilized control treatment in all conditions. Nevertheless, the percentage of reduction induced by DMPP in the ENTEC treatment with respect to the ASN varied from 3% to 45% depending on temperature and soil water content conditions. At 40% of WFPS, when nitrification is expected to be the main process producing N₂O, the increase of N₂O emissions in ASN together with temperature provoked an increase in DMPP efficiency reducing these emissions from 17% up to 42%. Contrarily, at 80% of WFPS, when denitrification is expected to be the main source of N₂O, emissions after ASN application decreased with temperature, which induced a decrease from 45% to 23% in the efficiency of DMPP reducing N₂O losses. Overall, the results obtained in this study suggest that DMPP performance regarding N₂O emissions reduction would be the best in cold and wet conditions. Neither CO₂ emissions nor CH₄ emissions were affected by the use of DMPP at the different soil water contents and temperatures.     

The influence of soluble carbon and fertilizer nitrogen on nitric oxide and nitrous oxide emissions from two contrasting agricultural soils

Contradictory effects of simultaneous available organic C and N sources on nitrous oxide (N₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitric oxide (NO) fluxes are reported in the literature. In order to clarify this controversy, laboratory experiments were conduced on two different soils, a semiarid arable soil from Spain (soil I, pH=7.5, 0.8%C) and a grassland soil from Scotland (soil II, pH=5.5, 4.1%C). Soils were incubated at two different moisture contents, at a water filled pore space (WFPS) of 90% and 40%. Ammonium sulphate, added at rates equivalent to 200 and 50 kg N ha^?1, stimulated N₂O and NO emissions in both soils. Under wet conditions (90% WFPS), at high and low rates of N additions, cumulative N₂O emissions increased by 250.7 and 8.1 ng N₂O–N g^?1 in comparison to the control, respectively, in soil I and by 472.2 and 2.1 ng N₂O–N g^?1, respectively, in soil II. NO emissions only significantly increased in soil I at the high N application rate with and without glucose addition and at both 40% and 90% WFPS. In both soils additions of glucose together with the high N application rate (200 kg N ha^?1) reduced cumulative N₂O and NO emissions by 94% and 55% in soil I, and by 46% and 66% in soil II, respectively. These differences can be explained by differences in soil properties, including pH, soil mineral N and total and dissolved organic carbon content. It is speculated that nitrifier denitrification was the main source of NO and N₂O in the C-poor Spanish soil, and coupled nitrification–denitrification in the C-rich Scottish soil.     

Carbon limitations to nitrous oxide emissions in a humid tropical forest of the Brazilian Amazon

The availability of labile organic C for microbial metabolic processes could be an important factor regulating N₂O emissions from tropical soils. We explored the effects of labile C on the emissions of N₂O from a forest soil in the State of Rondônia in the southwestern quadrant of the Brazilian Amazon. We measured emissions of N₂O from a forest soil after amendments with solutions containing glucose, water only or NO₃^–. Addition of glucose to the forest soil resulted in very large increases in N₂O emissions whereas the water only and NO₃^– additions did not. These results suggest a strong C limitation on N₂O production in this forest soil in the southwestern Amazon.     

农田土壤N2O排放的关键过程及影响因素

一氧化二氮 (N₂O) 作为重要的温室气体之一,在全球气候变化研究中引人关注。随着氮肥使用量的增加,农田土壤N₂O排放已经成为全球关注和研究的热点。人们普遍认为土壤硝化、反硝化过程是N₂O产生的两个主导途径,而诸如施肥、灌水等农田管理措施以及土壤pH、温度等环境因子均会影响农田土壤N₂O产生和排放。本文系统论述了土壤N₂O产生的各主要途径,并综述了氮源、碳源、水分含量、氧气含量、土壤pH和温度以及其他调控因子对N₂O排放的影响,旨在阐明各过程对N₂O排放的产生机制及主要环境因子的影响,以期为后续研究提供参考和理论依据。农田土壤硝化过程本身对N₂O排放的直接贡献较小,N₂O产生的主要来源是包含硝化细菌的反硝化、硝化–反硝化耦合作用在内的生物反硝化过程。真菌反硝化和化学反硝化在酸性土壤以及硝酸异化还原成铵过程在高有机质和厌氧土壤环境中对N₂O排放具有重要作用。未来研究可从农田土壤N₂O的产生和消耗机制、降低N₂O/N₂产物比、N₂O的还原过程及相关影响因素进行深入研究。此外,利用新技术方法,探究土壤物理、化学和生物学因素对氮素转化过程的影响,重点关注N₂O峰值排放及相关联微生物的响应,并构建土壤氮素平衡和N₂O排放模型,可进一步加深对农田土壤N₂O排放机制和影响因素的理解。     

温室栽培条件下N2O排放量和浓度分布对肥料和施肥的短期响应

In vegetable cultivation, the majority of N2O emissions occur after fertilization; it is therefore important to understand any factors contributing to this process. An experiment was conducted to investigate short-term N2O dynamics following topdressing in a greenhouse vegetable field in South China. During two topdressing processes, three different urea-N treatments with irrigation were conducted in May and June in a tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) cultivation. The N2O fluxes, soil concentration profiles and soil environments at the 0-60 cm depths at 10 cm intervals were measured both immediately prior to and 5 days after topdressing. The N2O fluxes before topdressing ranged from 6.7±2.1 to 55.0±28.8 μ g N m 2 h 1 ; even higher numbers were recorded in highly fertilized plots. The NO3-N accumulation in the soil caused by vegetable cultivation during the 5 years prior to the start of the experiment, resulted in high background N2O fluxes. One day after topdressing (1 DAT) in May and June, N2O fluxes increased, which coincided with sharp increases in soil N2O concentrations at depths of 2.5 and 15 cm and in NO3-N and NH+4 -N contents at depths of 0-20 cm. From 1 to 5 DAT, fluctuations in the N2O fluxes did not harmonize with the N2O concentrations at a depth of 2.5 cm, which was attributed to different gas diffusion rates at depths of 0-10 cm. These results suggested that surface soil N and environmental conditions were crucial for determining the short-term N2O ebullitions during topdressing in greenhouse vegetable cultivation.     

The influence of winter soil cover on spring nitrous oxide emissions from an agricultural soil

In temperate regions, a majority of N₂O is emitted during spring soil thawing. We examined the influence of two winter field covers, snow and winter rye, on soil temperature and subsequent spring N₂O emissions from a New York corn field over two years. The first season (2006-07) was a cold winter (2309 h below 0 °C at 8 cm soil depth), historically typical for the region. The snow removal treatment resulted in colder soils and higher N₂O fluxes (73.3 vs. 57.9 ng N₂O-N cm⁻² h⁻¹). The rye cover had no effect on N₂O emissions. The second season (2007-08) was a much milder winter (1271 h below freezing at 8 cm soil depth), with lower N₂O fluxes overall. The winter rye cover resulted in lower N₂O fluxes (5.9 vs. 33.7 ng N₂O-N cm⁻² h⁻¹), but snow removal had no effect. Climate scenarios predict warmer temperature and less snow cover in the region. Under these conditions, spring N₂O emissions can be expected to decrease and could be further reduced by winter rye crops.