Above and Below Ground Measurements of Greenhouse Gases from Swine Effluent Amended Soil

Abstract

As a means of economic disposal and to reduce need for chemical fertilizer, waste generated from swine production is often applied to agricultural land. However, there remain many environmental concerns about this practice. Two such concerns, contribution to the greenhouse effect and stratospheric ozone depletion by gases emitted from waste‐amended soils, have not been thoroughly investigated. An intact core study at Auburn University (32 36′N, 85 36′W) was conducted to determine the source‐sink relationship of three greenhouse gases in three Alabama soils (Black Belt, Coastal Plain, and Appalachian Plateau regions) amended with swine waste effluent. Soil cores were arranged in a completely random design, and treatments used for each soil type consisted of a control, a swine effluent amendment (112 kg N ha^?1), and an ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) fertilizer amendment (112 kg N ha^?1). During a 2‐year period, a closed‐chamber technique was used to determine rates of emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O)–nitrogen (N), carbon dioxide (CO₂)–carbon (C), and methane (CH₄)–C from the soil surface. Gas probes inserted into the soil cores were used to determine concentrations of N₂O‐N and CO₂‐C from depths of 5, 15, and 25 cm. Soil water was collected from each depth using microlysimeters at the time of gas collection to determine soil‐solution N status. Application of swine effluent had an immediate effect on emissions of N₂O‐N, CO₂‐C, and CH₄‐C from all soil textures. However, greatest cumulative emissions and highest peak rates of emission of all three trace gases, directly following effluent applications, were most commonly observed from sandier textured Coastal Plain and Appalachian Plateau soils, as compared to heavier textured Black Belt soil. When considering greenhouse gas emission potential, soil type should be a determining factor for selection of swine effluent waste disposal sites in Alabama.