• Authors:
    • Smith, K. A.
    • Swan, L.
    • Parker, J.
    • Clayton, H.
    • McTaggart, I. P.
  • Source: Biology and Fertility of Soils
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 1997
  • Summary: The aims of this study were to assess the effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitors dicyandiamide (DCD) and nitrapyrin on reducing emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) following application of NH4+ or NH4 +-forming fertilisers to grassland and spring barley. DCD was applied to grassland with N fertiliser applications in April and August in 1992 and 1993, inhibiting N2O emissions by varying amounts depending on the fertiliser form and the time of application. Over periods of up to 2 months following each application of DCD, emissions of N2O were reduced by 58-78% when applied with urea (U) and 41-65% when applied with ammonium sulphate (AS). Annual emissions (April to March) of N2O were reduced by up to 58% and 56% in 1992-1993 and 1993-1994, respectively. Applying DCD to ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilised grassland did not reduce emissions after the April 1993 fertilisation, but emissions following the August application were reduced. Nitrapyrin was only applied once, with the April fertiliser applications in 1992, reducing N2O emissions over the following 12 months by up to 40% when applied with U. When N fertiliser was applied in June without DCD, the DCD applied in April was still partly effective; N2O emissions were reduced 50%, 60% and 80% as effectively as the emissions following the April applications, for AS in 1993, U in 1992 and 1993, respectively. In 1992 the persistence of an inhibitory effect was greater for nitrapyrin than for DCD, increasing after the June fertiliser application as overall emissions from U increased. There was no apparent reduction in effectiveness following repeated applications of DCD over the 2 years. N2O emissions from spring barley, measured only in 1993, were lower than from grassland. DCD reduced emissions from applied U by 40% but there was no reduction with AN. The results demonstrate considerable scope for reducing emissions by applying nitrification inhibitors with NH4 + or NH4 + -forming fertilisers; this is especially so for crops such as intensively managed grass where there are several applications of fertiliser nitrogen per season, as the effect of inhibitors applied in April persists until after a second fertiliser application in June.
  • Authors:
    • Voroney, R.
    • Vyn, T.
    • Janovicek, K.
  • Source: Agronomy Journal
  • Volume: 89
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 1997
  • Summary: Research in Ontario, Canada in 1989, 1990, and 1995 evaluated no-till maize yield response to various preceding crops and examined whether in-row residue removal affected no-till maize response to rotation crops. The soil was an imperfectly drained loam (medium, mixed, weakly to moderately calcareous Typic Hapludalf). The preceding crops were: maize harvested for grain or whole-plant silage; hard red spring wheat; barley; red clover ( Trifolium pratense) cover crops, following barley, that were killed by spraying either 3 weeks (early-kill) or 1 day (late-kill) prior to sowing maize; canola [rape]; and soyabeans. In-row residue was either retained while sowing or cleared using planter-mounted, notched-disc row cleaners. Clearing in-row cover crop residue increased early-season maize growth and was associated with yield increases of 0.61 t ha -1 (8%) following early-killed red clover and 0.43 t ha -1 (6%) ( P = 0.10) following late-killed red clover. In 2 of 3 years, maize yields following early-killed red clover were similar to following soyabeans and greater than following grain maize, provided that in-row residue was cleared. Following the other crops, grain yield response to clearing in-row residue was smaller and less consistent over years. Preceding cropping affected early-season maize growth, with the largest plants at 5 weeks after sowing following either soyabeans or silage maize and the smallest following either red clover or grain maize. In 2 of 3 years, when preceding crop effects on grain yield were statistically significant, yields following either soyabeans or spring wheat were more than 1.05 t ha -1 (16%) higher than after grain maize. That yield increase occurred regardless of in-row residue placement. Removing maize stover by harvesting as silage increased maize yield by 0.86 t ha -1 (12%) over yield following grain maize. During 1995, maize yield following silage maize was less than after soyabeans, canola, barley, or wheat; thus, no-till maize yield response to rotation is not exclusively due to the presence of surface-placed stover. In-row residue placement and preceding cropping practices affected in-row soil temperature, but this could not totally account for the treatment effects on early-season maize growth and yields.
  • Authors:
    • Harriss, R. C.
    • Narayanan, V.
    • Li, C.
  • Source: Global Biogeochemical Cycles
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 1996
  • Summary: The Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model was used to elucidate the role of climate, soil properties, and farming practices in determining spatial and temporal variations in the production and emission of nitrous oxide (N[2]O) from agriculture in the United States. Sensitivity studies documented possible causes of annual variability in N[2]O flux for a simulated Iowa corn-growing soil. The 37 scenarios tested indicated that soil tillage and nitrate pollution in rainfall may be especially significant anthropogenic factors which have increased N[2]O emissions from soils in the United States. Feedbacks to climate change and biogeochemical manipulation of agricultural soil reflect complex interactions between the nitrogen and carbon cycles. A 20% increase in annual average temperature in °C produced a 33% increase in N[2]O emissions. Manure applications to Iowa corn crops enhanced carbon storage in soils, but also increased N[2]O emissions. A DNDC simulation of annual N[2]O emissions from all crop and pasture lands in the United States indicated that the value lies in the range 0.9 - 1.2 TgN. Soil tillage and fertilizer use were the most important farming practices contributing to enhanced N[2]O emissions at the national scale. Soil organic matter and climate variables were the primary determinants of spatial variability in N[2]O emissions. Our results suggest that the United States Government, and possibly the Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC), have underestimated the importance of agriculture as a national and global source of atmospheric N[2]O. The coupled nature of the nitrogen and carbon cycles in soils results in complex feedbacks which complicate the formulation of strategies to reduce the global warming potential of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
  • Authors:
    • Mosier, A. R.
    • Delgado, J. A.
  • Source: Journal of Environmental Quality
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 1996
  • Summary: Nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) are greenhouse gases that are contributing to global warming potential. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is one of the most important sources of anthropogenic N2O emissions. A field study was conducted to compare N-use efficiency and effect on N2O and CH4 flux, of urea, urea plus the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (U + DCD), and a control release fertilizer, polyolefin coated urea (POCU) in irrigated spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in northeastern Colorado. Each treatment received 90 kg urea-N ha(-1) and microplots labeled with N-15-fertilizer were established. Average N2O emissions were 4.5, 5.2, 6.9, and 8.2 g N ha(-1) d(-1) for control, U + DCD, POCU, and urea, respectively. During the initial 21 d after fertilization, N2O emissions were reduced by 82 and 71% in the U + DCD and POCU treatments, respectively, but continued release of N fertilizer from POCU maintained higher N2O emissions through the remainder of the growing season. No treatment effect on CH4 oxidation in soils was observed. Fertilizer N-15 found 50 to 110 cm below the soil surface was lower in the POCU and U + DCD treatments. At harvest, recovery of N-15-fertilizer in the plant-soil system was 98, 90, and 85% from POCU, urea, and U + DCD, respectively. Grain yield was 2.2, 2.5, and 2.7 Mg ha(-1) for POCU, urea, and U + DCD, respectively. Dicyandiamide and POCU showed the potential to be used as mitigation alternatives to decrease N2O emissions from N fertilizer and movement of N out of the root zone, but N release from POCU does need to be formulated to better match crop growth demands.
  • Authors:
    • Franzluebbers, A. J.
    • Arshad, M. A.
  • Source: Soil Science Society of America Journal
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 1996
  • Summary: Changes in soil organic matter (SOM) pools during adoption of reduced (RT) or zero tillage (ZT) can influence soil physical properties, nutrient cycling, and CO2 flux between soil and atmosphere. We determined soil organic C (SOC), soil microbial biomass C (SMBC), basal soil respiration (BSR), and mineralizable N to a depth of 200 mm at the end of 3, 5, and 6 yr after implementation of tillage management on a Falher clay (fine, montmorillonitic, frigid Typic Natriboralf) near Rycroft, Alberta, in a canola (Brassica campestris L.)-wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)-barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)-fallow cropping system. At the end of 6 yr, SOC was not different among tillage regimes and averaged 8.6 kg m−2. At the end of 3 and 5 yr, SMBC was not significantly different among tillage regimes, but at the end of 6 yr SMBC was 7% greater in RT and 9% greater in ZT than in conventional tillage (CT). Basal soil respiration and mineralizable N at the end of 6 yr were not different among tillage regimes following barley and averaged 2.7 g CO2-C m−2 d−1 and 5.0 g inorganic N m−2 24 d−1, respectively. However, BSR following fallow was 2.2, 2.5, and 2.6 g CO2-C m−2 d−1 in CT, RT, and ZT, respectively. Mineralizable N following fallow was 5.8 g inorganic N m−2 (24 d)−1 in RT and ZT and 7.3 g inorganic N m−2 (24 d)−1 in CT. At 0 to 50 mm, there was no significant increase in SOC at the end of 6 yr, a 17 to 36% increase in SMBC, and a 12 to 69% increase in BSR with ZT compared with CT, depending on rotation phase. Relatively small changes in SOM pools with adoption of conservation tillage may be attributable to the large amount of SOM initially present and the cold, semiarid climate that limits SOM turnover.
  • Authors:
    • Li, C.
  • Source: Soil Management and Greenhouse Effect
  • Year: 1995
  • Authors:
    • Deibert, E. J.
  • Source: Agronomy Journal
  • Volume: 81
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 1989
  • Summary: Information on response of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars to reduced tillage systems in northern dryland areas is limited. A 4-yr field study (1984 to 1987) was conducted to evaluate the effect of tillage system, weed control method, and cultivar maturity on soybean seed yield variables. An early and a late-maturing soybean cultivar were grown on a Fargo clay (fine, montmorillonitic frigid Vertic Haplaquoll) on established tillage plots. Tillage systems included conventional (moldboard plow) and three reduced tillage systems (sweep, intertill, and no-till) with herbicides or herbicides plus cultivation for weed control. Climatic conditions resulted in differences among years in seed yield, seed weight, seed moisture, seed oil concentration, and seed oil yield. These seed variables were not significantly influenced by tillage system, weed control method, or cultivar maturity when grown in rotation with barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), but showed significant interactions. Cultivation for weed control depressed seed yield and weight of only the early cultivar. Early plant water stress (June and July) lowered yield of the early cultivar more than the late cultivar. Early cultivar no-till yields (1240 kg ha−1) were greater than tilled system yields (average 1070 kg ha−1). while late cultivar yields were similar among systems (average 1420 kg ha−1). An early maturing cultivar performed similarly to a late-maturing cultivar irrespective of tillage system unless early plant water stress was encountered. Fall application of granular herbicide provided good weed control, but cultivation for weed control was not beneficial for the yields parameters measured.
  • Authors:
    • Rands, M. R. W.
  • Source: Ibis
  • Volume: 128
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 1986
  • Summary: Field experiments were carried out to test the effects of cereal pesticides (herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) on chick survival of Grey Partridge Perdix perdix, Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa and Pheasant Phasianus colchicus. On fields in experimental plots the outer 6 m of cereal (the headland) were not sprayed with pesticides from 1 January 1984, whereas control plots were fully sprayed. Gamebird brood counts were carried out after the cereal harvest. In addition, nine Grey Partridge broods were radio-tracked for 21 days after hatching (four in sprayed plots and five in unsprayed plots) to determine their movements, home range size and survival in relation to pesticide spraying. The mean brood size of Grey Partridge and Pheasant was significantly higher on plots where field edges were unsprayed than on fully sprayed control plots. Data for Red-legged Partridge were inconclusive. The survival of individually marked Grey Partridge broods was negatively related to the distance moved between successive nocturnal roost sites. Survival was significantly higher, the distance moved between roost sites significantly shorter and the proportion of home range including headland significantly greater for broods feeding in spring barley fields with unsprayed field edges compared with broods feeding in fully sprayed fields.
  • Authors:
    • McCormick, B.
    • Dekker, J.
  • Source: Proceedings, North Central Weed Control Conference
  • Issue: Vol. 41
  • Year: 1986
  • Summary: Results are summarized of a long-term study started in 1985 at Boone County, Iowa, to determine the effect of several annual and perennial cover crops on maize and soyabean yields. Best soyabean yields were obtained with annual cover crops, Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis) and the bare soil control. Best maize seed yields were obtained with the bare soil control, winter rapeseed and winter barley cover crops.