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Nitrous oxide emissions during the non-rice growing seasons of two subtropical rice-based rotation systems in southwest China

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Abstract

Background and aims

High nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions may occur during the non-rice growing season of Chinese rice-upland crop rotation systems. However, our understanding of N2O emission during this season is poor due to a scarcity of available field N2O measurements.

Methods

Using the static manual chamber-GC technique, seasonal N2O emissions during the non-rice growing season were simultaneously measured at two adjacent rice-wheat and rice-rapeseed fields in southwest China for three consecutive annual rotation cycles (May 2005 to May 2008).

Results

Compared to the control, N fertilizer applications significantly enhanced soil N2O emissions from both wheat and rapeseed systems. Seasonal cumulative N2O fluxes from wheat systems were on average 2.6 kg N ha−1 for the recommended practice (RP [150 kg N ha−1]) and 5.0 kg N ha−1 for the conventional practice (CP [250 kg N ha−1]). Lower N2O emissions were observed from the adjacent rapeseed systems. Average cumulative seasonal N2O fluxes from rapeseed were 1.5 and 2.2 kg N ha−1 for the RP and CP treatments, respectively. The first 3 weeks after N fertilization were the “hot moment” of N2O emissions for both the wheat and rapeseed systems. The lowest yield-scaled N2O fluxes for wheat were obtained at the RP treatment (mean: 0.81 kg N Mg−1) while for rapeseed the CP treatment produced the lowest yield-scaled fluxes (mean: 0.79 kg N Mg−1). On average, the direct N2O emission factors (EFd) for the wheat system (1.76 %) were over two times higher than for the rapeseed system (0.73 %).

Conclusions

Intercropping of rapeseed tends to result in lower N2O emissions than wheat for rice-upland crop rotation systems of southwest China, indicating that either the N fertilization or the cropping system need to be considered not only for improving the estimate of regional and/or national N2O fluxes but also for proposing the climate-smart agricultural management practice to reduce N2O emissions from agricultural soils.

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Acknowledgments

This study was gratefully supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41271321), National Program on Key Basic Research Projects of China (Grant No. 2012CB417101), the Helmholtz-CAS Joint Laboratory ENTRANCE and the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41371302), Klaus Butterbach-Bahl received financial support via the CCAFS program of CGIAR institutes. We sincerely thank Dr. David Pelster of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) for his help with proof-reading the manuscript and the staff at Yanting station for their great contributions to the field measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 610041, Chengdu, China

    Minghua Zhou, Bo Zhu & Xiaoguo Wang

  2. Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 82467, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

    Minghua Zhou & Klaus Butterbach-Bahl

  3. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Old Naivasha Road, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Klaus Butterbach-Bahl

  4. State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry (LAPC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100029, Beijing, China

    Xunhua Zheng

  5. Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Renmin South Road No.9, 610041, Chengdu, China

    Bo Zhu

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  1. Minghua Zhou
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  2. Bo Zhu
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  3. Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
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  4. Xiaoguo Wang
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Correspondence to Bo Zhu.

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Responsible Editor: Ute Skiba..

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Zhou, M., Zhu, B., Butterbach-Bahl, K. et al. Nitrous oxide emissions during the non-rice growing seasons of two subtropical rice-based rotation systems in southwest China. Plant Soil 383, 401–414 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2174-x

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