Manure fertilization increases soil respiration and creates a negative carbon budget in a Mediterranean maize (Zea mays L.)-based cropping system

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2016.12.013

CATENA

Volume 151, April 2017, Pages 202-212

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2016.12.013 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Soil T was the main driver of soil respiration in irrigated cropping systems.
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The fertilization system greatly affected soil C losses and the soil C budget.
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Mineral fertilization changed the soil respiration sensitivity to temperature.
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Fertilization with manure was less efficient in mitigating CO₂ emissions.
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Fertilization with manure resulted in a significantly negative soil C balance.

Abstract

Agronomic research is important to identify suitable options for improving soil carbon (C) sequestration and reducing soil CO₂ emissions. Therefore, the objectives of this study were i) to analyse the on-farm effects of different nitrogen fertilization sources on soil respiration, ii) to explore the effect of fertilization on soil respiration sensitivity to soil temperature (T) and iii) to assess the effect of the different fertilization regimes on the soil C balance. We hypothesized that i) the soil CO₂ emission dynamics in Mediterranean irrigated cropping systems were mainly affected by fertilization management and T and ii) fertilization affected the soil C budget via different C inputs and CO₂ efflux. Four fertilization systems (farmyard manure, cattle slurry, cattle slurry + mineral, and mineral) were compared in a double-crop rotation based on silage maize (Zea mays L.) and a mixture of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and oats (Avena sativa L.). The research was performed in the dairy district of Arborea, in the coastal zone of Sardinia (Italy), from May 2011 to May 2012. The soil was a Psammentic Palexeralfs with a sandy texture (940 g sand kg^− 1). The soil total respiration (SR), heterotrophic respiration (Rh), T and soil water content (SWC) were simultaneously measured in situ. The soil C balance was computed considering the Rh C losses and the soil C inputs from fertilizer and crop residues. The results showed that the maximum soil CO₂ emission rates soon after the application of organic fertilizer reached values up to 12 μmol m^− 2 s^− 1. On average, the manure fertilizer showed significantly higher CO₂ emissions, which resulted in a negative annual C balance (− 2.9 t ha^− 1). T also affected the soil respiration temporal dynamics during the summer, consistently with results obtained in other temperate climatic regions that are characterized by wet summers and contrary to results from rainfed Mediterranean systems where the summer SR and Rh are constrained by the low SWC. The sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature significantly increased with C input from fertilizer. In conclusion, this research supported the hypotheses tested. Furthermore, the results indicated that i) soil CO₂ efflux was significantly affected by fertilization management and T, and ii) fertilization with manure increased the soil respiration and resulted in a significantly negative soil C budget. This latter finding could be primarily explained by a reduction in productivity and, consequently, in crop residue with organic fertilization alone as compared to mineral, by the favourable SWC and T for mineralization, and by the sandy soil texture, which hindered the formation of macroaggregates and hence soil C stabilization, making fertilizer organic inputs highly susceptible to mineralization.

Graphical abstract

Introduction

Soil carbon (C) sequestration is considered to be as cost-effective and a win–win option to offset anthropogenic CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere (Lal et al., 2015). Croplands are considered as crucial sinks or sources of C, and the agronomy influences soil C dynamics and balance (Lal et al., 2015). Thus, ‘on-farm’ research of soil management, particularly fertilization, is important to identify suitable options for improving soil C sequestration and reducing soil CO₂ emission (Paustian et al., 2016).

Soil CO₂ efflux or soil respiration (SR) is principally the sum of root metabolic activity and soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh), which is the result of mesofaunal and microbial metabolism and is strongly correlated with total soil C losses (Hanson et al., 2000). Factors influencing soil CO₂ efflux are the soil organic mass concentration and quality (Ferréa et al., 2012), root biomass composition (Ryan et al., 1996), soil chemical and physical properties and site productivity (Subke et al., 2011), soil temperature (T) and soil water content (SWC). T and SWC are the primary environmental factors that regulate the seasonal variation of SR (Davidson et al., 1998). Large seasonal variations in SR are evident in a Mediterranean climate due to the marked dynamics of both soil T and SWC (Rey et al., 2002). Furthermore from winter to early spring, the primary factor that affects SR is T, while during the dry period, SWC plays the most important role in controlling the process (Almagro et al., 2009).

Management practices such as irrigation (de Dato et al., 2010), tillage, crop residue management and fertilization regulate the microbial activity, which mediates the processes of organic mass turnover and nutrient cycling and, consequently, the soil C balance (Lal et al., 2015). Nitrogen (N) fertilization affects SR dynamics in agroecosystems and its relationship with abiotic factors (Ding et al., 2007). Different N fertilization sources affect soil metabolic activity as well as the soil C balance (Mancinelli et al., 2010, López-López et al., 2012, Wang et al., 2015).

Although organic fertilization is considered the most effective approach to create a positive soil C budget in croplands (Lal et al., 2015), recent studies have shown that a negative soil C budget can also occur under this fertilization system (Wang et al., 2015, Mori and Hojito, 2015). Therefore, the effect of fertilization on soil organic C dynamics is still unclear and requires further study. Maize-based cropping systems in the Mediterranean region are irrigated and supplied with high inputs of N fertilization compared to North European countries (e.g. Kayser et al., 2011) or arid climate areas (e.g. Gheysari et al., 2009). The agricultural practices employed are therefore important drivers of the economic and environmental benefits of these systems (Casa et al., 2011). Such cropping systems are suitable for studying the relationships between SR and its driving factors at a non-limiting SWC and nutrient availability (Shrestha et al., 2013) and for assessing soil C balance dynamics (Grignani et al., 2007). Therefore, the objectives of this study were i) to analyse the effects of different fertilization sources on SR and Rh, ii) to explore the effect of the fertilization regime on the sensitivity of SR and Rh to T and iii) to assess the effect of the different fertilization regimes on the soil C balance.

We hypothesized that i) soil CO₂ emission dynamics in a Mediterranean irrigated cropping system were primarily influenced by fertilization management and T, and ii) fertilization affected the soil C budget via different C inputs and CO₂ efflux.

Section snippets

Study site

The study was conducted on a private farm located in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) in the dairy district of Arborea (39°47′ N 8°33′ E, 3 m a.s.l.) in the Central-western coast of Sardinia, Italy. The district was identified as NVZ according to the European Nitrate Directive (ND) (91/676/EC) because the groundwater nitrate concentration was found over the threshold of 50 mg L^− 1. The ND implementation imposed a restriction on the N supplied from organic effluents (slurry and manure) to a maximum of

SWC, soil T, SR and Rh

SWC varied markedly (P < 0.001) with the season, consistently with the water provided (Fig. 1a), and was not significantly affected by treatment. The maximum SWC (approximately 0.30 m³ m^− 3) was observed in December (Fig. 1a). Over the entire monitoring period, SWC was always higher than 0.085 m³ m^− 3, and the lowest SWC was observed in the spring (Fig. 1a). The soil T (10 cm depth) ranged from 8 to 25 °C, with minimum values in January and February and a maximum in July (Fig. 1b). During the maize crop

SWC, soil T, SR and Rh

During the observation period, SWC never fell below 0.085 m³ m^− 3, which corresponds to a matric potential of approximately − 33 kPa (Saxton and Rawls, 2006). Lado-Monserrat et al. (2014) reported significant effects of the SWC on soil CO₂ efflux below a threshold of − 100 kPa. Therefore, the observed SWC is consistent with the assumption that the SWC was never a constraint to the SR or Rh at our research site.

In a Mediterranean climate in a rainfed cropping system, T was shown to display inverse

Conclusions

Our findings clearly show that the fertilization with just organic fertilizer did not increase the soil C budget in maize-based irrigated cropping systems, in sandy soils under Mediterranean climate. Organic fertilization increased the soil CO₂ efflux response to T at a non-limiting SWC. MI showed lower sensitivity of SR or Rh to T than MA and SL.

In the autumn-spring hay crop, the top dressing of mineral N fertilizer in late winter improved the soil C balance, also because of an increase in

Acknowledgments

This research was carried out as part of the research project “Fattori gestionali sulle perdite di C dal suolo per emissioni di CO₂ in atmosfera in agroecosistemi mediterranei”, in the Cooperativa Produttori Arborea within “P.O.R. SARDEGNA F.S.E. 2007-2013 - Obiettivo competitività regionale e occupazione, Asse IV Capitale umano, Linee di Attività l.1.1. e l.3.1”. The field database was built for the research project “Strumenti innovativi per la valutazione quantitativa in campo della dinamica

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Manure fertilization increases soil respiration and creates a negative carbon budget in a Mediterranean maize (Zea mays L.)-based cropping system

Highlights

Abstract

Graphical abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Study site

SWC, soil T, SR and Rh

SWC, soil T, SR and Rh

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.

Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.

Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.

Pedobiologia

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Agric. Water Manag.

Eur. J. Agron.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain.

J. Environ. Manag.

Appl. Soil Ecol.

Eur. J. Agron.

Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.

Geoderma

Soil Tillage Res.

Agric. Ecosyst. Environ.

Soil Tillage Res.

Role of maize stover incorporation on nitrogen oxide emissions in a non-irrigated Mediterranean barley field

Plant Soil

Emission of carbon dioxide influenced by nitrogen and water levels from soil incubated straw

Plant Soil Environ.

Fieni

Effect of cropping systems on soil chemical characteristics, with emphasis on soil acidification

Plant Soil

Soil Organic Matter Quality Under Different Levels of Cropping Systems Intensification

Microbial enzyme shifts explain litter decay responses to simulated nitrogen deposition

Ecology

Nitrogen fertilization management in precision agriculture: a preliminary application example on maize

Ital. J. Agron.

Soil water content and temperature as independent or confounded factors controlling soil respiration in a temperate mixed hardwood forest

Glob. Chang. Biol.

Impact of drought and increasing temperatures on soil CO2 emissions in a Mediterranean shrubland (gariga)

Plant Soil

Impact of drought and increasing temperatures on soil CO₂ emissions in a Mediterranean shrubland (gariga)