Shigeto Sudo

N2O and NO emissions from a field of Chinese cabbage as influenced by band application of urea or controlled-release urea fertilizers

A field experiment was conducted in an Andosol in Tsukuba, Japan to study the effect of banded fertilizer applications or reduced rate of fertilizer N (20% less) on emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO), and also crop yields of Chinese cabbage during the growing season in 2000. Six treatments were applied by randomized design with three replications, which were; no N fertilizer (CK); broadcast application of urea (BC); band application of urea (B); band application of urea at a rate 20% lower than B (BL); band application of controlled-release urea (CB) and band application of controlled-release urea at a rate 20% lower than CB (CBL). The results showed that reduced application rates, applied in bands, of both urea (BL) and controlled-release urea fertilizer (CBL) produced yields that were not significantly lower than yields from the full rate of broadcast urea (BC). The emissions of N2O and NO from the reduced fertilizer treatments (BL, CBL) were lower than that of normal fertilizer rates (B, CB). N2O and NO emissions from controlled-release urea applied in band mode (CB, CBL) were less than those from urea applied in band mode (B, BL). The total emissions of N2O and NO indicated that applying fertilizers in band mode mitigated NO emission from soils, but N2O emissions from banded urea (B) were no lower than from broadcast urea (BC).

Development of a System for Simultaneous and Continuous Measurement of Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Nitrous Oxide Fluxes from Croplands Based on the Automated Closed Chamber Method

A system for simultaneous and continuous measurement of fluxes of three major greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), from croplands was developed based on the closed chamber method. Controlled by a computer, top-lids of the chambers placed in the field closed periodically, remained closed for about 30 min, and then opened again. During the closure of the chambers, the air in the chambers was circulated by air pumps, and part of the circulated air was injected to gas analyzers. CO2 concentration was monitored with an infra-red gas analyzer, and its increasing/decreasing rate during the 1-3-min period after the chamber closure was used for the flux calculation. Concentrations of CH4 and N2O were measured with two gas chromatographs 4 times at intervals of 8.5 min. The system was tested in lysimeter fields with Gray lowland soil under various conditions, including paddy rice cultivation, upland crop cultivation and also fallow condition. Both CH4 and N2O concentrations in the chambers increased linearly or remained almost constant during the 30-min period after the chamber closure. CO2 concentration in the chambers also increased (which indicates the predominance of respiratory CO2 emission by the crops and/or soil microorganisms) or decreased (which indicates the predominance of photosynthetic CO2 uptake by the crops) linearly during the 1-3-min period after the chamber closure. These results indicated that appropriate fluxes could be estimated for all the three gases based on the gas concentration measurements with adequate time intervals, and on the linear regression analyses. The system is expected to be effective for clarifying the comprehensive dynamics of greenhouse gases in, and for estimating the total net global warming potential of croplands. Furthermore, simultaneous measurement of the fluxes of multiple gases is also effective for analyzing the mutual relationships and mechanisms of the gas fluxes. Changes in environmental factors such as increase in air temperature or decrease in light intensity during the chamber closure (generally referred to as “chamber effect”) should be taken into account as a cause of error in the flux data.

Automated sampling system for long-term monitoring of nitrous oxide and methane fluxes from soils.

Abstract We describe an automated gas sampling system for monitoring trace gas fluxes from soils. The sampling system allows automated collection of gas samples in glass vials using a syringe pump connected to an automated static chamber installed in the field. The gas samples are transferred to a laboratory and then analyzed using a gas chromatography system. Comparisons between manual and automated sampling of standard gases showed good agreement (r 2 = 0.99996 for N2O, r 2 = 0.999 for CH4 and r 2 = 0.998 for CO2). In a field test, replicated flux measurements using two chambers generally showed good agreement. The sampling system allows frequent and long-term monitoring of fluxes under a wide range of weather conditions (tested temperatures ranged from –6.5 to 40°C; 127 mm day−1 max precipitation). The major advantages of the system are its increased portability, ease of operation and cost effectiveness compared with on-line automated sampling/analytical systems.

Development of a method for estimating total CH4 emission from rice paddies in Japan using the DNDC-Rice model.

Methane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas, and paddy fields are one of its main anthropogenic emission sources. To mitigate this emission based on effective management measures, CH4 emission from paddy fields must be quantified at a national scale. In Japan, country-specific emission factors have been applied since 2003 to estimate national CH4 emission from paddy fields. However, this method cannot account for the effects of weather conditions and temporal variability of nitrogen fertilizer and organic matter application rates; thus, the estimated emission is highly uncertain. To improve the accuracy of national-scale estimates, we calculated country-specific emission factors using the DeNitrification-DeComposition-Rice (DNDC-Rice) model. First, we calculated CH4 emission from 1981 to 2010 using 986 datasets that included soil properties, meteorological data, and field management data. Using the simulated site-specific emission, we calculated annual mean emission for each of Japans seven administrative regions, two water management regimes (continuous flooding and conventional mid-season drainage), and three soil drainage rates (slow, moderate, and fast). The mean emission was positively correlated with organic carbon input to the field, and we developed linear regressions for the relationships among the regions, water management regimes, and drainage rates. The regression results were within the range of published observation values for site-specific relationships between CH4 emission and organic carbon input rates. This suggests that the regressions provide a simplified method for estimating CH4 emission from Japanese paddy fields, though some modifications can further improve the estimation accuracy.

Time-lagged induction of N2O emission and its trade-off with NO emission from a nitrogen fertilized Andisol

Abstract To understand the influence of basal application of N fertilizer on nitrification potential and N2O and NO emissions, four soil samples were collected from an upland Andisol field just before (sample 1) and 4 (sample 2), 36 (sample 3) and 72 (sample 4) days after the basal application of N fertilizer during the Chinese cabbage growing season from 12 September to 30 November 2005. The potentials of N2O production and nitrification of the soils were determined using a 15N tracer technique and the soils were incubated for 25 days at 25°C and 60% water-filled pore space (WFPS). The results revealed that as much as 84–97% N2O and almost all NO were produced by nitrification. The 15N2O emission peak occurred approximately 350 h after the beginning of incubation for samples 1 and 2, but just 48 h later in samples 3 and 4. Total 15N2O emission during the 25-day incubation of samples 3 and 4 ranged from 190 to 198 µg N kg−1 soil, which was significantly higher than the 99–108 µg N kg−1 soil recorded in samples 1 and 2. Basal application of N fertilizer did not immediately increase the nitrification potential and the ratio of N2O to N added, but did dramatically increase the nitrification potential and the ratio of N2O to N added as (15NH4)2SO4 36–72 days after the basal N fertilizer was added. In contrast, NO emission was negatively correlated with nitrification potential and total N2O emission. As a result, a trade-off relationship between total NO and N2O emissions was identified. The results indicated that there was a time-lagged induction of the change of N turnover in the soil, which was possibly caused by slow population growth of the nitrifiers and/or a slow shift in the microbial community in the soil.

Effect of dolomite and biochar addition on N2O and CO2 emissions from acidic tea field soil

A laboratory study was conducted to study the effects of liming and different biochar amendments on N2O and CO2 emissions from acidic tea field soil. The first experiment was done with three different rates of N treatment; N 300 (300 kg N ha-1), N 600 (600 kg N ha-1) and N 900 (900 kg N ha-1) and four different rates of bamboo biochar amendment; 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2% biochar. The second experiment was done with three different biochars at a rate of 2% (rice husk, sawdust, and bamboo) and a control and lime treatment (dolomite) and control at two moisture levels (50% and 90% water filled pore space (WFPS)). The results showed that dolomite and biochar amendment significantly increased soil pH. However, only biochar amendment showed a significant increase in total carbon (C), C/N (the ratio of total carbon and total nitrogen), and C/IN ratio (the ratio of total carbon and inorganic nitrogen) at the end of incubation. Reduction in soil NO3--N concentration was observed under different biochar amendments. Bamboo biochar with the rates of 0.5, 1 and 2% reduced cumulative N2O emission by 38%, 48% and 61%, respectively, compare to the control soil in experiment 1. Dolomite and biochar, either alone or combined significantly reduced cumulative N2O emission by 4.6% to 32.7% in experiment 2. Reduction in N2O production under biochar amendment was due to increases in soil pH and decreases in the magnitude of mineral-N in soil. Although, both dolomite and biochar increased cumulative CO2 emission, only biochar amendment had a significant effect. The present study suggests that application of dolomite and biochar to acidic tea field soil can mitigate N2O emissions.

Influence of pruning waste biochar and oyster shell on N2O and CO2 emissions from Japanese pear orchard soil

Two incubation experiments were conducted under controlled moisture and temperature conditions to determine the effects of soil amendment treatments based on pruning waste biochar and oyster shell, on N2O and CO2 emissions from an orchard soil. In experiment 1, four treatments were tested including, control (CK), pruning waste biochar at 2% (B2%), at 10% (B10%), and oyster shell (OS), mixed with soil from two different depths, namely, from the 0–5 cm and the 0–10 cm layers. In experiment 2, only the 0–10 cm soil layer was used to study the effect of surface application of pruning waste biochar (B2% and B10%) on soil N2O and CO2 emissions. The results showed that soil pH, total C and C: N ratio increased with biochar amendment treatments. Significant reduction in soil NO3− content was observed for the B10% treatment. Although OS application increased soil pH, no effect was observed on soil mineral N content, total C or C: N ratio. The rate of N2O emissions from the 0–5 cm soil layer after B2% and B10% addition, significantly declined by 12.5% and 26.3%, respectively. However, only the B10% treatment caused significant reduction in N2O emissions from the 0–10 cm soil layer and from surface soil, by 15.1% and 13.8%, respectively. Oyster shell application had no effect on either soil N2O or CO2 emissions from either soil layer tested. Our results suggest that the addition of pruning waste biochar at a high rate has the potential to mitigate N2O emissions from orchard soils; while, oyster shell can be used for liming without altering soil N2O nor CO2 emissions.

Azolla cover significantly decreased CH4 but not N2O emissions from flooding rice paddy to atmosphere

ABSTRACT Azolla (Azolla filiculoides) is a common aquatic fern that has been used successfully as a dual crop with lowland rice. It grows rapidly and has the ability to fix N2 for rice paddy. However, its ecological significance especially on greenhouse gases emissions remains unclear. To investigate the effect of azolla cover on methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from rice paddy, a pot experiment with two treatments, control (rice plant only) and azolla cover (rice plus azolla covering on the flooding water), was carried out in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan, in 2016. The results showed that the rice growth parameters, like shoot height, maximum and productive tiller numbers, and plant biomass were not significantly different between the two treatments. Dual cropping of azolla with rice significantly suppressed CH4 emissions, likely due to an increase in dissolved oxygen concentration and redox potential at the soil-water interface between flooding water and soil surface. There were significant (P < 0.05) positive correlations between CH4 flux and night respiration (CO2 emissions) between the two treatments. The cumulated CH4 emissions during the growth period until 106 days after transplanting (DAT) was significantly lower at 36.2 g C m−2 from azolla cover treatment than that from control treatment pot at 55.4 g C m−2. A prolonged nonsignificant N2O emission under the azolla cover treatment after the initial highest peak at 15 DAT was recorded due to denitrification of the nitrate in initial soil. No further N2O emissions were recorded thereafter from both treatments. Azolla cover did not affect N2O emissions from both treatments.

Forage rice varieties Fukuhibiki and Tachisuzuka emit larger CH4 than edible rice Haenuki

ABSTRACT To determine methane (CH4) emission differences between edible and forage rice cultivars, we conducted a pot experiment in Yamagata, Japan to grow edible rice Haenuki, and forage rice Fukuhibiki (for feed rice) and Tachisuzuka (for whole-crop silage (WCS) rice) under similar soil and meteorological conditions. The total amounts of N, P, and K fertilizers applied for Fukuhibiki and Tachisuzuka were 1.7, 1.3, and 1.3 times, respectively, higher than those of Haenuki. CH4 fluxes, and rice plant night respirations were measured once weekly or fortnightly. As per the results, for the whole growth period, shoot height, maximum and productive tiller numbers, and plant biomass were significantly different among the three rice varieties. The rice growth period for Haenuki and Fukuhibiki was 107 days after transplanting (DAT), while that for Tachisuzuka was 135 DAT. The highest peak of CH4 flux occurred around the heading stage for the three varieties. Consistently significant (P < 0.05) or obvious (P < 0.1) positive correlations between CH4 flux and night respiration among the varieties were observed from 9 weeks after rice transplanting to harvest, indicating that much of the CH4 flux was from newly produced root exudates and plant debris through plant photosynthesis. The cumulated CH4 emissions during the same growth period, 106 DAT, from Haenuki, Fukuhibiki, and Tachisuzuka were 55.36, 77.46, and 78.40 g C m−2, respectively. Additionally, Tachisuzuka emitted 25.11 g C m−2 more CH4 between 106–134 DAT. The final cumulated CH4 emissions from Fukuhibiki and Tachisuzuka were 39.9% and 87.0% higher than that from Haenuki, respectively, throughout their growth period.