Absolute amounts and rates of denitrification from a Yolo loam (Typic Xerorthents) field profile were studied in relation to the influence of soil‐water content, organic C source, and soil temperature. Field plots were intensely instrumented with soil atmosphere samplers, tensiometers, and thermocouples. Soil‐water contents were maintained constant with a spray irrigation system activated at frequent time intervals. The upper 15 cm of soil was maintained at soil‐water pressure heads (h) of −15 and −70 cm of water for the two different water regimes of the experiment conducted at a soil temperature (5 cm depth) of 23°C. Soil‐water pressure heads were maintained at −8 and −50 cm for the two water regimes conducted at 8°C. Plots cropped with ryegrass, uncropped plots, and plots to which manure was mixed in the top 10 cm of soil were used to establish three different C levels. Fertilizer was applied at the rate of 300 kg N ha−1 as KNO3 enriched with 20 and 40% 15N for the h = −15 or −8 and h = −70 or −50 cm treatments, respectively. The flux of gases at the soil surface was measured from the accumulation of N2O and 15N2 beneath an air‐tight cover placed over the soil surface for 1 or 2 hours per day. Denitrification from gas fluxes occurred for the 23°C experiment in order of decreasing magnitude in manure (h = −15 cm), manure (h = −70 cm), cropped (h = −15 cm), cropped (h = −70 cm), uncropped (h = −15 cm), and uncropped (h = −70 cm) plots. Approximately 70% of the fertilizer N was denitrified for the manure (h = −15 cm) treatment. Approximately 1% of the added fertilizer was denitrified in the uncropped (h = −70 cm) treatment. Denitrification from gas fluxes for the 8°C experiment occurred in the same order as that of the 23°C experiment except that rates and absolute magnitudes were much smaller. Approximately 11% of the fertilizer N was denitrified for the manure (h = −8 cm), and no measurable denitrification occurred in the uncropped (h = −50 cm) treatment. The amount of N2 produced was much greater than N2O for all plots. The N2O flux at the soil surface was dependent upon time and degree of anoxic development and varied between 5 and 26% of total denitrification.
Absolute amounts and rates of denitrification from a Yolo loam field profile at Davis, Calif., were studied in relation to the influence of irrigation frequency and soil incorporation of crop residue. Two different carbon (C) treatments were established by using plots to which no crop residues had been incorporated within 1 year prior to the experiment and plots to which 10 metric tons ha−1 of chopped barley straw were incorporated into the top 10 cm of soil 2 months prior to fertilization. The same total amount of water was applied at frequencies of three irrigations per week, one irrigation per week, and one irrigation every 2 weeks to areas cropped with perennial ryegrass. Fertilizer was applied as KNO3 (≅ 285 kg N ha−1) enriched with 56 to 60% 15N to 1‐m2 plots. The surface flux of denitrification gases was measured from the accumulation of nitrous oxide (N2O) and 15N2 beneath airtight covers placed over the soil and from measurements of N2O using the acetylene (C2H2) inhibition method. Small fluxes of denitrification gases were measured in this well‐drained alluvial soil under normal cyclic applications of irrigation water. Total denitrification ranged from 0.7 to 5% for the least frequently irrigated (no straw) and most frequently irrigated (straw) plots, respectively. Surface denitrification gas fluxes were largest after the first irrigation, decreased to near zero values within 1 or 2 days after each irrigation, and generally decreased for subsequent irrigations. The amount of N2 produced was much greater than N2O. The nitrous oxide flux at the soil surface varied between 5 and 27% of the total denitrification over a 40‐ to 50‐day period. Nitrous oxide mole fractions tended to be smallest immediately after irrigation and increased as the soil water redistributed and the soil profile became less anoxic. The irrigation frequency of three irrigations per week gave higher soil NO3‐ concentrations within the root zone of the crop than those of the other two frequencies. Thus, frequent, small irrigations may result in less leaching losses than infrequent, large irrigations.
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