Effects of Biochar and Manure Applications on Soil Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide Fluxes from Two Different Soils

Abstract

Although past research suggested that biochar has the potential to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), studies investigating how biochar affects GHG emissions from different soil types under field conditions are limited. Furthermore, limited knowledge exists on how interactions between biochar and manure affect GHG emissions from different soils. This field study, conducted in Brookings, SD, in 2013, measured the soil surface GHG emissions (CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O) from sandy loam (SLsoil) and clay loam (CLsoil) soils. Six treatmentsthree biochar materials (produced from corn [Zea mays L.] stover, pinewood [Pinus ponderosa Lawson and C. Lawson], and switchgrass [Panicum virgatum L.]), manure, a mixture of manure and biochar, and the control (no amendment)-were applied to both soils at 10 Mg ha −1 . The GHG fluxes were measured over the 2013, 2014, and 2015 growing seasons using static chamber. Biochars reduced cumulative CO 2 flux compared with the control in the SLsoil in 2014 and 2015. For the CLsoil, biochars increased the cumulative CO 2 flux in 2013, but emitted similar cumulative CO 2 flux as the control in 2014 and 2015. Biochars reduced cumulative N 2 O fluxes compared with the control in all years from the SLsoil only. Combining biochar with manure decreased cumulative CO 2 and N 2 O fluxes compared with manure alone in the SLsoil only. Biochar and manure did not affect cumulative CH 4 flux in either soils. Overall, the use of biochar can mitigate CO 2 and N 2 O emissions from the sandy loam soil, but not from the clay loam soil. However, higher rates of biochar (>10 Mg ha −1 ) application and long-term monitoring are required to evaluate the effect of biochar on soil surface GHG emissions.

Responses of soil surface greenhouse gas emissions to nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer rates toBrassica carinatagrown as a bio‐jet fuel

“…The lack of effect of N and S fertilization rates on CH 4 fluxes in this study was attributed to the similar soil moisture among treatments. Several studies reported no significant effect of N fertilizer rate on soil CH 4 fluxes compared with the control from bioenergy crops in the dryland cropping system (Abagandura, Chintala, et al, 2019; Li et al, 2019; Mbonimpa et al, 2015). Management practices usually have little effect on CH 4 flux in the upland agricultural soils, as reported in our previous studies (e.g., Abagandura, Şentürklü, et al, 2019; Ozlu & Kumar, 2018).…”

“…Release or uptake of CH 4 depends on the microbes present in the soil. The anaerobic microbes release CH 4 and increase these fluxes, while aerobic microbes uptake CH 4 , and result in negative flux (Abagandura, Chintala, et al, 2019). Higher amounts of crop residues (senesced leaves of carinata) at the maturity stage, in combination with moisture and higher temperature, might have triggered the decomposition process, which is the substrate for CH 4 production (Ding et al, 2004).…”

Short‐term grazing of cover crops and maize residue impacts on soil greenhouse gas fluxes in two Mollisols

“…An ICLS can be beneficial in mitigating soil GHG emissions such CO 2 , N 2 O, and CH 4 . The CO 2 emissions are directly influenced by the quantity of C sequestered in the soil (Abagandura, Chintala, Sandhu, Kumar, & Schumacher, 2019a; Alluvione, Bertora, Zavattaro, & Grignani, 2010). The equilibrium of soil C inputs and losses is regulated by addition of cover crop (CC) residues in the soil and decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM).…”

Co-application of poultry-litter biochar with Azolla has synergistic effects on CH4 and N2O emissions from rice paddy soils

“…The effects of biochar on N 2 O emissions remain conflicting, ranging from stimulation ( Lin et al., 2017 ), and reduction ( Abagandura et al., 2019 ). In our study, Azolla + biochar significantly reduced the cumulative N 2 O emission before 63 DAT compared with NPK (97.1%), NPK + biochar (83.0%), and Azolla (86.1%) ( Figure 2 a, Table 3 ).…”

“…Given the shortcomings of either inorganic and/or organic fertilizers, and biochar use in lowland rice paddies as highlighted above, coapplications of inorganic and/or organic fertilizers and biochar amendments, though with differing effects, has been proposed as a suitable practice to achieve sustainable soil health, yield production, and GHG emissions mitigation (Rahman et al, 2020). For example, Abagandura et al (2019) revealed a reduction in cumulative N 2 O fluxes from a sandy loam soil amended with plant-based biochar plus dairy manure, attributed to improved aeration and a subsequent reduction in denitrification, and no significant effects on the cumulative. CH 4 fluxes, partly due similar soil water contents among treatments.…”