Nitrous oxide emissions and soil mineral nitrogen status following application of hog slurry and inorganic fertilisers to acidic soils under forage grass

Abstract

' -N contents for Slurry and Ammonium treatments were generally similar but higher than for the other treatments, particularly during the first and second sampling dates. Soil NO 3 Á -N contents, meanwhile, were higher with the Nitrate treatment compared with the other treatments, especially at the first sampling date. These results imply that N 2 O production in these acid soils was limited by NO 3 Á availability. Therefore, N 2 O emissions from these soils can be minimised by using ammonium-based fertilisers including hog slurry rather than nitrate-based fertilisers.

Soil mineral nitrogen responses following liquid hog manure application to semiarid forage lands

“…Bittman et al (2005) used a combination of mechanical soil perforation (i.e., aeration) and surface banding to reduce manure ammonia losses and improve grass yields. As most of the N in our LHM consisted of NH 4 , this could minimize nitrous oxide emissions that are more likely to occur in soils with high soil NO 3 -N (Mkhabela et al 2008), although N 2 O losses can be substantial from the oxidation of NH 4 in soils with favorable O 2 levels (Bateman and Baggs 2005). As the loss of N can reach as high as 14% from hog manure (Velthof et al 2003), incorporation strategies (including aeration) that increase downward movement of mineral N can help conserve soil N (Van Vliet et al 2006).…”