Ten years of monitoring dissolved inorganic nitrogen in runoff from sugarcane informs development of a modelling algorithm to prioritise organic and inorganic nutrient management

Vilas, María P.; Shaw, Melanie; Rohde, Ken; Power, Brendan; Donaldson, Stephen H.; Foley, Jenny; Silburn, Mark

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150019

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Loss of N via runoff and leaching from Australian sugarcane systems is currently estimated to account for 46-65% of the total dissolved inorganic N load to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) (Bartley et al, 2017). Increasing N losses via runoff and leaching with increasing N rates have been mostly demonstrated by simulation studies (Reading et al, 2019;Thorburn et al, 2017;Vilas et al, 2022). The study presented here shows that even though a large proportion of N fertiliser loss from sugarcane systems occurs as environmentally benign N 2 , more N is lost via environmentally harmful pathways of N loss including ammonia volatilisation, leaching and runoff as N rates increase.…”

Section: Denitrification As a Major N Loss Pathway In Intensive Sugar...mentioning

confidence: 63%

Denitrification losses in response to N fertiliser rates - a synthesis of high temporal resolution N2O, in-situ 15N2O and 15N2 measurements and fertiliser 15N recoveries in intensive sugarcane systems

Takeda

Friedl

Kirkby

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Denitrification is a key process in the global nitrogen (N) cycle, causing both nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2) emissions. However, estimates of seasonal denitrification losses (N2O+N2) are scarce, reflecting methodological difficulties in measuring soil-borne N2 emissions against the high atmospheric N2 background and challenges regarding their spatio-temporal upscaling. This study investigated N2O+N2 losses in response to N fertiliser rates (0, 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg N ha-1) on two intensively managed tropical sugarcane farms in Australia, by combining automated N2O monitoring, in-situ N2 and N2O measurements using the 15N gas flux method and fertiliser 15N recoveries at harvest. Dynamic changes in the N2O/(N2O+N2) ratio (< 0.01 to 0.768) were explained by fitting generalised additive mixed models (GAMMs) with soil factors to upscale high temporal-resolution N2O data to daily N2 emissions over the season. Cumulative N2O+N2 losses ranged from 12 to 87 kg N ha-1, increasing non-linearly with increasing N fertiliser rates. Emissions of N2O+N2 accounted for 31–78% of fertiliser 15N losses and were dominated by environmentally benign N2 emissions. The contribution of denitrification to N fertiliser loss decreased with increasing N rates, suggesting increasing significance of other N loss pathways including leaching and runoff at higher N rates. This study delivers a blueprint approach to extrapolate denitrification measurements at both temporal and spatial scales, which can be applied in fertilised agroecosystems. Robust estimates of denitrification losses determined using this method will help to improve cropping system modelling approaches, advancing our understanding of the N cycle across scales.

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Section: Denitrification As a Major N Loss Pathway In Intensive Sugar...mentioning

confidence: 63%

Denitrification losses in response to N fertiliser rates - a synthesis of high temporal resolution N2O, in-situ 15N2O and 15N2 measurements and fertiliser 15N recoveries in intensive sugarcane systems

Takeda

Friedl

Kirkby

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Loss of N via runoff and leaching from Australian sugarcane systems is currently estimated to account for 46%-65% of the total dissolved inorganic N load to the Great Barrier Reef (Bartley et al, 2017). Increasing N losses via runoff and leaching with increasing N rates have been mostly demonstrated by simulation studies (Reading et al, 2019;Thorburn et al, 2017;Vilas et al, 2022). The study presented here shows that even though a large proportion of N fertilizer loss from sugarcane systems occurs as environmentally benign N 2 , more N is lost via environmentally harmful pathways of N loss including ammonia volatilization, leaching and runoff as N rates increase.…”

Section: Denitrification As a Major N Loss Pathway In Intensive Sugar...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Denitrification Losses in Response to N Fertilizer Rates—Integrating High Temporal Resolution N₂O, In Situ ¹⁵N₂O and ¹⁵N₂ Measurements and Fertilizer ¹⁵N Recoveries in Intensive Sugarcane Systems

Takeda,

Friedl,

Kirkby

et al. 2023

JGR Biogeosciences

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Denitrification is a key process in the global nitrogen (N) cycle, causing both nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2) emissions. However, estimates of seasonal denitrification losses (N2O + N2) are scarce, reflecting methodological difficulties in measuring soil‐borne N2 emissions against the high atmospheric N2 background and challenges regarding their spatio‐temporal upscaling. This study investigated N2O + N2 losses in response to N fertilizer rates (0, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg N ha−1) on two intensively managed tropical sugarcane farms in Australia, by combining automated N2O monitoring, in situ N2 and N2O measurements using the 15N gas flux method and fertilizer 15N recoveries at harvest. Dynamic changes in the N2O/(N2O + N2) ratio (<0.01 to 0.768) were explained by fitting generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) with soil factors to upscale high temporal‐resolution N2O data to daily N2 emissions over the season. Cumulative N2O + N2 losses ranged from 12 to 87 kg N ha−1, increasing non‐linearly with increasing N fertilizer rates. Emissions of N2O + N2 accounted for 31%–78% of fertilizer 15N losses and were dominated by environmentally benign N2 emissions. The contribution of denitrification to N fertilizer loss decreased with increasing N rates, suggesting increasing significance of other N loss pathways including leaching and runoff at higher N rates. This study delivers a blueprint approach to extrapolate denitrification measurements at both temporal and spatial scales, which can be applied in fertilized agroecosystems. Robust estimates of denitrification losses determined using this method will help to improve cropping system modeling approaches, advancing our understanding of the N cycle across scales.

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“…APSIM simulates loss of surplus soil water in drainage and runoff and loss of surplus soil N as leaching. Surplus soil N lost in runoff is simulated with the inclusion of an additional N in runoff model that was calibrated to 10 years of locally relevant field observational data (Vilas et al, 2021). Soil sediment in runoff is simulated using the Freebairn sub-model in APSIM's erosion module (Littleboy et al 1992, Freebairn andWockner 1986).…”

Section: Sugarcane Farmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling to determine key drivers of water quality off sugarcane paddocks in the Great Barrier Reef catchment

2021

MODSIM2021, 24th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation.

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Reducing pollutants, such as nitrogen and sediment from sugarcane lands, in the Great Barrier Reef catchment is important for protecting the resilience of the World Heritage listed ecosystem. Modelling is used to predict the change in water quality in response to typical changes in sugarcane management. To accomplish this, workshops were conducted with groups of 15 to 20 industry experts in each of the major sugarcane growing regions and a range of typical agronomic management, appropriate for each region, was elicited. APSIM was used to simulate a farm in each of the three regions Burdekin Delta, Mackay, and Tully, to estimate the expected pollutant loads from each farm. Each in silico farm is represented by a combination of soil, climate and the range of management derived from the workshops. Simulated pollutants include erosion and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), from both leaching below the root zone and in runoff. To quantify and rank the effect of changes in management on pollutants exiting farms least squared regressions were estimated using model output. Results are presented for the key management of nutrient and irrigation rates, tillage, and fallow crop scenarios. We found the rate of applied mill mud had the greatest effect on DIN exiting sugarcane paddocks both via leaching and in runoff (Figure 1) and the amount of tillage had the greatest effect on erosion (Figure 2).

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Ten years of monitoring dissolved inorganic nitrogen in runoff from sugarcane informs development of a modelling algorithm to prioritise organic and inorganic nutrient management

Cited by 12 publications

References 48 publications

Denitrification losses in response to N fertiliser rates - a synthesis of high temporal resolution N2O, in-situ 15N2O and 15N2 measurements and fertiliser 15N recoveries in intensive sugarcane systems

Denitrification losses in response to N fertiliser rates - a synthesis of high temporal resolution N2O, in-situ 15N2O and 15N2 measurements and fertiliser 15N recoveries in intensive sugarcane systems

Denitrification Losses in Response to N Fertilizer Rates—Integrating High Temporal Resolution N₂O, In Situ ¹⁵N₂O and ¹⁵N₂ Measurements and Fertilizer ¹⁵N Recoveries in Intensive Sugarcane Systems

Modelling to determine key drivers of water quality off sugarcane paddocks in the Great Barrier Reef catchment

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Ten years of monitoring dissolved inorganic nitrogen in runoff from sugarcane informs development of a modelling algorithm to prioritise organic and inorganic nutrient management

Cited by 12 publications

References 48 publications

Denitrification losses in response to N fertiliser rates - a synthesis of high temporal resolution N2O, in-situ 15N2O and 15N2 measurements and fertiliser 15N recoveries in intensive sugarcane systems

Denitrification losses in response to N fertiliser rates - a synthesis of high temporal resolution N2O, in-situ 15N2O and 15N2 measurements and fertiliser 15N recoveries in intensive sugarcane systems

Denitrification Losses in Response to N Fertilizer Rates—Integrating High Temporal Resolution N2O, In Situ 15N2O and 15N2 Measurements and Fertilizer 15N Recoveries in Intensive Sugarcane Systems

Modelling to determine key drivers of water quality off sugarcane paddocks in the Great Barrier Reef catchment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Denitrification Losses in Response to N Fertilizer Rates—Integrating High Temporal Resolution N₂O, In Situ ¹⁵N₂O and ¹⁵N₂ Measurements and Fertilizer ¹⁵N Recoveries in Intensive Sugarcane Systems