Are CH₄, CO₂, and N₂O Emissions from Soil Affected by the Sources and Doses of N in Warm-Season Pasture?

Abstract

The intensification of pasture production has increased the use of N fertilizers—a practice that can alter soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the fluxes of CH4, CO2, and N2O in the soil of Urochloa brizantha ‘Marandu’ pastures fertilized with different sources and doses of N. Two field experiments were conducted to evaluate GHG fluxes following N fertilization with urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate at doses of 0, 90, 180, and 270 kg N ha−1. GHG fluxes were quantified using the static chamber technique and gas chromatography. In both experiments, the sources and doses of N did not significantly affect cumulative GHG emissions, while N fertilization significantly affected cumulative N2O and CO2 emissions compared to the control treatment. The N2O emission factor following fertilization with urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate was lower than the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change standard (0.35%, 0.24%, and 0.21%, respectively, with fractionation fertilization and 1.00%, 0.83%, and 1.03%, respectively, with single fertilization). These findings are important for integrating national inventories and improving GHG estimation in tropical regions.

Keywords

• GHG
• mitigation
• livestock
• N fertilization
• nitrous oxide
• soil methane