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Soil Biology & Biochemistry

Emissions of Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide

Influence of Tillage Type and Nitrogen Placement Depth

^a Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre, Agric. & Agri-Food Canada, Harrow, ON, Canada N0R 1G0
^b Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Agric. and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0C6

^* Corresponding author (DruryC{at}agr.gc.ca)

Innovative management practices are required to increase the efficiency of N fertilizer usage and to reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from agricultural soils. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of using conservation tillage and N fertilizer placement depth to reduce N₂O and CO₂ emissions associated with corn (Zea mays L.) production on clay loam soils in Eastern Canada. A 3-yr field study was established on a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-corn–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation with each phase of the rotation present every year. Investigations were focused on the corn phase of the rotation. The tillage treatments following winter wheat included fall moldboard plow tillage (15 cm depth), fall zone-tillage (21 cm width, 15 cm depth), and no-tillage. The N placement treatments were "shallow" placement of sidedress N (2-cm depth) and "deep" placement of sidedress N (10-cm depth). Nitrous oxide emissions were measured 53 times and CO₂ emissions were measured 43 times over three growing seasons using field-based sampling chambers. There was a significant tillage and N placement interaction on N₂O emissions. Averaged over all three tillage systems and site-years, N₂O emissions from shallow N placement (2.83 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1) were 26% lower than deep N placement (3.83 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1). The N₂O emissions were similar among the tillage treatments when N was placed in the soil at a shallow depth. However, when N was placed deeper in the soil (10 cm), the 3-yr average N₂O emissions from zone-tillage (2.98 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1) were 20% lower than from no-tillage (3.71 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1) and 38% lower than those from moldboard plow tillage (4.81 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1). Tillage type and N placement depth did not affect CO₂ emissions (overall average = 5.80 Mg C ha^–1 yr^–1). Hence, zone-tillage and shallow N placement depth reduced N₂O emissions without affecting CO₂ emissions.

Abbreviations: CT, conventional moldboard plow tillage • FC, field capacity • NT, no-tillage • ZT, fall zone tillage

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