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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #242331
Title: Net Fluxes of CO2, N20, and CH4 Following Agronomic Additions of Urea for Prairie and Arable Soil Cores

Author
item Phillips, Beckie
item Podrebarac, Frances

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/2009
Publication Date: 11/15/2009
Citation: Phillips, B.L., Podrebarac, F.A. 2009. Net Fluxes of CO2, N20, and CH4 Following Agronomic Additions of Urea for Prairie and Arable Soil Cores. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Addition of N to soil may affect production and consumption of CO2, N2O and CH4, and the response may differ with ecosystem. The aim of this study was to determine whether N addition would stimulate the production or consumption of these trace gases and whether the response to different rates of urea-N addition (0, 11, 56, 112 kg N ha-1) would be similar for soils from neighboring arable cropping and prairie hayland ecosystems. At all levels of N addition, prairie soil CO2 emission and CH4 consumption rates were significantly greater than arable soil, but there was no difference between ecosystems for N2O. Addition of N did not significantly affect production or consumption of CH4 or N2O for soils from either ecosystem. However, soils from both ecosystems showed a significant response in CO2 production to N addition. The magnitude of the response was greater for the arable soil so that at 112 kg N ha-1, CO2 emission rates increased by a factor of two above the control for prairie soils and by a factor of four for arable soils. Results suggest that addition of N induces a short-term increase in soil microbial C cycling for both prairie and arable ecosystems, most likely by enhancing mineralization of readily decomposable C substrates.