Abstract:
Objectives Maize production heavily relies on fertilization in infertile farmland. We explored the effects of organic fertilization methods on reducing N2O emissions and maintaining crop yield, with a view to provide a theoretical basis for optimizing nitrogen management in infertile farmland.
Methods The study was carried on the field of a 15-year-long localization experiment, which included a total of four treatments: no fertilization control (CK); conventional chemical fertilization (NPK); organic fertilizer plus NPK (MNPK), and 50% chemical fertilizer+ 50% organic fertilizer (RMN). The cumulative soil N2O emission fluxes were monitored from May to October 2023 using static chamber-gas chromatography, and the maize yields were recorded at harvest.
Results The organic fertilizer treatments MNPK and RMN increased maize yield by 95% to 103%, compared to CK (P<0.05). Throughout the monitoring cycle, the soil N2O emissions in all the three fertilizer treatments turned in an overall “pulsed” patterns. The maximum emission peaks in treatment MNPK, NPK, and RMN were 4.71±0.68, 3.29±0.62, and 1.71±0.15 µg/(m2·min), respectively. The soil maximum emission peak and cumulative N2O emission in MNPK treatment were 43.00% and 64.65% higher than in NPK treatment, while those in RMN treatment were 48% and 26.22% lower (P<0.05). Soil N2O emission fluxes showed extremely significant and positive correlations with soil NH4+-N, total N, and volumetric water content (P<0.01), and significant and positive correlation with soil organic carbon and soil temperature (P<0.05). The average net greenhouse effect (GHG) emissions under the NPK treatment were CO2-eq 361 kg/(hm2·a), showing a net GHG “source”. Compared to NPK treatment, MNPK and RMN treatment decreased the greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) by 572% and 655%, and reduced the net GHG emissions by 668% and 737%, showing a net GHG “sink”. And MNPK and RMN treatments were calculated similar GHGI and net GHG.
Conclusions The use of organic fertilizer can effectively reduce soil N2O emissions in infertile farmland, lower the net GHG, and increase maize yield significantly. Under the experimental condition, replacing 50% chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer is recommended as the more satisfactory reduction effect of N2O emission and increase maize yield.