Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Impact of Corn Stover Removal on N2O Emission and Soil Respiration: an Investigation with Automated Chambers

  • Published:
BioEnergy Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Corn stover removal, whether for silage, bedding, or bioenergy production, could have a variety of environmental consequences through its effect on soil processes, particularly N2O production and soil respiration. Because these effects may be episodic in nature, weekly snapshots with static chambers may not provide a complete picture. We adapted commercially available automated soil respiration chambers by incorporating a portable N2O analyzer, allowing us to measure both CO2 and N2O fluxes on an hourly basis through two growing seasons in a corn field in southern Minnesota, from spring 2010 to spring 2012. This site was part of a USDA multilocation research project for five growing seasons, 2008–2012, with three levels of stover removal: zero, full, and intermediate. Initially in spring 2010, two chambers were placed in each of the treatments, but following planting in 2011, the configuration was changed, with four chambers installed on zero removal plots and four on full removal plots. The cumulative data revealed no significant difference in N2O emission as a function of stover removal. CO2 loss from the full removal plots was slightly lower than that from the zero removal plots, but the difference between treatments was much smaller than the amount of C removed in the residue, implying loss of soil carbon from the full removal plots. This is consistent with soil sampling data, which showed that in five of six sampled blocks, the SOC change in the full removal treatments was negative relative to the zero removal plots. We conclude that (a) full stover removal may have little impact on N2O production, and (b) while it will reduce soil CO2 production, the reduction will not be commensurate with the decrease in fresh carbon inputs and, thus, will result in SOC loss.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Abalos D, Sanz-Cobena A, Garcia-Torres L, van Groenigen JW, Vallejo A (2013) Role of maize stover incorporation on nitrogen oxide emissions in a non-irrigated Mediterranean barley field. Plant Soil 364:357–371

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ambus P, Jensen E, Robertson G (2001) Nitrous oxide and N-leaching losses from agricultural soil: influence of crop residue particle size, quality and placement. Phyton-Annales Rei Botanicae 41:7–15

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Blanco-Canqui H, Lal R (2009) Crop residue removal impacts on soil productivity and environmental quality. Crit Rev Plant Sci 28:139–163

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Breuer L, Papen H, Butterbach-Bahl K (2000) N2O emission from tropical forest soils of Australia. J Geophys Res-Atmos 105:26353–26367

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Carter MS, Hauggaard-Nielsen H, Heiske S, Jensen M, Thomsen ST, Schmidt JE, Johansen A, Ambus P (2012) Consequences of field N2O emissions for the environmental sustainability of plant-based biofuels produced within an organic farming system. Global Change Biology Bioenergy 4:435–452

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Denmead OT (1979) Chamber systems for measuring nitrous-oxide emission from soils in the field. Soil Sci Soc Am J 43:89–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Fassbinder JJ, Schultz NM, Baker JM, Griffis TJ (2013) Automated, low-power chamber system for measuring nitrous oxide emissions. J Environ Qual 42:606–614

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lin S, Iqbal J, Hu R, Shaaban M, Cai J, Chen X (2013) Nitrous oxide emissions from yellow brown soil as affected by incorporation of crop residues with different carbon-to-nitrogen ratios: a case study in central China. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 65:183–192

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Moebius-Clune BN, van Es HM, Idowu OJ, Schindelbeck RR, Moebius-Clune DJ, Wolfe DW, Abawi GS, Thies JE, Gugino BK, Lucey R (2008) Long-term effects of harvesting maize stover and tillage on soil quality. Soil Sci Soc Am J 72:960–969

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Mutegi JK, Munkholm LJ, Petersen BM, Hansen EM, Petersen SO (2010) Nitrous oxide emissions and controls as influenced by tillage and crop residue management strategy. Soil Biol Biochem 42:1701–1711

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Parkin TB (2008) Effect of sampling frequency on estimates of cumulative nitrous oxide emissions. J Environ Qual 37:1390–1395

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Rochette P, Eriksen-Hamel NS (2008) Chamber measurements of soil nitrous oxide flux: are absolute values reliable? Soil Sci Soc Am J 72:331–342

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Senbayram M, Chen R, Budai A, Bakken L, Dittert K (2012) N2O emission and the N2O/(N2O + N2) product ratio of denitrification as controlled by available carbon substrates and nitrate concentrations. Agric Ecosyst Environ 147:4–12

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Shan J, Yan X (2013) Effects of crop residue returning on nitrous oxide emissions in agricultural soils. Atmos Environ 71:170–175

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Smith WN, Grant BB, Campbell CA, McConkey BG, Desjardins RL, Kroebel R, Malhi SS (2012) Crop residue removal effects on soil carbon: measured and inter-model comparisons. Agric Ecosyst Environ 161:27–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Sullivan BW, Hart SC (2013) Evaluation of mechanisms controlling the priming of soil carbon along a substrate age gradient. Soil Biol Biochem 58:293–301

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Velthof G, Kuikman P, Oenema O (2002) Nitrous oxide emission from soils amended with crop residues. Nutr CyclAgroecosyst 62:249–261

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Venterea RT, Spokas KA, Baker JM (2009) Accuracy and precision analysis of chamber-based nitrous oxide gas flux estimates. Soil Sci Soc Am J 73:1087–1093

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wagner-Riddle C, Furon A, Mclaughlin NL, Lee I, Barbeau J, Jayasundara S, Parkin G, Von Bertoldi P, Warland J (2007) Intensive measurement of nitrous oxide emissions from a corn-soybean-wheat rotation under two contrasting management systems over 5 years. Global Change Biol 13:1722–1736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Wendt JW, Hauser S (2013) An equivalent soil mass procedure for monitoring soil organic carbon in multiple soil layers. Eur J Soil Sci 64:58–65

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Zhang W, Wang X, Wang S (2013) Addition of external organic carbon and native soil organic carbon decomposition: a meta-analysis. Plos One 8:e54779

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) as part of the USDA-ARS-REAP (Resilient Economic Agricultural Practices) project, with additional funding provided by the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center at South Dakota State University through a grant provided by the US Department of Energy (DOE)—Office of Biomass Programs [now Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO)] under award number DE-FC36-05GO85041.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA-ARS, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    John M. Baker & Joel Fassbinder

  2. Department of Soil, Water and Climate, University of Minnesota, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    John A. Lamb

Authors
  1. John M. Baker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joel Fassbinder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. John A. Lamb
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John M. Baker.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Baker, J.M., Fassbinder, J. & Lamb, J.A. The Impact of Corn Stover Removal on N2O Emission and Soil Respiration: an Investigation with Automated Chambers. Bioenerg. Res. 7, 503–508 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9412-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9412-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation