A two-year field assessment on the effect of slow release of nitrogenous fertiliser on N2O emissions from a wheat cropping system

Abstract

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is considered a major contributor to global climate change in addition to carbon dioxide and methane. A significant quantity of N2O emission originates from agriculture, largely from high rates of fertiliser application. We studied N2O emissions from wheat field to evaluate the effect of different forms of fertilisers and the potential for emission reduction. Field experiments were conducted for two consecutive seasons with four fertilisers, namely inorganic fertiliser (NPK), starch-coated urea (SCU), neem-coated urea (NCU), and urea alone (UA) in a tropical wheat ecosystem. Gas samples were collected from the field at weekly intervals using the static chamber technique and analysed with a gas chromatograph. The cumulative N2O emissions were higher from the NPK amended field (3.19kgN2O-Nha–1) followed by UA (3.05kg N2O-N ha–1). The SCU, NCU, and UA amendments decreased the total N2O emissions by 23%, 12%, and 4%, respectively (P<0.05) over the application of NPK. The results indicate a good correlation of N2O emissions with soil organic carbon, soil NO3–-N, NH4+-N, leaf area, and plant biomass. The application of SCU resulted in higher grain productivity and was the most effective substitute for conventional fertiliser in terms of reducing N2O emissions from a tropical wheat ecosystem.