Effects of water content and N addition on potential greenhouse gas production from two differently textured soils under laboratory conditions

Abstract

ABSTRACTGHGs production and emission may vary depending on soil physical properties, water management and fertilization. Two paddy soils characterized by different texture were incubated to evaluate the impact of flooding (permanent or intermittent) and N addition on potential N2O, CH4 and CO2 production and release into atmosphere and soil solution. Relationships with volumetric water content (VWC) and water filled pore space (WFPS) were evaluated. Overall, the finer clayey soil (CL) produced 58% more CH4 than the coarser sandy soil (SA) and showed an earlier sink to source transition; the difference was lower with N addition. Permanent flooding favoured the amount of dissolved CH4. SA produced more N2O emissions than CL under permanent flooding (31.0 vs. 3.7%); an opposite pattern was observed for dissolved N2O (16.4 vs. 52.7%). Fertilization increased N2O emissions under dry conditions in CL and under flooding in SA.Our findings showed that i) VWC had a larger influence on N2O and CH4 emissions than WFPS, ii) soil type influenced the gas release into atmosphere or soil solution and the timing of sink to source transition in CH4 emissions. Further investigation on timing of fertilization and drainage are needed to improve climate change mitigation strategies.