Influence of soil physical properties, fertiliser type and moisture tension on N 2 O and NO emissions from nearly saturated Japanese upland soils

Abstract

In Japan, upland soils are an important source of nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) gas emissions. This paper reports on an investigation of the effect of soil moisture near saturation on N2O and NO emission rates from four upland soils in Japan of contrasting texture. The aim was to relate these effects to soil physical properties. Intact cores of each soil type were incubated in the laboratory at different moisture tensions after fertilisation with NH4-N, NO3-N or zero N. Emissions of N2O and NO were measured regularly over a 16–20 day period. At the end of the incubation, soil cores were analysed for physical properties. Moisture and N fertiliser significantly affected rates of emissions of both N2O and NO with large differences between the soil types. Nitrous oxide emissions were greatest in the finer-textured soils, whereas NO emissions were greater in the coarser-textured soils. Emissions of N2O increased at higher moisture contents in all soils, but the magnitude of increase was much greater in finer-textured soils. Nitric oxide emissions were only significant in soils fertilised with NH4-N and were negatively correlated with soil moisture. Analysis of soil properties showed that there was a strong relationship between the magnitude of emissions and soil physical properties. The importance of soil wetness to gas emissions was mainly through its influence on soil air-filled porosity, which itself was related to gas diffusivity. From the results of this research, we can now estimate likely effects of soil texture on emissions through the influence of soil type on soil aeration and soil drainage. This is of particular value in modelling N2O and NO emissions from soil moisture status and land use inputs.