Nitrate limitation of N2O production and denitrification from tropical pasture and rain forest soils

Abstract

Nitrous oxide production was measured in intact cores taken from active pasture and old-growth forest Inceptisols in the Atlantic Lowlands of Costa Rica. Following additions of aqueous KNO3 or glucose, or the two combined amendments, the cores were incubated in the laboratory to determine if N2O production rates were either N-limited or C-limited in the two land use types. Differences in rates of denitrification (N22O + N2 production) among amended forest and pasture soils were determined by addition of 10% C2H2. The forest soils were relatively insensitive to all amendment additions, including the acetylene block. Forest N2O production rates among the treatments did not differ from the controls, and were consistently lower than those of the pasture soils. With the addition of glucose plus nitrate to the forest soils, production of N2O was three times greater than the controls, although this increase was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the pasture soils were definitely nitrogen-limited since N2O production rates were increased substantially beyond controls by all the amendments which contained nitrate, despite the very low N level (5 mg N kg−1 soil) relative to typical fertilizer applications. With respect to the nitrate plus glucose plus acetylene treatment, denitrification was high in the pasture soils; N2O production in the presence of C2H2 was 150% of the rate of N2O production measured in the absence of the acetylene block. The results are discussed in relation to the effects of agricultural land use practices and subsequent impacts of disturbance on N2O release.