The sources of CO2 emissions by slurry spreading under field conditions

Abstract

This study investigates the CO 2 emissions following slurry spreading and its incorporation into the soil under actual field conditions. The experiment was conducted in an arable soil in North Italy where all the potential sources of CO 2 were evaluated by a footprint analysis covered by eddy covariance (EC) measurements. A detailed assessment of the emissions during field operations showed that almost all CO 2 emissions come from the slurry applied to the field surface, while the contributions from the tractor that managed the field was relevant only during the slurry spreading without effects during the ploughing, since the tractor intersected the footprint of the EC tower very few times. The CO 2 emissions from the vehicular traffic of the nearby street and the cowsheds were negligible.