GASEOUS LOSS OF NITROGEN FROM PLANT-SOIL SYSTEMS

Transcription

1 GASEOUS LOSS OF NITROGEN FROM PLANT-SOIL SYSTEMS

2 Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences Volume 9 Also in this series I. J. Monteith and C. Webb, eds., Soil Water and Nitrogen in Mediterranean-type Environments ISBN J.C. Brogan, ed., Nitrogen Losses and Surface Run-off from Landspreading of Manures ISBN J.D. Bewley, ed., Nitrogen and Carbon Metabolism ISBN R. Brouwer, I. Gasparifkova, J. Kolek and B.C. Loughman, eds., Structure and Function of Plant Roots ISBN Y.R. Dommergues and H.G. Diem, eds., Microbiology of Tropical Soils and Plant Productivity ISBN G.P. Robertson, R. Herrera and T. Rosswall, eds., Nitrogen Cycling in Ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean ISBN D. Atkinson et al., eds., Tree Root Systems and their Mycorrhizas ISBN M.R. Saric and B.C. Loughman, eds., Genetic Aspects of Plant Nutrition. I 983. ISBN

3 Gaseous Loss of Nitrogen from Plant-Soil Systems edited by J.R. FRENEY and J.R. SIMPSON CSIRO, Division of Plant Industry, Canberra, Australia SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V. 1983

4 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication D ata Mai n entry under tit1e : Gaseous 10ss of nitrogen f r om p1ant-soi1 systems. (Deve10pments in p1ant and soi1 s ciences ; v. 9 ) Inc1udes index. 1. Nitrogen--Environmenta1 aspects. 2. Nitrogen cyc1e. 3. P1ant - soi1 re1ationshi ps. 1. Fr eney, J. R. (John Raymond) I I. Simpson, J. R. III. Series. QH545.N5G ' ISBN DOI / ISBN (ebook) Copyright 1983 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Martinus Nijhoff ldr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague in 1983 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1983 AlI rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievai system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanicai, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers, Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V.

5 Contents Preface Contributors VII IX 1. I. l.r. J.R. FRENEY, l.r. J.R. SIMPSON and O.T. DENMEAD, Volatilization of Ammonia 1 I 2. I.R.P. FILLERY, Biological denitrification P.M. CHALK and C.J. SMITH, Chemodenitrification J l.c. RYDEN and D.E. ROLSTON, The measurement of denitrification O.T. DENMEAD, Micrometeorological methods for measuring gaseous losses of nitrogen in the field G.D. FARQUHAR, R. WETSELAAR and B. WEIR, Gaseous nitrogen losses from plants E.G.. BEAUCHAMP, Nitrogen loss from sewage sludges and manures applied to agricultural lands L.A. HARPER, V.R. CATCHPOOLE and 1. I. VALLIS, Ammonia loss from fertilizer applied to tropical pastures l.r. J.R. SIMPSON and K.W. STEELE, Gaseous nitrogen exchanges in grazed pastures E.T. CRASWELL and P.L.G. VLEK, Fate of fertilizer nitrogen applied to wetland rice 237 II. I.E. LE. GALBALLY and C.R. ROY, The fate of nitrogen compounds in the atmosphere R.D. HAUCK, Agronomic and technological approaches to minimizing gaseous nitrogen losses from croplands 285 Index 313

6 Preface A growing interest has been shown recently in the dymanics of nitrogen in agricultural and natural ecosystems. This has been caused by increasing demands for food and fibre by a rapidly expanding world population, and by a growing concern that increased land clearing, cultivation and use of both fertilizer and biologically fixed nitrogen can have detrimental effects on the environment. These include effects on water quality, eutrophication of surface waters and changes in atmospheric composition all caused by increased cycling of nitrogenous compounds. The input and availability of nitrogen frequently affects the productivity of farming systems more than any other single management factor, but often the nitrogen is used inefficiently. Much of the fertilizer nitrogen applied to the soil is not utilised by the crop: it is lost either in solution form, by leaching of nitrate, or in gaseous forms as ammonia, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide or dinitrogen. The leached nitrate can contaminate rivers and ground waters, while the emitted ammonia can contaminate surface waters or combine with atmospheric sulfur dioxide to form aerosols which affect visibility, health and climate. There is also concern that increased evolution of nitrous oxide will deplete the protective ozone layer of the stratosphere. The possibility of a link between the intensity of agricultural use of nitrogen, nitrous oxide emissions and amounts of stratospheric ozone has focussed attention on these interactions. This, in turn, has highlighted the gaps in our knowledge of the biological processes leading to nitrous oxide production in soils and its destruction in the atmosphere. As a consequence of the research stimulated by such concern and interest, a number of important discoveries have been made in recent years. New approaches to the direct measurement of gaseous fluxes in the field have facilitated the accurate estimation of exchanges of ammonia, nitric oxide and nitrous oxide and produced a better understanding of the chemical and physical factors involved. This research should assist in developing better management practices which conserve nitrogen in agricultural systems and maximise economic returns by the efficient conversion of fertilizer or soil nitrogen into plant and animal proteins. This monograph attempts to review all relevant studies on gaseous emissions from plant-soil systems, and is compiled by scientists who have contributed to

7 VIII the recent scientific advances in this subject. Topics covered include the underlying microbial, chemical and physical processes, methodology for determining rates of gaseous emission, data on these rates in major agricultural systems, the ecological significance of such exchanges, the fate of the emitted gases, and management practices which could reduce the adverse effects and losses. It is the aim of our contributors that this book will promote a better understanding of the importance of gaseous emissions from plant-soil ecosystems and encourage the more efficient use of nitrogen in agriculture, with less contamination of our environment. March 1983 J.R. FRENEY J.R. SIMPSON

8 Contributors Beaucha1np, E.G., Department of Land Resource Science, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Catchpoole, V.R., CSIRO, Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures, Cunningham Laboratory, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia. Chalk, P.M., School of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Craswell, E.T., International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA. Denmead, O.T., CSIRO, Division of Environmental Mechanics, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia. Farquhar, G.D., Department of Environmental Biology, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia. Fillery, I.R.P., International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Sho!lls, Alabama, USA, Stationed at International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines. Freney, J.R., CSIRO, Division ofplant Industry, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia. Galbally, I.E., CSIRO, Division of Atmospheric Physics, Aspendale, Victoria, Australia. Harper, L.A., United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Piedmont Research Center, Watkinsville, Georgia, USA. Hauck, R.D., Tennessee Valley Authority, Division of Agricultural Development, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA. Rolston, D.E., Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, California, USA. Roy, C.R., Australian Radiation Laboratory, Department of Health, Yallambie, Victoria, Australia. Ryden, J.C., The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire, United Kingdom. Simpson,.J.R., CSIRO, Division of Plant Industry, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia. Smith, C..J., Center for Wetland Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.

9 X Steele, K.W., Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ruakura Soil and Plant Research Station, Hamilton, New Zealand. Vallis, I., CSIRO, Division of Tropical Crops and Pastures, Cunningham Laboratory, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia. Vlek, P.L.G., International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA. Weir, B., Department of Environmental Biology, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University Canberra, A.C.T., Australia. Wetselaar, R., CSIRO, Division of Water and Land Research, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia.