Influence of soil properties on N2O and CO2 emissions from excreta deposited on tropical pastures in Kenya

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry 2020-01, Vol.140, p.107636, Article 107636
• Main Authors: Zhu, Yuhao, Merbold, Lutz, Leitner, Sonja, Xia, Longlong, Pelster, David E., Diaz-Pines, Eugenio, Abwanda, Sheila, Mutuo, Paul M., Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dung; Excreta; N2O emission factor; Seasonality; Soil properties; Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA); Urine
• ISSN: 0038-0717; 1879-3428
• DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107636

Urine and dung patches deposited by grazing cattle on grassland are an important source of nitrous oxide (N2O). While a number of studies have investigated the effects of excreta on soil N2O fluxes in developed economies and in China, observations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are scarce. Moreover, the effects of soil properties (e.g. pH or texture) on N2O emissions from excreta patches have hardly been studied. In this study we investigated the importance of soil properties on N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cattle excreta (dung, urine, and manure [dung + urine]) for five typical tropical soils in Kenya. For this, intact soil cores were translocated from Western Kenya (Nandi county) to Nairobi, where N2O and CO2 fluxes were measured over four individual periods (two during dry seasons and two during wet seasons). Fluxes were measured for between 25 and 73 days following surface application of excreta, depending on how quickly emissions returned to baseline. Both dung and manure applications led to increased CO2 and N2O fluxes during both dry and wet seasons. On average, the N2O emission factor (EF) for manure was higher than for dung. The EFs during the wet season were higher for both the dung (0.12%) and urine (0.50%) compared to the dry season EFs (0.01% and 0.07% for dung and urine respectively). Soil type had no measurable effect on N2O and CO2 emissions for either dung or manure application. In contrast, soil clay content was negatively (P  dung.•N2O emission factors for urine, but not for dung patches, are affected by soil texture and pH.•The overall mean N2O emission factors for excreta on tropical rangeland is 0.14%.•N2O emissions from excreta on tropical rangelands are currently severely overestimated.