Nitrogen Rate Assessment for Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation and Quality Maintenance in Sustainable Turf Management

• Published in: Agriculture (Basel) 2024-08, Vol.14 (8), p.1244
• Main Authors: Verdi, Leonardo, Caturegli, Lisa, Magni, Simone, Volterrani, Marco, Dalla Marta, Anna, Orlandini, Simone, Baldi, Ada
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aesthetics; Agriculture; Air pollution; Carbon dioxide; Climate change; Climate change mitigation; Emissions; Emissions control; Environmental impact; Environmental management; Environmental monitoring; Experiments; Fertilization; fertilizer rates; Fertilizers; field experimentation; Gas analyzers; Global warming; Global Warming Potential; Greenhouse effect; greenhouse gas emissions; Greenhouse gases; Land use; lawns and turf; Methane; Nitrogen; Nitrous oxide; Quality assessment; Quality control; soil; Sprinkler systems; Turf; turf grasses; turf management; Turfgrasses; Urban areas; Vegetation; Zoysia; Zoysia matrella
• ISSN: 2077-0472; 2077-0472
• DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081244

Turfgrass systems hold significant climate change mitigation value, but their management often negates the beneficial effects due to the intense adoption of external inputs. The research objective in this paper was to assess the nitrogen fertilization rate able to maintain the ideal esthetic characteristics of Zoysia turfgrass, reducing the environmental impacts associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A two-year open field experiment was conducted. Nitrogen was added to the soil at six rates (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg ha−1). The GHG emissions were monitored using a portable gas analyzer and the static chamber methodology. Cumulative environmental impacts were calculated from the inclusion of CO2, CH4, and, N2O using the Global Warming Potential (GWP). The quality assessment of the turf was assessed through a visual and instrumental approach. Higher CO2 and N2O fluxes were linked to high nitrogen rates, ranging from 83.55 to 87.50 and from 0.046 to 0.047 g N-N2O ha−1 day−1 for 200 and 250 kg N ha−1, respectively. CH4 emissions were not correlated to nitrogen rates. Higher GWP impacts were linked to high N rate treatments. A rate of 100 kg N ha−1 is recommended as the best strategy to reduce GHG emissions while maintaining high turf quality.