"Effects of soil management, rotation and sequence of crops on soil nitrous oxide emissions in the Cerrado: A multi-factor assessment"

• Published in: Journal of environmental management 2023-12, Vol.348, p.119295-119295, Article 119295
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Alexsandra Duarte, Ribeiro, Fabiana Piontekowski, Figueiredo, Cícero Célio de, Muller, Artur Gustavo, Vitoria Malaquias, Juaci, Santos, Isis Lima Dos, Sá, Marcos Aurélio Carolino de, Soares, João Paulo Guimarães, Santos, Marcos Vinícius Araújo Dos, Carvalho, Arminda Moreira de
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture - methods; Crops, Agricultural; Fertilizers - analysis; Glycine max; Greenhouse Gases; Nitrous Oxide - analysis; Seasons; Soil; Vegetables; Zea mays
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119295

The emission of nitrous oxide (N O), one of the main greenhouse gases, which contributes significantly to global warming, is a major challenge in modern agriculture. The effects of land use systems on N O emissions are the result of multiple variables, whose interactions need to be better understood. In this sense, this study analyzed the possible effects of different soil managements, crop rotations and sequences, as well as edaphoclimatic factors causing N O emissions from soils in the Cerrado biome (scrubland). The following four land-use systems were evaluated: 1) No-tillage cultivation with biennial crop rotations and sequences: legume-grass and alternating grass-legume crops in the second season - NT-SS/MP; 2) No-tillage with biennial rotations and sequences: grass-legume and alternating second crop of legume-grass - NT-MP/SS; 3) Conventional planting with disc harrow and biennial legume-grass rotation-CT-S/M; and 4) Native Cerrado (CE), no agricultural land use. The legume and grass species, planted in the two no-tillage treatments were soybean, followed by sorghum BRS3.32 (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) (SS), and maize, followed by pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) (MP). Nitrous oxide emissions were evaluated for 25 months (October 2013 to October 2015), and the results were grouped in annual, total, growing and non-growing seasons, as well as yield-scaled N O emissions. The mean N O fluxes were 24.14, 15.71, 32.49 and 1.87 μg m h in the NT-SS/MP, NT-MP/SS, CT-S/M and Cerrado areas respectively. Cumulative N O fluxes over the total evaluation period from the systems NT-SS/MP, NT-MP/SS, CT-S/M and CE, respectively, were 3.47, 2.29, 4.87 and 0.26 kg ha . A correlation between N O fluxes and the environmental variables was observed, with the exception of water-filled pore space (WFPS), but N O peaks were associated with WFPS values of >65%. In the 2014-2015 growing season, yield-scaled N O emissions from NT-MP/SS were lower than from CT-S/M. A multi-factor approach indicated that conventional management with main season soybean or maize and no alternating crop sequence intensifies soil N O emissions in the Cerrado.