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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Agroecosystem Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308780
Title: Effects of irrigation, cover crop, and manure on soil greenhouse gas emissions after stover removal in no-till continuous corn

Author
item Jin, Virginia
item Miller, Daniel
item Woodbury, Bryan
item Schmer, Marty
item FERGUSON, RICHARD - University Of Nebraska
item Wienhold, Brian

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/28/2014
Publication Date: 11/2/2014
Citation: Jin, V.L., Miller, D.N., Woodbury, B.L., Schmer, M.R., Ferguson, R.B., Wienhold, B.J. 2014. Effects of irrigation, cover crop, and manure on soil greenhouse gas emissions after stover removal in no-till continuous corn. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. Paper No. 87447.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Corn stover is used widely for livestock co-feed and is targeted as a near-term feedstock for the developing cellulosic ethanol industry. High biomass production in intensely managed systems, such as irrigated continuous corn, may have a greater potential to provide stover for either livestock or bioenergy end-uses. Amelioration practices for stover removal can improve physical protection of soils and replace some carbon inputs, but it is unclear how residue management and amelioration practices will impact soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and system GHG mitigation potential. Soil GHG emissions were measured for three years in an irrigated continuous corn system where stover removal was ameliorated with the addition of animal manure or use of winter rye cover crop. Total annual emissions (Mg CO2e/ha/yr) were highly variable from 2011 to 2013, with CO2 usually contributing >90% of the total emissions and N2O comprising the remainder. Emission factors for N2O (e.g percent of fertilizer N lost as N2O) ranged from 1 to 4%, depending on treatment and year. Soils tended to be CH4-neutral in all treatments, but varied as a slight source or sink depending on year. Relative to the conventional business-as-usual scenario of stover removal under optimal fertilization, full irrigation resulted in higher overall GHG emissions compared to deficit irrigation (60% of full). Under either irrigation scenario, adding manure or using a winter cover crop resulted in decreased N2O emissions relative to no amelioration treatment.