ARS | Publication request: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM IRRIGATED AND DRYLAND CORN

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: July 21, 2002
Publication Date: November 1, 2002
Citation: GINTING, D., EGHBALL, B., ARKEBAUER, T.J., DORAN, J.W. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM IRRIGATED AND DRYLAND CORN. AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY ABSTRACTS #115450. 2002.

Interpretive Summary: Agriculture has been promoted as a means of greenhouse gas mitigation through soil-C sequestration. The objective of this study is to evaluate soil emission of CO2, N2O, and CH4 in a no-till corn-soybean cropping sequence with or without irrigation. Three systems (irrigated continuous corn in Site 1, irrigated corn-soybean in Site 2, and dryland corn-soybean in Site 3) were started in May 2001. In each system, 6 sites having different soil properties were marked for weekly or biweekly soil-gas flux measurements. The CO2-C emissions from 7 May 2001 to 1 May 2002 for the irrigated-corn (8.1 and 9.4 Mg/ha/yr in Sites 1 and 2, respectively) were higher than the dryland corn (5.4 Mg/ha/yr). Corn stover-C was lower than soil C emissions. The N2O-N emission were 2.5, 4.0, 2.8 kg/ha/yr in Sites 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Soil CH4-C emissions or uptake were close to zero. Soil C-sequestration potential of dryland corn was higher than the irrigated corn.

Technical Abstract: Agriculture has been promoted as a means of greenhouse gas mitigation through soil-C sequestration. The objective of this study is to evaluate soil emission of CO2, N2O, and CH4 in a no-till corn-soybean cropping sequence with or without irrigation. Three systems (irrigated continuous corn in Site 1, irrigated corn-soybean in Site 2, and dryland corn-soybean in Site 3) were started in May 2001. In each system, 6 sites having different soil properties were marked for weekly or biweekly soil-gas flux measurements. The CO2-C emissions from 7 May 2001 to 1 May 2002 for the irrigated-corn (8.1 and 9.4 Mg/ha/yr in Sites 1 and 2, respectively) were higher than the dryland corn (5.4 Mg/ha/yr). Corn stover-C was lower than soil C emissions. The N2O-N emission were 2.5, 4.0, 2.8 kg/ha/yr in Sites 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Soil CH4-C emissions or uptake were close to zero. Soil C-sequestration potential of dryland corn was higher than the irrigated corn.