Changes in chemical composition of cover crops residue during decomposition / Mudanças na composição química dos resíduos culturais de plantas de cobertura durante a decomposição

Crop residues decomposition are controlled by chemical tissue components. This study evaluated changes on plant tissue components, separated by the Van Soest partitioning method, during cover crop decomposition. The Van Soest soluble fraction was the first to be released from the crop residues, followed by cellulose and hemicellulose. Lignin was the crop residue component that suffered the least degradation, and for certain crop residue types, lignin degradation was not detected. The degradation of the main components of crop residues (soluble fraction, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) is determined by the chemical and structural composition of each fraction.

A decomposição de resíduos culturais é controlada pela composição química do tecido vegetal. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as alterações que ocorrem nos componentes do tecido vegetal, separados pelo fracionamento de Van Soest, durante a decomposição de plantas de cobertura. A fração solúvel foi a primeira a ser liberada dos resíduos culturais, seguida pela celulose e hemicelulose. A lignina foi o componente dos resíduos culturais de menor degradação, sendo que em alguns resíduos culturais não foi possível detectar a degradação deste componente. A degradação dos principais componentes dos resíduos culturais (fração solúvel, celulose, hemicelulose e lignina) é determinada pela composição química e estrutural de cada uma destas frações.

Greenhouse gas emissions and global warming potential from biofuel cropping systems fertilized with mineral and organic nitrogen sources.

Non-legume bioenergy crops can be fertilized with animal manures instead of mineral fertilizers, but the simultaneous application of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) with manures can increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. On the other hand, manure could increase soil organic C stocks and partly offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming potential (GWP) of crop systems. We performed a two-year study in a biofuel cropping system with sunflower and canola to examine the effects of manure fertilization on grain yields and N use efficiency of crops, and on GWP and GHG intensity (GHGI) in no-till soils under subtropical conditions. The GWP and GHGI were calculated from measured methane (CH4) and N2O emissions and soil organic C stock change, and from estimated carbon dioxide emissions associated with agricultural inputs and farm operations. The following treatments were tested: (i) mineral fertilizer (MF); (ii) poultry manure (PM); (iii) pig deep-litter (PDL); and (iv) no-N control. The application rate of each treatment was adjusted to provide 60 kg available N ha-1 to crops. Grain yield and N accumulated by sunflower and canola were greater in fertilized treatments than in the control, and did not differ among N sources. However, crop N use efficiency was on average 50% lower with manures than MF. CH4 emissions were not affected by N sources, but N2O emissions increased as follows: control (1.37) < MF (2.04) < PDL (4.12) < PM (4.95 kg N ha-1). On the other hand, soil organic C stocks increased more rapidly with manures than MF, resulting in significantly lower GWP and GHGI with manures than MF after two years. These results indicate that animal manures can replace MF as the main source of N to non-legume oil crops and reduce net GHG emissions in biofuel cropping systems under subtropical conditions.

Winter-Season Gaseous Nitrogen Emissions in Subtropical Climate: Impacts of Pig Slurry Injection and Nitrification Inhibitor.

Controlling nitrogen (N) losses from pig slurry (PS) is a challenge under no-till because amendments are left on the soil surface. We investigated the potential of shallow injection of PS, with and without addition of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD), to abate gaseous ammonia (NH) and nitrous oxide (NO) emissions in winter crops in subtropical soils. Injection was compared with surface broadcasting of PS, with and without DCD. The significance of winter season on annual NO emissions was assessed. Injecting PS reduced NH volatilization compared with surface application. However, this reduction was partly offset because NO emissions increased by 77% (+1.53 kg NO-N ha) when PS was injected. Adding DCD to injected PS reduced NO emission below levels of surface-broadcast PS without the inhibitor, indicating that DCD may be a management option when injecting PS. Compared with a reference urea treatment, PS without DCD increased cumulative NO emissions 5.7-fold (from 613 to 3515 g NO-N ha) when injected, and 3.2-fold (from 613 to 1980 g NO-N ha) when surface applied. Adding DCD significantly reduced emissions with injected PS, whereas reduction was not always significant with surface-applied PS. Nitrous oxide emissions during the winter cropping season contributed 30 to 44% of annual emissions, indicating that controlling gaseous N losses in that season is required to reduce the environmental footprint of the whole cropping system. Overall, combining PS injection with DCD was an efficient practice for reducing winter-season gaseous N losses from no-till soils under subtropical climate.

Dicyandiamide as nitrification inhibitor of pig slurry ammonium nitrogen in soil / Dicianodiamida como inibidor da nitrificação do nitrogênio amoniacal de dejetos líquidos de suínos no solo

ABSTRACT: Inhibition of nitrification of ammoniacal nitrogen pig slurry after its application to the soil can mitigate nitrogen (N) losses by nitrate (NO3-) denitrification and leaching, with economical and environmental benefits. However, the use of this strategy is incipient in Brazil and, therefore, requires further assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of dicyandiamide (DCD) nitrification inhibitor in slowing the nitrification of ammoniacal N applied to the soil with pig slurry (PS). For this, incubation was performed in laboratory, where nitrification was assessed by NO3- accumulation in the soil. Rates of 2.8, 5.7 and 11.3kg DCD ha-1 were compared, being applied to the soil during PS addition. Nitrification was inhibited by DCD, and inhibition magnitude and duration depended on DCD applied rate. At a dose of 11.3kg ha-1 DCD, nitrification was completely inhibited in the first 12 days. During the first month after PS application, each 2.8kg of DCD increase applied per hectare promoted NO3--N reduction in the soil of 13.3kg ha-1, allowing longer ammoniacal N maintenance in the soil.

RESUMO: A inibição da nitrificação do nitrogênio amoniacal dos dejetos de suínos, após sua aplicação no solo, poderá mitigar as perdas de nitrogênio (N) por desnitrificação e lixiviação de nitrato (NO3-), com benefícios econômicos e ambientais. Todavia, o uso dessa estratégia é incipiente no Brasil e, por isso, necessita ser avaliada. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a eficiência do inibidor de nitrificação dicianodiamida (DCD) em retardar a nitrificação do N amoniacal aplicado ao solo com dejetos líquidos de suínos (DLS). Para isso, foi realizada uma incubação no laboratório, quando a nitrificação foi avaliada através do acúmulo de NO3- no solo. Foram comparadas as doses de 2,8, 5,7 e 11,3kg de DCD ha-1, aplicadas ao solo no momento da adição dos DLS. A nitrificação foi inibida pela DCD, sendo que a magnitude e a duração da inibição foram dependentes da dose de DCD aplicada. Na dose de 11,3kg de DCD ha-1, a nitrificação foi completamente inibida nos primeiros 12 dias. Durante o primeiro mês após a aplicação dos dejetos, cada incremento de 2,8kg de DCD aplicado por hectare promoveu uma redução no aparecimento de N-NO3- no solo de 13,3kg ha-1, o que permite a manutenção de N amoniacal por mais tempo no solo.

Ammonia volatilization after surface application of laying-hen and broiler-chicken manures.

Ammonia (NH) losses after field application of animal manure are affected by manure characteristics. The objectives of this study were to quantify NH losses from poultry manures obtained from varied handling and storage systems commonly found in eastern Canada and to relate NH emissions to manure characteristics. We measured NH volatilization using wind tunnels for 22 d after soil-surface application of seven solid poultry manures originating from farms varying in production type (laying hens and broiler chickens) and in storage duration and conditions. Cumulative emissions (2.7-7.0 g NH-N m) accounted for 13.6 to 35.0% of the total N applied and 51 to 84% (mean, 70%) of the sum of ammoniacal N, urea N, and uric acid N applied (TAUA). On average, 20% of these losses occurred during the first 4.5 h after application for manures that were not dried in the barn shortly after excretion. Production type and storage durations could not explain differences in NH volatilization between manures. Volatilization losses were linearly related to manure dry matter and to manure-derived NH-N, but sources of N changed with time after application. During the first 7 d, variations in total ammoniacal N applied (TANA) among manures explained most of the variations in cumulative NH losses ( = 0.85 after 26 h and 0.92 after 7 d). After a simulated rainfall (5 mm) on Day 7 that stimulated the decomposition of uric acid in manures, TAUA rather than TANA was related to cumulative emissions ( = 0.77 after 14 and 22 d). Our results indicate that reliable estimates of NH volatilization after land spreading of poultry manures should be based not only on TANA but also on NH-N derived from the decomposition of uric acid, that volatilization losses reported in the literature (including the present study) averaged 50% of TAUA, and that estimates for a given situation also need to account for local environmental conditions.

Injection of Dicyandiamide-Treated Pig Slurry Reduced Ammonia Volatilization without Enhancing Soil Nitrous Oxide Emissions from No-Till Corn in Southern Brazil.

There is a lack of information on how placement in soil and nitrification inhibitors affects nitrous oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH) emissions from pig slurry (PS) applied under no-till (NT) conditions. Our objective was to determine the impact of injecting PS and treating it with the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on NH and NO emissions from soils under NT in subtropical southern Brazil. The emissions of these gases were compared for shallow (∼ 10 cm) injection and surface broadcasting of PS with and without DCD (8.1-10.0 kg ha; 6.5-8.4% of applied NH-N). Measurements were made at two sites during two summer growing seasons under NT corn crops. Injection reduced NH volatilization by 70% but increased NO emissions 2.4-fold (from 2628 to 6198 g NO N ha) compared with surface broadcast application. Adding DCD to PS inhibited nitrification and reduced NO emissions by an average of 28% (730 g NO-N ha) for surface broadcast and 66% (4105 g NO-N ha) for injection but did not increase NH volatilization. Consequently, NO emission factors were much higher for injection (3.6%) than for surface broadcast (1.3%) application and were reduced (0.9%) when DCD was added to injected PS. In conclusion, the injection of DCD-treated slurry is a recommendable practice for reducing NH and NO emissions when applying PS on NT corn in southern Brazil.

Volatilização de amônia e emissão de óxido nitroso após aplicação de dejetos líquidos de suínos em solo cultivado com milho / Ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide emissions following soil application of pig slurry in corn

As perdas de nitrogênio (N) através de emissões gasosas de amônia (NH3) e óxido nitroso (N2O) após a aplicação de dejetos líquidos de suínos (DLS) no solo é um assunto ainda pouco estudado no Brasil, sobretudo em plantio direto. Diante disso, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar, em condições de campo, a volatilização de NH3 e a emissão de N2O após a aplicação de DLS no milho, com e sem a presença de palha de aveia preta na superfície do solo. Os tratamentos avaliados para medir a emissão de N2O, durante 90 dias, foram: T1 - Solo (testemunha); T2 - Solo + DLS; T3 - Solo + Palha; T4 - Solo + Palha + DLS. Já a volatilização de NH3 foi quantificada durante 12 dias, somente nos três últimos tratamentos. Os DLS, na dose de 60m³ ha-1, foram aplicados ao solo, antecedendo a semeadura do milho, em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições. A presença da palha na superfície do solo reduziu as perdas de NH3 em 34%, porém potencializou as emissões de N2O após a aplicação dos DLS, as quais aumentaram em 167%. Os maiores fluxos de N2O ocorreram durante os primeiros 40 dias após a aplicação dos DLS sempre após a ocorrência de chuvas e/ou irrigações.

The nitrogen (N) losses through gaseous emissions of ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) after pig slurry (PS) application in soil is a subject still little studied in Brazil, especially under no-till conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate, under field conditions, the NH3 volatilization and the N2O emission after PS application in corn, with and without surface oat straw. The treatments for measuring N2O emissions, during 90 days, were: T1-unamended soil (control), T2 - Soil + PS, T3 - Soil + oat straw and T4 - Soil + PS + oat straw. The NH3 volatilization was quantified only in the last three treatments. PS, at the dose 60m³ ha-1, was applied prior the sowing of corn, in a randomized design, with three replications. Oat straw on the soil surface reduced NH3 volatilization by 34%, but enhanced N2O emission by 167%. The higher N2O fluxes occurred during the first 40 days after PS addition, always after rain and/or irrigation events.

Redução na velocidade da nitrificação no solo após aplicação de cama de aviário com dicianodiamida / Reduction of the nitrification rate in the soil after addition of poultry manure with dicyandiamide

A rápida nitrificação do nitrogênio (N) amoniacal de fontes orgânicas e minerais no solo pode resultar em perdas de nitrato (NO3-) para o ambiente. Uma estratégia para a redução dessas perdas envolve o uso de inibidores de nitrificação. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi o de avaliar, em condições de laboratório, a eficiência da dicianodiamida (DCD), presente no produto Agrotain® Plus (AP), em inibir a nitrificação do N amoniacal de cama de aviário (CA) no solo. Foram avaliados cinco tratamentos, sendo um com CA incorporada ao solo, três com CA incorporada ao solo com AP, nas doses de 3,5, 7,0 e 14,0kg ha-1, além de um tratamento somente com solo. A nitrificação foi monitorada através da determinação periódica dos teores de NH4+ e NO3 no solo durante 69 dias. A maior taxa de nitrificação ocorreu no tratamento em que a CA foi incorporada ao solo sem AP. As doses de 3,5 e 7,0kg de AP ha-1 inibiram parcialmente a nitrificação do N amoniacal da CA na fase inicial da incubação, perdendo a eficiência em inibir esse processo no período entre 12 e 27 dias. O tratamento com a maior dose de AP (14kg ha-1) foi aquele em que a DCD exerceu maior efeito inibitório da nitrificação, preservando maior quantidade de NH4+ e retardando o aparecimento de NO3- no solo. Os resultados deste trabalho indicam que a DCD, contida no Agrotain® Plus, reduz a taxa de nitrificação do N amoniacal da CA no solo, o que poderá contribuir à redução das perdas de NO3- para o ambiente.

The fast nitrification of ammoniacal nitrogen (N) of organic and mineral sources in soil can result in losses of nitrate (NO3-) to the environment. One strategy to reduce these losses involves the use of nitrification inhibitors. The objective of this study was to evaluate, in laboratory conditions, the efficiency of Agrotain® Plus (AP), which contains dicyandiamide (DCD), as a nitrification inhibitor of ammoniacal nitrogen from poultry manure (PM) in soil. Were evaluated five treatments, one with PM incorporated into the soil, three with PM incorporated into the soil with AP at the doses of 3.5, 7.0 e 14.0kg ha-1 and one treatment without PM and AP. Nitrification was monitored by measuring changes in soil mineral N (NH4+ and NO3-) periodically over 69 days. The highest rate of nitrification occurred in the treatment in which PM was incorporated into the soil without AP. The doses of 3.5 and 7.0kg ha-1 of AP inhibited partially the nitrification of ammoniacal nitrogen of PM in the initial phase of incubation, losing the ability to inhibit this process in the period between 12 and 27 days. The treatment with the higher dose of AP (14kg ha-1) was on in which the DCD exerted more inhibitory effect on nitrification, preserving most NH4+ and delaying the onset of NO3- in soil. The results of this study indicate that the DCD, contained in the Agrotain® Plus, reduces the nitrification rate of ammoniacal nitrogen from PM in soil, that may contribute to reduce NO3- losses to the environment.

Volatilização de amônia com aplicação de uréia na superfície do solo, no sistema plantio direto / Ammonia volatilization after urea surface applied in corn no-tillage

Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito dos resíduos culturais de aveia preta (Avena strigosa), dispostos na superfície do solo, nas perdas de N por volatilização de amônia, conduziu-se um experimento a campo, em 2002/03, na UFSM (RS), em um Argissolo Vermelho distrófico arênico. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições. Os tratamentos constituíram da aplicação de uréia no milho, na presença e na ausência de resíduos culturais de aveia, em três épocas (pré-semeadura, semeadura e em cobertura). A uréia foi aplicada a lanço, sem incorporação ao solo, na dose equivalente a 50kg ha-1 de N, em cada época. Os resíduos culturais diminuíram os fluxos de volatilização de amônia quando eles proporcionaram maior umidade do solo no momento da aplicação da uréia, em relação ao solo descoberto. Em condições semelhantes de umidade de solo, entre os tratamentos com e sem resíduos culturais, houve maior volatilização de amônia, quando a uréia foi aplicada sobre os resíduos culturais. Quando ocorreu chuva no dia posterior a aplicação da uréia, não houve efeito dos resíduos culturais na volatilização de amônia. Na soma das três épocas de aplicação de uréia na cultura do milho, a quantidade de amônia volatilizada não diferiu entre os tratamentos com e sem resíduos culturais, com média de 17 por cento de perda do N-uréia aplicado.