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Heterotrophic denitrification constrains the upper limit of dissolved N2O-nitrate concentration ratio in agricultural groundwater

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Abstract

Indirect emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) through groundwater and surface drainage is commonly estimated based on the apparent positive relationship between the concentrations of nitrate ([NO3 −]) and dissolved N2O ([N2O]) for regional and national assessments. Field observations of the ratio of [N2O]–[NO3 −], however, rarely follow such relationship due to the complexity in N2O dynamics. Here we hypothesized that the temporal variation in [N2O] involves a phase shift as a function of [NO3 −] during heterotrophic denitrification (HD) based on the fact that high [NO3 −] inhibits N2O reduction to dinitrogen. We tested this hypothesis using the long-term, high frequency dataset of subsurface drainage water from the lysimeters under a cultivated soil in Japan. We identified the cases where [N2O] increased under high [NO3 −] conditions (phase 1) and decreased under low [NO3 −] conditions (phase 2) during the non-rainy periods. When [NO3 −] exceeded 20.4 mg N L−1 across the entire dataset, we found the positive correlation between [N2O] and the concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide ([CO2]), an end-product of HD, in accordance with phase 1. When [NO3 −] was <5 mg N L−1 and [CO2] was >28.3 mg C L−1, we found the positive correlation between [N2O] and [NO3 −], which agrees with phase 2. With this phase shift, [N2O]–[NO3 −] ratio increased (phase 1) and reached a plateau (phase 2). Our results suggest that the progress of HD, especially phase 1, contributes to the increases in [N2O]–[NO3 −] ratio and thus site-specific emission factor of N2O, EF5g.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Drs. Shigeto Sudo and Hiroko Akiyama (NIAES, Japan) for their help using the gas analysis system. We also would like to thank Dr. Syuntaro Hiradate (NIAES, Japan) for his valuable comments on the bioavailability of DOC. A portion of this study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) through the Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (20-361).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carbon and Nutrient Cycles Division, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan

    Kazunori Minamikawa, Rota Wagai & Kazuyuki Yagi

  2. Department of Planning and General Administration, NARO Agricultural Research Center, 3-1-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8666, Japan

    Seiichi Nishimura

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  1. Kazunori Minamikawa
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  2. Rota Wagai
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  3. Seiichi Nishimura
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  4. Kazuyuki Yagi
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Correspondence to Kazunori Minamikawa.

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Minamikawa, K., Wagai, R., Nishimura, S. et al. Heterotrophic denitrification constrains the upper limit of dissolved N2O-nitrate concentration ratio in agricultural groundwater. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 101, 181–191 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-014-9668-z

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