Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

N2O, NH3 and NOx Emissions as a Function of Urea Granule Size and Soil Type Under Aerobic Conditions

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 22 November 2006

An Erratum to this article was published on 22 November 2006

Abstract

We examined the influence of various urea granule sizes (< 2, 7.0, 9.9 and 12.7 mm) applied into a silt loam soil (experiment 1) and soil types (sandy, silt and clay loam) treated with the largest granule (experiment 2) on gaseous N loss (except N2) at field capacity. The prilled urea (PU) was mixed into the soil whereas the urea granules were point-placed at a 5.0-cm depth. For experiment 1, N2O emission was enhanced with increasing granule size, ranging from 0.17–0.50% of the added N during the 45-day incubation period. In the case of experiment 2, the sandy loam soil (0.59%) behaved similarly with the silt loam (0.53%) but both showed remarkably lower emissions than were found for the clay loam soil (2.61%). Both nitrification and N2O emissions were delayed by several days with increasing granule size, and the latter was influenced by mineral N, soil water and pH. By contrast, the NH3 volatilization decreased with increasing granule size, implying the inhibition of urease activity by urea concentration gradients. Considering both experimental results, the NH3 loss was highest for the PU-treated (1.73%) and the larger granules regardless of soil type did not emit more than 0.27% of the added N over 22 days, possibly because the high concentrations of either mineral N or NH4 + in the soil surface layer (0–2.5 cm) and the high H+ buffering capacity might regulate the NH3 emission. Similar to the pattern of NH3 loss, NOx emission was noticeably higher for the PU-treated soil (0.97%) than for the larger granule sizes (0.09–0.29%), which were the highest for the sandy and clay loam soils. Positional differences in the concentration of mineral N and nitrification also influenced the NOx emission. As such, total NH3 loss was proportional to total NOx emission, indicating similar influence of soil and environmental conditions on both. Pooled total N2O, NH3 and NOx emission data suggest that the PU-treated soil could induce greater gaseous N loss over larger urea granules, largely in the form of NH3 and NOx emissions, whereas a similar increase with the largest granule size was mainly due to the total N2O flux.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bouwman, A.F., Boumans, L.J.M., & Batjes, N.H. (2002). Estimation of global ammonia volatilization loss from synthetic fertilizers and animal manure applied to arable lands and grasslands. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 116, DOI 10.1029/2000GB001389.

  • Bouwmeester, R.J.B., Vlek, P.L.G., & Stumpe, J.M. (1985). Effect of environmental factors on ammonia volatilization from a urea-fertilized soil. Soil Science Society of American Journal, 49, 376–381.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bremner, J.M. (1997). Sources of nitrous oxide in soils. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 49, 7–16.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buresh, R.J. (1987). Ammonia volatilization from point-placed urea in upland, sandy soils. Fertilizer Research, 12, 263–268.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crutjen, P.J. (1979). The role of NO and NO2 in the chemistry of the troposphere and stratosphere. Annual Review Earth and Planet Science, 7, 442–472.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, E.A. (1993). Soil water content and the ratio of nitrous oxide to nitric oxide emitted from soil. In R. S. Oremland (Ed.), Biogeochemistry of global change: Radiatively active trace gases (pp. 369–386). New York: Chapman and Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, R., Serça, D., & Jambert, C. (1997). Global inventory of NOrm x sources. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 48, 51–60.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobbie, K.E., McTaggart, L.P., & Smith, K.A. (1999). Nitrous oxide emission from intensive agricultural system: Variations between crops and seasons, key driving variables, and mean emission factors. Journal of Geophysical Research, 104, 26891–26899.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eichner, M.J. (1990). Nitrous oxide emissions from fertilized soils: summary of available data. Journal of the Environmental. Quality, 19, 272–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, R.B., & Kissel D.E. (1986). Effects of soil drying on ammonia volatilization from surface-applied urea. Soil Science Society of American Journal, 50, 485–490.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, R.B., Kissel, D.E., Koelliker, J.K., & Basel, W. (1984). Ammonia volatilization from surface-applied urea: effect of hydrogen ion buffering capacity. Soil Science Society of American Journal, 48, 578–582.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Firestone, M.K., & Davidson, E.A. (1989). Microbiological basis of NO and N2O production and consumption. In M. O. Andreae, & D. S. Schimel (Eds.), Exchange of trace gases between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere (pp. 7–21). Chichester: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haque, S.A. (2002). Urea super granule point placement on potato: a new concept. In Proceedings of the 17th World Congress of Soil Science. 14–21 August, 2002, Thailand, Symposium No. 14. 2030, pp. 1–6.

  • Hosen, Y., Paisancharoen, K., & Tsuruta, H. (2002). Effects of deep application of urea on NO and N2O emissions from an Andisol. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 63, 197–206.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hou, A.X., & Tsuruta, H. (2003). Nitrous oxide and nitric oxide fluxes from an upland field in Japan: effect of urea type, placement, and crop residues. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 65, 191–200.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, G.L., & Brams, E.A. (1992). NO vs. N2O emissions from an NH4 +-amended Bermuda grass pasture. Journal of Geophysical Research, 97, 9889–9896.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, G.L., Vigil, M.F., Doran, J.W., & Kessavalou, A. (1997). Modeling the net microbial production and the soil-atmosphere exchange of gaseous NOrm ×. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 48, 25–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keeney D.R., & Nelson D.W. (1982). Nitrogen-inorganic forms. In Page A.L., D.R. Keeney, D.F. Baken, R.H. Miller, R. Ellis, & J.P. Rhoades (eds.), Methods of soil analysis, Part 2 (pp. 643–693). Madison, Wis.: American Society of Agro-nomy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khalil, M.I., Rosenani, A.B., Van Cleemput, O., Fauziah, C.I., & Shamshuddin, J. (2002a). Nitrous oxide emission from a maize-groundnut crop rotation supplied with different nitrogen sources in the humid tropics. Journal of Environment Quality, 31, 1071–1078.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khalil, M.I., Rosenani, A.B., Van Cleemput, O., Shamshuddin, J., & Fauziah, C.I. (2002b). Nitrous oxide production from an ultisol treated with different nitrogen sources and moisture regimes. Biological and Fertility of Soils, 36, 59–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khalil, M.I., & Baggs, E.M. (2005). CH4 oxidation and N2O emissions at varied soil water-filled pore spaces and headspace CH4 concentrations. Soil Biological and Biochemistry, 37, 1785–1794.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khalil, M.I., Schmidhalter, U., & Gutser, R. (2005). Urea super granules in a cambisol: N transformations, N2O and NH3 emissions at two soil water regimes. In C. J. Li et al. (Eds.), Plant nutrition for food security, human health and environmental protection (pp. 1122–1123). China: Tsinghua University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuzyakov, Y, Friedel, J.K., & Stahr, K. (2000). Review and mechanisms and quantification of priming effects. Soil Biological and Biochemistry, 32, 1485–1498.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mohanty, S.K., Singh, U., Balasubramanian, V., & Jha, K.P. (1999). Nitrogen deep-placement technologies for productivity, profitability, and environmental quality of rainfed lowland systems. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 53, 43–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosier A., Kroeze, C., Nevison, C., Oenema, O., Seitzinger, S., & Van Cleemput, O. (1998). Closing the global N2O budget: nitrous oxide emissions through the agricultural nitrogen cycle. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 52, 225–248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mulvaney, R.L., Khan, S.A., & Mulvaney, C.S. (1997). Nitrogen fertilizers promote denitrification. Biological and Fertility of Soils, 24, 211–220.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Patel, S.K., Panda, D., & Mohanty, S.K. (1989). Relative ammonia loss from urea-based fertilizers applied to rice under different hydrological situations. Fertilizer Research, 19, 113–119.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Remde, A., & Conrad, R. (1990). Production of nitric oxide in Nitrosomonas europaea by reduction of nitrite. Archives Microbiology, 154, 187–191.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Remde, A., Slemr, F., & Conrad, R. (1989). Microbial production and uptake of nitric oxide in soil. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 62, 221–230.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Russow, R., Sich, I., & Neue, H.-U. (2000). The formation of the trace gases NO and N2O in soils by the coupled process of nitrification and denitrification: results of kinetic 15N tracer investigations. Chemosphere — Global Change Biology, 2, 359–366.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Savant, S.K., & Stangel, P.J. (1990). Deep placement of urea super granules in transplanted rice: principles and practices. Fertilizer Research, 25, 1–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze, E.-D., De Vries, W., Hauhs, M., Rosén, K., Rasmussen, L., Tamm, C.-O. and Nilsson, J. (1989). Critical loads for nitrogen deposition on forest ecosystems. Water, Air, Soil Pollution, 48, 451–456.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shah, S.B., & Wolfe, M.L. (2003). Particle size impacts of subsurface-banded urea on nitrogen transformation in the laboratory. Communication Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 34, 1245–1260.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, Y., Malhi, S.S., Nyborg, M., & Beauchamp, E.G. (1994). Large granules, nests or bands: Methods of increasing efficiency of fall-applied urea for small cereal grains in North America. Fertilizer Research, 38, 61–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sinowski, W., & Auerswald, K. (1999). Using relief parameters in a discriminant analysis to stratify geological areas of different spatial variability of soil properties. Geoderma, 89, 113–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skiba, U., Fowler, D., & Smith, K.A. (1997). Nitric oxide emissions from agricultural soils in temperate and tropical climates: sources, controls and mitigation options. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 48, 139–153.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K.A., McTaggart, I.P., Dobbie, K.E., & Conen, F. (1998). Emissions of N2O from Scottish agricultural soils, as a function of fertilizer N., Nutriton Cycle Agroecosystems, 52, 123–130.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sommer, S.G., Scjoerring, J.K., & Denmead, O.T. (2004). Ammonia emission from mineral fertilizers and fertilized crops. Advanced Agronomy, 82, 557–622.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sowers, T. (2001). N2O record spanning the penultimate deglaciation from the Vostok ice core. Journal of Geophysical Research, 160, 31, 903–31, 914.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tenuta, M., & Beauchamp, E.G. (2000). Nitrous oxide production from granules of different sizes. Journal of Environmental Quality, 29, 1408–1413.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tenuta, M., & Beauchamp, E.G. (2003). Nitrous oxide production from granular nitrogen fertilizers applied to a silt loam soil. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 83, 521–532.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Cleemput, O. (1998). Subsoils: Chemo- and biological denitrification, N2O and N2 emissions. Nutrition Cycle in Agroecosystems, 52, 187–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vilsmeier, K. (1984). Bestimmung von Dicyandiamid, Nitrit und Nitrat in Bodenextrakten mit HochdruckflÜssigkeitschro-matographie. Zeitshrift fü Pflanzenernahrung und Bodenkunde,, 147, 264–268.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Z-H., Liu, X-J., Ju, X-T., Zhang, F-S., & Malhi, S.S. (2004). Ammonia volatilization loss from surface-broadcast urea: comparison of vented- and closed-chamber methods and loss in winter wheat-summer maize rotation in North China Plain. Communication in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 35, 2917–2939.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, A., Gutser, R., & Schmidhalter, U. (2001). Field emissions of NH3 and NOrm x following urea application to wheat. In W. J. Horst et al. (Eds.), Plant nutrition — food security and sustainability of agro-ecosystems (pp. 884–885). The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wrage, N., Velthof, G.L., Landbroek, H.J., & Oenema, O. (2004). Nitrous oxide production in grassland soils: assessing the contribution of nitrifier denitrification. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 36, 229–236.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yienger, J.J., & Levy II, H. (1995). Empirical model of the global soil-biogenic NOrm x emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research., 100, 11447–11464.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, X., Huang, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, M., Jin, J., & Li, L. (2003). Effects of soil temperature on nitric oxide emission from a typical Chinese rice-wheat rotation during the non-waterlogged period. Global Change Biological, 9, 601–611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant Nutrition, Department of Plant Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85350, Freising, Germany

    M. I. Khalil, U. Schmidhalter & R. Gutser

  2. Soil Science Division, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, P. O. Box 4, Mymensingh, 2200, Bangladesh

    M. I. Khalil

Authors
  1. M. I. Khalil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. U. Schmidhalter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. Gutser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. I. Khalil.

Additional information

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11270-006-9260-5

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Khalil, M.I., Schmidhalter, U. & Gutser, R. N2O, NH3 and NOx Emissions as a Function of Urea Granule Size and Soil Type Under Aerobic Conditions. Water Air Soil Pollut 175, 127–148 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-006-9117-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-006-9117-y

Key words

Search

Navigation