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The relationship between N2O, NO, and N2 fluxes from fertilized and irrigated dryland soils of the Aral Sea Basin, Uzbekistan

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Abstract

Microbial respiratory reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) to dinitrogen (N2) via denitrification plays a key role within the global N-cycle since it is the most important process for converting reactive nitrogen back into inert molecular N2. However, due to methodological constraints, we still lack a comprehensive, quantitative understanding of denitrification rates and controlling factors across various ecosystems. We investigated N2, N2O and NO emissions from irrigated cotton fields within the Aral Sera Basin using the He/O2 atmosphere gas flow soil core technique and an incubation assay. NH4NO3 fertilizer, equivalent to 75 kg ha−1 and irrigation water, adjusting the water holding capacity to 70, 100 and 130% were applied to the incubation vessels to assess its influence on gaseous N emissions. Under soil conditions as they are naturally found after concomitant irrigation and fertilization, denitrification was the dominant process and N2 the main end product of denitrification. The mean ratios of N2/N2O emissions increased with increasing soil moisture content. N2 emissions exceeded N2O emissions by a factor of 5 ± 2 at 70% soil water holding capacity (WHC) and a factor of 55 ± 27 at 130% WHC. The mean ratios of N2O/NO emissions varied between 1.5 ± 0.4 (70% WHC) and 644 ± 108 (130% WHC). The magnitude of N2 emissions for irrigated cotton was estimated to be in the range of 24 ± 9 to 175 ± 65 kg-N ha−1season−1, while emissions of NO were only of minor importance (between 0.1 to 0.7 kg-N ha−1 season−1). The findings demonstrate that for irrigated dryland soils in the Aral Sera Basin, denitrification is a major pathway of N-loss and that substantial amounts of N-fertilizer are lost as N2 to the atmosphere for irrigated dryland soils.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Lisa Cappelmann for helping with the laboratory analysis. The study was funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF; project number 0339970A.) The authors thank Michael Dannenmann and two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. The authors also thank the students and staff of the Urgench State University and of the ZEF/UNESCO landscape restructuring project for the support and help during the soil sampling campaign.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstr. 19, D-82467, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

    Clemens Scheer, Reiner Wassmann & Klaus Butterbach-Bahl

  2. Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Clemens Scheer, John P. A. Lamers & Christopher Martius

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  1. Clemens Scheer
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  2. Reiner Wassmann
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  3. Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
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  4. John P. A. Lamers
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  5. Christopher Martius
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Correspondence to Clemens Scheer.

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Scheer, C., Wassmann, R., Butterbach-Bahl, K. et al. The relationship between N2O, NO, and N2 fluxes from fertilized and irrigated dryland soils of the Aral Sea Basin, Uzbekistan. Plant Soil 314, 273–283 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-008-9728-8

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