Abstract
Plastic film and gravel mulching have long been used to improve crop production, but few studies have focused on the effects of these mulching practices on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Understanding the response of N2O emission to soil surface mulching is beneficial for improving management practices. We performed two field experiments over two years in northwestern China to measure the annual N2O emissions using the static chamber technique: first, we compared the N2O emissions from non-mulched (BP), gravel-mulched (GM) and plastic film-mulched (FM) maize (Zea mays L.) fields that received an equivalent nitrogen (N) application rate; second, we monitored the N2O emissions from film-mulched maize fields that received different N application rates [N applied at 0 (N0), 250 (N250) and 380 (N380) kg N ha−1]. Compared to the BP treatment, both the GM and FM treatments markedly improved the soil temperature and moisture, which significantly increased the maize yields and N uptake but did not increase the N2O emissions, most likely because the decreased soil mineral N content limited the N2O production. As a result, the yield-scaled N2O emissions were markedly reduced in the GM and FM treatments, and a greater reduction was observed in the FM treatment due to the higher grain yield. The N2O emissions persistently increased with an increasing N rate, but the grain yield peaked in the N250 treatment in which the N input was nearly equivalent to the maize N uptake. Consequently, low yield-scaled N2O emissions were obtained in the N250 treatment (125 and 155 g N2O–N Mg−1 grain in 2011–2012 and 2012–2013, respectively). Thus, we conclude that film mulching combined with an appropriate N input is a preferable management practice to improve the grain yield and to simultaneously minimize the direct N2O emission intensity in agriculture. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Gravel and film mulch increased soil temperature and moisture relative to no mulch.
- Treatment
- GM and FM treatmentse0
- Outcome
- soil temperature and moisturee0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- BP treatmente0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the BP treatment, both the GM and FM treatments markedly improved the soil temperature and moisture, which significantly increased the maize yields and N uptake but did not increase the N2O emissions”
Claim · model-written summary
Gravel and film mulch significantly increased maize yields and nitrogen uptake.
- Treatment
- GM and FM treatmentse0
- Outcome
- maize yields and N uptakee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- BP treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the BP treatment, both the GM and FM treatments markedly improved the soil temperature and moisture, which significantly increased the maize yields and N uptake but did not increase the N2O emissions”
Claim · model-written summary
Gravel and film mulch did not increase nitrous oxide emissions.
- Treatment
- GM and FM treatmentse0
- Outcome
- N2O emissionse0
- Direction
- did not increasee0
- Comparator
- BP treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to the BP treatment, both the GM and FM treatments markedly improved the soil temperature and moisture, which significantly increased the maize yields and N uptake but did not increase the N2O emissions”
Claim · model-written summary
Gravel and film mulch reduced yield-scaled nitrous oxide emissions.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the yield-scaled N2O emissions were markedly reduced in the GM and FM treatments”
e1“maize (Zea mays L.) fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch reduced yield-scaled emissions more than gravel mulch because of its higher grain yield.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a greater reduction was observed in the FM treatment due to the higher grain yield”
e1“maize (Zea mays L.) fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrous oxide emissions increased as nitrogen rate increased.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The N2O emissions persistently increased with an increasing N rate”
e1“maize (Zea mays L.) fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Grain yield peaked at N250, where nitrogen input nearly equaled maize uptake.
- Treatment
- N250 treatmente0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- peakede0
- Qualifier
- N input was nearly equivalent to the maize N uptakee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the grain yield peaked in the N250 treatment in which the N input was nearly equivalent to the maize N uptake”
e1“maize (Zea mays L.) fields”
Claim · model-written summary
At N250, yield-scaled emissions were low in both reported seasons.
- Treatment
- N250 treatmente0
- Outcome
- yield-scaled N2O emissionse0
- Direction
- lowe0
- Value
- 125 and 155 g N2O–N Mg−1 graine0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“low yield-scaled N2O emissions were obtained in the N250 treatment (125 and 155 g N2O–N Mg−1 grain in 2011–2012 and 2012–2013, respectively)”
e1“maize (Zea mays L.) fields”
Claim · model-written summary
Film mulch with appropriate nitrogen input is recommended to improve grain yield and minimize direct emissions intensity.
- Outcome
- film mulching combined with an appropriate N inpute0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“film mulching combined with an appropriate N input is a preferable management practice to improve the grain yield and to simultaneously minimize the direct N2O emission intensity in agriculture”
e1“maize (Zea mays L.) fields”
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