Summary
This controlled pot experiment examined how prior soil management history ('legacy effects') influences greenhouse gas emissions following digestate amendment, relative to inherent soil properties. Legacy effects dominated CO₂ and N₂O emission responses post-digestate application, whilst soil properties exerted greater control on CH₄ emissions. The findings underscore the importance of accounting for long-term management context when predicting soil greenhouse gas responses to organic amendments.
UK applicability
The results are directly applicable to UK farming practice, where digestate from anaerobic digestion is increasingly applied to agricultural soils. Understanding that legacy effects override soil properties for most greenhouse gas species suggests UK farm management decisions should consider cumulative land use history when predicting the climate impact of digestate application.
Key measures
CO₂ flux, N₂O flux, CH₄ flux; soil properties (chemical and physical characteristics); soil management history
Outcomes reported
The study measured CO₂, N₂O and CH₄ emissions from soil following digestate application, quantifying the relative contributions of soil legacy effects versus inherent soil properties to these greenhouse gas fluxes.
Topic tags
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