Summary
This 2019 field study investigated how biochar and the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), applied alone or in combination, suppress soil N₂O emissions in an arable system. The authors demonstrate that reductions in N₂O flux are closely associated with changes in soil microbial communities, specifically shifts in ammonia-oxidising bacteria and nosZI-N₂O reducer populations, suggesting that management practices targeting these functional groups may be an effective strategy for mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
UK applicability
The findings are potentially relevant to UK arable production, particularly under intensive cereal and vegetable systems where nitrogen fertiliser use drives N₂O emissions. However, the study was conducted in China; validation under UK soil, climate, and management conditions would be needed to establish applicability to British farming.
Key measures
N₂O emission rates; soil ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) abundance; nosZI-N₂O reductase gene copy numbers; soil chemical and physical properties
Outcomes reported
The study measured nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from soil and quantified changes in populations of ammonia-oxidising bacteria and nosZI-N₂O reducing bacteria in response to biochar and/or DMPP application. The research examined the mechanistic linkage between microbial community composition and greenhouse gas mitigation.
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