Summary
This mesoscale incubation study investigated how long-term and fresh liming affect nitrogen transformations and nitrous oxide emissions in agricultural soils of contrasting texture under realistic bulk density and atmospheric conditions. Fresh liming responses were soil-dependent—increasing denitrification threefold in sandy soil but reducing it by 80% in loamy soil—yet liming consistently reduced the N₂O product ratio (N₂Oi) across both soil types, suggesting potential for optimised pH management to shift denitrification towards N₂ (a non-greenhouse gas) relative to N₂O.
Regional applicability
The study employed soils from European liming trials with pH ranges typical of managed arable soils in temperate regions, making findings potentially relevant to UK arable practice where soil acidification and liming decisions are commonplace. However, the soil-dependent response to fresh liming (particularly the divergent outcomes between sandy and loamy soils) underscores the need for site-specific field validation before adopting pH manipulation as a robust greenhouse gas mitigation strategy in UK farming contexts.
Key measures
N₂O and N₂ emissions (measured via ¹⁵N gas flux method); N₂Oi (product ratio of denitrification); soil pH (3.8–6.7); soil moisture and temperature cycling; ¹⁵NO₃⁻-derived N₂O + N₂ production
Outcomes reported
The study measured N₂O and N₂ gas fluxes from agricultural soils under controlled incubation conditions, examining how liming (calcite and dolomite applications) and maize residue incorporation affected denitrification pathways and the product ratio (N₂Oi) of N₂O to total denitrification products across different soil types and pH levels.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.