Summary
This year-long field experiment under irrigated semiarid conditions examined how maize residue input levels, combined with different cover crops (bare fallow, barley, or vetch), affected greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen dynamics in a maize rotation. Maize residue input had a dominant effect on N₂O emissions, with the lower residue input producing 43% greater emissions during the cover crop phase, but the higher input producing 170% greater emissions after maize fertilisation. The findings suggest that whilst cover cropping offers climate and soil benefits, these can be offset by increased nitrous oxide emissions during residue decomposition and fertiliser application phases.
UK applicability
The study was conducted in semiarid irrigated conditions, which differ significantly from typical UK rainfall patterns and irrigation practices. However, the findings on N₂O emissions from crop residue incorporation and the complex interactions between cover crop management and greenhouse gas fluxes may be applicable to UK arable systems, particularly in drier eastern regions, though site-specific validation would be needed.
Key measures
N₂O, CH₄, and CO₂ fluxes; soil mineral nitrogen; maize grain yield; nitrogen use efficiency; cumulative gas emissions during intercrop and cash crop periods
Outcomes reported
The study measured nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide fluxes; soil mineral nitrogen content; crop yields; and nitrogen use efficiency across cover crop and cash crop phases in a maize rotation system.
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