Investigating tradeoffs in nitrogen loss pathways using an environmental damage cost framework

Preza‐Fontes, Giovani; Christianson, Laura E.; Pittelkow, Cameron M.

doi:10.1002/ael2.20103

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Combined NT and HV cover cropping improved soil aeration and reduced oxygen stress, which perhaps contributed to higher and more stable yields under these treatments as shown in previous analysis using the same long-term experiment (Nouri et al, 2020(Nouri et al, , 2021. Furthermore, improving soil oxygen availability could reduce nutrient losses, including nitrous oxide and methane emissions (Owens et al, 2017;Preza-Fontes et al, 2023;Rohe et al, 2021;Silver et al, 1999;Song et al, 2022), hence improve the sustainability of production practices. While acreages under NT are steadily growing in the United States (NASS, 2022), CC adoption is much slower.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 51%

Forty‐two years of no‐tillage and cover cropping improved soil oxygen availability and resilience

Lussich,

Dhaliwal,

Wright

et al. 2024

Agricultural & Env Letters

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Healthy soil air–water balance is critical for crop growth. Conservation agricultural practices improve soil physical properties to influence soil oxygen availability. We evaluated the impact of 42 years of hairy vetch (HV) cover cropping (CC), and no‐tillage (NT) on soil oxygen dynamics during a cotton growing season experiencing multiple intensive rain events in silt loam soil. The HV and NT treatments exhibited higher growing season soil oxygen availability (p < 0.05) and experienced three to four times fewer hours of oxygen limitation (i.e., oxygen concentration <10%) as compared to no cover crop (NC) and conventional tillage (CT) treatments. After a heavy rainfall, NT–HV treatment exhibited the highest soil oxygen availability, followed by NT–NC, CT–HV, and CT–NC treatments (p < 0.05). While CC and/or NT treatments quickly regained soil oxygen status within 24 h after saturating rain events, CT–NC suffered from sub‐optimal soil aeration until the third day after rainfall cessation. The combination of CC with NT practices enhanced soil oxygen availability and resilience to extreme precipitation events.Core Ideas Long‐term cover cropping and no‐tillage practices enhanced soil oxygen availability following extreme precipitation events. Cover cropping and no‐tillage practices reduced the duration of anoxia experienced by cotton crops during the growing season by three‐ to four‐fold. Combined cover cropping and no‐tillage implementation exhibited the most significant impact in mitigating immediate soil oxygen stress after heavy rainfall events.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 51%

Forty‐two years of no‐tillage and cover cropping improved soil oxygen availability and resilience

Lussich,

Dhaliwal,

Wright

et al. 2024

Agricultural & Env Letters

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“…Loss pathways and agronomic efficiency of N fertilizer are dependent on specific site characteristics and environmental and seasonal variation in climate, particularly rainfall. It is essential to evaluate matrix formulations in appropriate contexts given the increasing awareness that management of a loss pathway, for example, leaching, can lead to increases in others, such as nitrous oxide emissions (Preza-Fontes et al, 2023).…”

Section: F I G U R Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating novel biodegradable polymer matrix fertilizers for nitrogen‐efficient agriculture

Witt,

Robinson,

Palma

et al. 2024

J of Env Quality

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Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) can reduce nitrogen (N) losses in temperate agriculture but are less effective in the tropics. We aimed to design a new EEF and evaluate their performance in simple‐to‐complex tests with tropical soils and crops. We melt‐extruded urea at different loadings into biodegradable polymer matrix composites using biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) or polybutylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate (PBAT) polymers with urea distributed throughout the pellet. These contrast with commercially coated EEF that have a polymer‐coated urea core. We hypothesized that matrix fertilizers would have an intermediate N release rate compared to fast release from urea or slow release from coated EEF. Nitrogen release rates in water and sand–soil columns confirmed that the matrix fertilizer formulations had a more progressive N release than a coated EEF. A more complex picture emerged from testing sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] grown to maturity in large soil pots, as the different formulations resulted in minor differences in plant N accumulation and grain production. This confirms the need to consider soil interactions, microbial processes, crop physiology, and phenology for evaluating fertilizer performance. Promisingly, crop δ15N signatures emerged as an integrated measure of efficacy, tracking likely N conversions and losses. The three complementary evaluations combine the advantages of standardized high‐throughput screening and more resource‐intensive and realistic testing in a plant‐soil system. We conclude that melt‐blended biodegradable polymer matrix fertilizers show promise as EEF because they can be designed toward more abiotically or more microbially driven N release by selecting biopolymer type and N loading rate.

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Impact of split nitrogen applications on nitrate leaching and maize yield in irrigated loamy sand soils of Northeast Nebraska

Singh,

Rudnick,

Snow

et al. 2024

Agrosystems Geosci & Env

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Little information is available on optimizing the number of nitrogen (N) splits based on nitrate (NO3‐N) leaching and maize yield in sandy soils. To address this gap, we evaluated the impact of multiple N splits (2‐, 3‐, 4‐, and 5‐N splits) on NO3‐N leaching and maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield in irrigated loamy sand soil at a producer site in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area of Northeast Nebraska. Porous suction cup lysimeters were installed at a depth of 120 cm to collect pore water samples from 23 leaching events in 2021, a dry year. Increasing the number of N‐splits did not affect the pore‐water NO3‐N concentration; however, it was 169%, 152%, 150%, and 129% higher in 2‐, 3‐, 4‐, and 5‐N split treatments compared to control, that is, without N application. Though the 2‐, 3‐, 4‐, and 5‐N splits had 110%, 71%, 120%, and 91% higher area‐based NO3‐N leaching than the control, less deep percolation and more evapotranspiration in control led to no significant differences in area‐based NO3‐N leaching among all treatments. All N‐splits resulted in higher maize yield, nitrogen use efficiency, plant N uptake, harvest index, and aboveground biomass than control; however, the number of N‐splits did not affect these parameters. The inclusion of environmental cost reduced the return to nitrogen by 92–143 $ ha−1 across all N‐split treatments but did not significantly affect the differences among the splits. Overall, the results indicate that increasing the number of N‐splits does not provide agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits in irrigated maize fields during a dry year.

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Investigating tradeoffs in nitrogen loss pathways using an environmental damage cost framework

Cited by 5 publications

References 44 publications

Forty‐two years of no‐tillage and cover cropping improved soil oxygen availability and resilience

Forty‐two years of no‐tillage and cover cropping improved soil oxygen availability and resilience

Evaluating novel biodegradable polymer matrix fertilizers for nitrogen‐efficient agriculture

Impact of split nitrogen applications on nitrate leaching and maize yield in irrigated loamy sand soils of Northeast Nebraska

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