Direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from two intensive vegetable farms applied with a nitrification inhibitor

Abstract

Nitrification inhibitors are effective in decreasing direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from agricultural soils but may stimulate ammonia (NH3) volatilization. Part of the NH3 deposited to land is converted to N2O and emitted to the atmosphere, termed indirect N2O emission. While vegetable production systems entail a considerable risk of NH3 and N2O loss from high nitrogen (N) input to the soil, the simultaneous effects of nitrification inhibitors on these N loss pathways have rarely been examined. We conducted paddock-scale (ca. four hectares) measurements using micrometeorological techniques to simultaneously quantify the effects of a nitrification inhibitor DMPP (3,4-dimethylpyrazole pho..