Nitrous oxide emissions from cultivated black soil: A case study in Northeast China and global estimates using empirical model

Abstract Manure application is effective in promoting soil carbon sequestration, but its impact on N 2 O emission is not well understood. A field experiment was conducted in a maize‐cultivated black soil in Northeast China with six treatments: inorganic fertilizer (NPK), 75% inorganic fertilizer N plus 25% pig (PM1) or chicken (CM1) manure N, 50% inorganic fertilizer N plus 50% pig (PM2) or chicken (CM2) manure N, and no N fertilizer (CK). Annual N 2 O emission significantly increased from 0.34 kg N ha −1 for CK to 0.86 kg N ha −1 for NPK and further to 1.65, 1.02, 1.17, and 0.93 kg N ha −1 for PM1, CM1, PM2, and CM2, respectively. A 15 N tracing study showed that 71–79% of total N 2 O was related to nitrification at 30–70% water‐filled pore space (WFPS), and heterotrophic nitrification contributed 49% and 25% to total N 2 O at 30% and 70% WFPS, respectively. In an incubation, N 2 O emission was only stimulated when nitrate and glucose were applied together at 60% WFPS, indicating that denitrification was carbon limited. PM had a stronger effect on denitrification than CM due to higher decomposability, and the lower N 2 O emission at higher manure application rate was associated with decreased mineral N supply. After compiling a worldwide database and establishing an empirical model that related N 2 O emissions (kg N ha −1 ) to precipitation ( P r , m) and fertilizer N application rate ( N r , kg N ha −1 ) (N 2 O = 1.533 P r + 0.0238 P r N r ), annual N 2 O emission from global‐cultivated black soil applied with inorganic fertilizer N was estimated as 347 Gg N. Our results suggested that N 2 O emission from cultivated black soils in China was low primarily due to low precipitation and labile organic carbon availability, and would be stimulated by manure application; thus, increased N 2 O emission should be taken into consideration as applying manure increases soil organic carbon sequestration.