Ammonia emissions from fields treated with green manure in a Mediterranean climate

The ammonia flux from a green manured field was measured at a site in southern Italy. The green manure was provided by ploughing in about 66 and 78 t ha(-1) of broad beans at the flowering stage during the spring in 1995 and 1996. The NH3 flux was estimated by means of the micrometeorological simplified aerodynamic method with the ammonia concentration measured at two levels above soil surface. Ammonia concentration was measured over a 2-3 h sampling period by trapping air NH3 in a H2SO4 solution and analysing this sample in the laboratory with the colorimetric method using the Nessler solution. About 70% of the total amount of ammonia was emitted in the first two days immediately after manuring. The NH3 flux was regulated by the same mechanism as the water vapour transport. Seventy percent of the daily ammonia was emitted around noon. The ammonia emission stopped during rainy and cold days and started again as soon as solar radiation, soil and air temperature increased, following plant decomposition. The total amount of ammonia emitted in the experimental period (28 days in 1995 and 18 days in 1996) was about 13 kg ha(-1) for both years. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.