Impact of nitrogen fertilizer source on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from three different agricultural soils during freezing conditions

Nitrogen (N) application is the main agricultural management that increases nitrous oxide (N2O) concentration in the atmosphere. Freezing conditions are common phenomenon in the northern China that significantly affect soil N2O emissions through alterations in nutrients availability and microbial population. To develop a comprehensive understanding of how N fertilizer managements affect soil N2O emissions during the freezing process, a lab incubation was conducted in three typical cultivated soils (black soil, fluvo-aquic soil, or loess soil) by adding different N fertilizer sources, including ammonium chloride, sodium nitrate, or urea at different N levels (0, 80, 200, or 500 mg N/kg) at the start of freezing. The N2O emissions in the fluvo-aquic soil were significantly higher than in other soils. The application of nitrate in the fluvo-aquic soil promoted N2O emissions by five-and seven-fold higher compared to ammonium chloride and urea, whereas N2O emissions in black soil were enhanced by application of ammonium chloride. Data indicate that denitrification is the major pathway for N2O production in the fluvo-aquic soil during the freezing process, while ammonia oxidation responses accounts for elevated N2O production in black soil. No significant influence of N fertilizer levels on N2O emissions were found during soil freezing. These results suggest that agricultural practices that focus on mitigation of N2O emissions need to avoid selection of nitrate as N fertilizer source in fluvo-aquic soil prior to the freezing season. Future studies need to focus on how the expression of enzymes and/or shifts in microbial communities respond to different N fertilizers during freezing conditions.