Sc. Jarvis et al., DENITRIFICATION AND THE EVOLUTION OF NITROUS-OXIDE AFTER THE APPLICATION OF CATTLE SLURRY TO A PEAT SOIL, Plant and soil, 166(2), 1994, pp. 231-241
The impact of cattle slurry on denitrification losses and nitrous oxid
e emission was determined on a peat soil in the Netherlands. As well a
s measuring losses on a day-to-day basis after three different methods
of slurry application, two methods for estimating denitrification and
nitrous oxide emissions were compared, i.e. coring/incubation and enc
losure techniques. Slurry was applied either in a conventional way, di
luted 1:3 or acidified with nitric acid. There was much variation with
time, method of assessment and method of slurry application in both a
pparent denitrification rates and N2O fluxes: it was not always possib
le to provide adequate explanation for all of the effects demonstrated
. Major proportions of the variation in denitrification and N2O emissi
on could be accounted for by variation in soil moisture, soil temperat
ure and NH4+ (but not NO3-) content. It was suggested that nitrificati
on was playing a key role in maintaining an adequate substrate supply
(NO) for denitrification and perhaps contributing directly to an unkno
wn extent to N2O emissions. There were overall differences in the exte
nt of losses with the different methods of slurry application but thes
e were highly dependent upon interactions with current soil and weathe
r conditions.