CH4 fluxes and soil CH4 concentration following application of pig slurry for the 19th consecutive year

Agricultural soils often receive annual manure applications over long perio ds. The objective of this study was to describe the temporal variations of CH4 fluxes during the growing season in an agricultural soil receiving pig slurry for the 19th consecutive year. In mineral-fertilized control plots, CH4 fluxes were small and negative (uptake) during the experiment, Fluxes w ere also negative in the manured plots except during the first 4 d followin g slurry application when net emissions were measured. Despite their short duration, these post-application emissions were almost equivalent to the am ount of CH4 taken up by these soils during the rest of the snow-free season .