HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (39) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sherlock, R. R. Articles by Cameron, K. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sherlock, R. R. Articles by Cameron, K. C. Agricola Articles by Sherlock, R. R. Articles by Cameron, K. C. Related Collections Nutrient Cycling Air Pollution Animal Waste

TECHNICAL REPORTS
Atmospheric Pollutants and Trace Gases

Ammonia, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide Emission from Pig Slurry Applied to a Pasture in New Zealand

Robert R. Sherlock^a, Sven G. Sommer^*,b, Rehmat Z. Khan, C. Wesley Wood^b, Elizabeth A. Guertal^b, John R. Freney^c, Christopher O. Dawson^d and Keith C. Cameron^a

^a Soil Plant and Ecological Sciences Division, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln Univ., Canterbury, New Zealand
^b Dep. of Agronomy and Soils, 236 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849-5412
^c CSIRO Plant Industry, G.P.O. Box 1600, Canberra, ACT, Australia
^d Animal and Food Sciences Division, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln Univ., Canterbury, New Zealand

* Corresponding author (SvenG.Sommer{at}agrsci.dk)

Received for publication June 19, 2001. Much animal manure is being applied to small land areas close to animal confinements, resulting in environmental degradation. This paper reports a study on the emissions of ammonia (NH₃), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from a pasture during a 90-d period after pig slurry application (60 m³ ha^-1) to the soil surface. The pig slurry contained 6.1 kg total N m^-3, 4.2 kg of total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN = NH₃ + NH₄) m^-3, and 22.1 kg C m^-3, and had a pH of 8.14. Ammonia was lost at a fast rate immediately after slurry application (4.7 kg N ha^-1 h^-1), when the pH and TAN concentration of the surface soil were high, but the loss rate declined quickly thereafter. Total NH₃ losses from the treated pasture were 57 kg N ha^-1 (22.5% of the TAN applied). Methane emission was highest (39.6 g C ha^-1 h^-1) immediately after application, as dissolved CH₄ was released from the slurry. Emissions then continued at a low rate for approximately 7 d, presumably due to metabolism of volatile fatty acids in the anaerobic slurry–treated soil. The net CH₄ emission was 1052 g C ha^-1 (0.08% of the carbon applied). Nitrous oxide emission was low for the first 14 d after slurry application, then showed emission peaks of 7.5 g N ha^-1 h^-1 on Day 25 and 15.8 g N ha^-1 h^-1 on Day 67, and decline depending on rainfall and nitrate (NO₃) concentrations. Emission finally reached background levels after approximately 90 d. Nitrous oxide emission was 7.6 kg N ha^-1 (2.1% of the N applied). It is apparent that of the two major greenhouse gases measured in this study, N₂O is by far the more important tropospheric pollutant.

Abbreviations: IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change • TAN, total ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₃ + NH₄)

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Hernandez-Ramirez, S. M. Brouder, D. R. Smith, and G. E. Van Scoyoc Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in an Eastern Corn Belt Soil: Weather, Nitrogen Source, and Rotation J. Environ. Qual., March 25, 2009; 38(3): 841 - 854. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. K. Jarecki, T. B. Parkin, A. S. K. Chan, J. L. Hatfield, and R. Jones Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Two Soils Receiving Nitrogen Fertilizer and Swine Manure Slurry J. Environ. Qual., June 23, 2008; 37(4): 1432 - 1438. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. Li and F. M. Kelliher Methane Oxidation in Freely and Poorly Drained Grassland Soils and Effects of Cattle Urine Application J. Environ. Qual., July 17, 2007; 36(5): 1241 - 1248. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Ginting and B. Eghball Nitrous Oxide Emission from No-Till Irrigated Corn: Temporal Fluctuation and Wheel Traffic Effects Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., May 6, 2005; 69(3): 915 - 924. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. L. Velthof, J. A. Nelemans, O. Oenema, and P. J. Kuikman Gaseous Nitrogen and Carbon Losses from Pig Manure Derived from Different Diets J. Environ. Qual., March 1, 2005; 34(2): 698 - 706. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. J. Clough, F. M. Kelliher, R. R. Sherlock, and C. D. Ford Lime and Soil Moisture Effects on Nitrous Oxide Emissions from a Urine Patch Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., September 1, 2004; 68(5): 1600 - 1609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Rotz Management to reduce nitrogen losses in animal production J Anim Sci, January 1, 2004; 82(13_suppl): E119 - 137. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]