Effect of nitrogen fertilizer rate on nitrous oxide emission from irrigated potato on a clay loam soil in Manitoba, Canada

Gao, X., Tenuta, M., Nelson, A., Sparling, B., Tomasiewicz, D., Mohr, R. M. and Bizimungu, B. 2013. Effect of nitrogen fertilizer rate on nitrous oxide emission from irrigated potato on a clay loam soil in Manitoba, Canada. Can. J. Soil Sci. 93: 1-11. This study examined the effect of N fertilizer application rate on N2O emissions for irrigated potato production on a clay loam soil near Carberry, Manitoba, over two growing seasons. Treatments were an unfertilized control, and urea-N fertilizer application rates of 80, 160 and 240 kg N ha-1, which were applied as split applications. The marketable yield increased at 80 kg N ha-1 relative to the unfertilized control, but did not respond to higher rates of fertilizer. Peak emission of N2O followed fertilizer application and rain or irrigation events. Emission rates following fertilizer application and water addition events were greater from hill than from furrow position in 2009, but not in 2010. In the latter, ponding of water in furrows likely resulted in ...