Nitrous oxide emissions from potato cropping under drip-fertigation in eastern Germany

In this article, a drip-fertigation system was compared to a control without irrigation concerning the amount of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions under the climatic conditions of north-east Germany. The investigation was carried out at a field research station in the federal state of Brandenburg. The mean N2O emissions under drip-fertigation were significantly higher than under non-irrigation. The higher N2O emissions under drip-fertigation can be explained by a constantly higher water-filled pore space (WFPS). These higher values in WFPS were caused by the necessary nutrient supply in combination with additional water application in periods with frequent rainfall.