Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Forest Soils Reduced by Straw Biochar and Nitrapyrin Applications

Jinbiao Li, Jin-Hyeob Kwak, Scott X. Chang, Xiaoqiang Gong, Zhengfeng An and Jinlin Chen
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Jinbiao Li: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Jin-Hyeob Kwak: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
Scott X. Chang: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
Xiaoqiang Gong: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
Zhengfeng An: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
Jinlin Chen: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-11

Abstract: Forestlands are widely distributed in the dominantly agricultural landscape in western Canada, and they play important ecological functions; such forestlands (e.g., shelterbelts) accumulate soil organic matter and may receive a substantial amount of nitrogen in the form of surface and subsurface runoff from adjacent croplands and become a significant source of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as CO 2 , N 2 O, and CH 4 . Biochar and nitrapyrin applications could potentially mitigate GHG emissions, but their co-application in forest soils has not been studied. We investigated the effect of the application of biochars produced at low (300 °C; BC300) and high temperatures (700 °C; BC700) using canola ( Brassica napus L.) straw and the effect of their co-application with nitrapyrin on GHG emissions and soil properties in a 35-day laboratory incubation experiment using forest soils collected from five shelterbelt sites. Results showed no significant interaction effect of biochar and nitrapyrin on the global warming potential (GWP) of the GHG emissions, and the GWP was 15.8% lower in the soil with nitrapyrin than without nitrapyrin application treatments. The GWP was significantly enhanced by BC300 addition due to a 26.9% and 627.1% increase in cumulative CO 2 and N 2 O emissions, respectively, over the 35-day incubation. The GWP significantly decreased by BC700 addition due to a 27.1% decrease in cumulative CO 2 emissions. However, biochar addition did not affect CH 4 emissions, while nitrapyrin decreased CH 4 uptake by 50.5%. With BC300 addition, soil-dissolved organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon increased by 26.5% and 33.9%, respectively, as compared to no biochar addition (CK). Soil pH increased by 0.16 and 0.37 units after the addition of BC300 and BC700, respectively. Overall, the effect of biochar and nitrapyrin was independent in mitigating GHG emissions and was related to the type of biochar applied and changes in soil properties.

Keywords: biochar; global warming potential; greenhouse gas emission; nitrification inhibitor; forest ecosystem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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