Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Selected Soil Fertility Management Practices in Humic Nitisols of Upper Eastern Kenya

Miriam W Githongo, Collins M. Musafiri, Joseph M. Macharia, Milka N. Kiboi, Andreas Fliessbach, Anne Muriuki and Felix K. Ngetich
Additional contact information
Miriam W Githongo: Department of Water and Agricultural Resource Management, University of Embu, P.O. Box 6, Embu 60100, Kenya
Collins M. Musafiri: Department of Water and Agricultural Resource Management, University of Embu, P.O. Box 6, Embu 60100, Kenya
Joseph M. Macharia: Department of Geography, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Milka N. Kiboi: Cortile Scientific Limited, P.O. Box 34991, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Andreas Fliessbach: Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL), Ackerstrasse 113, 5070 Frick, Switzerland
Anne Muriuki: National Agriculture Research Laboratories, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, P.O. Box 14733, Nairobi 00800, Kenya
Felix K. Ngetich: Cortile Scientific Limited, P.O. Box 34991, Nairobi 00100, Kenya

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: We quantified the soil carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes of five soil fertility management practices (inorganic fertilizer (Mf), maize residue + inorganic fertilizer (RMf), maize residue + inorganic fertilizer + goat manure (RMfM), maize residue + tithonia diversifolia + goat manure (RTiM), and a control (CtC)) in Kenya’s central highlands using a static chamber method from March 2019 to March 2020. The cumulative annual soil CH 4 uptake ranged from −1.07 to −0.64 kg CH 4 -C ha −1 yr −1 , CO 2 emissions from 4.59 to 9.01 Mg CO 2 -C ha −1 yr −1 , and N 2 O fluxes from 104 to 279 g N 2 O-N ha −1 yr −1 . The RTiM produced the highest CO 2 emissions (9.01 Mg CO 2 -C ha −1 yr −1 ), carbon sequestration (3.99 Mg CO 2 -eq ha −1 ), yield-scaled N 2 O emissions (YSE) (0.043 g N 2 O-N kg −1 grain yield), the lowest net global warming potential (net GWP) (−14.7 Mg CO 2 -eq ha −1 ) and greenhouse gas intensities (GHGI) (−2.81 Kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 grain yield). We observed average maize grain yields of 7.98 Mg ha −1 yr −1 under RMfM treatment. Integrating inorganic fertilizer and maize residue retention resulted in low emissions, increased soil organic carbon sequestration, and high maize yields.

Keywords: emission factor; greenhouse gas intensities; global warming potential; greenhouse gases; carbon sequestration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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