Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide Fluxes in Corn Grown under Two Tillage Systems in Southwestern Quebec

Abstract

Agriculture has an important potential role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). However, practices that reduce CO 2 emissions from soils and increase the soil organic C level may stimulate N 2 O emissions. This is particularly critical in Quebec where heavy soils and a humid climate may limit the adoption of agricultural practices designed to mitigate GHG. The objective of this work was to study the effects of two tillage and N fertilization regimes on CO 2 and N 2 O fluxes and the seasonal variability in emissions of these gases, associated with corn ( Zea mays L.) grown in southwestern Quebec. Different seasonal emission patterns of CO 2 and N 2 O were observed. Higher N 2 O fluxes occurred during the spring and were associated with precipitation events, while higher CO 2 fluxes occurred in mid‐season and were related to temperature. Conventional tillage (CT) had greater peaks of CO 2 emissions than no‐till (NT) only after disking in the spring. Once corn was established, differences between tillage systems were small. Peaks of N 2 O emission occurred in both systems (NT and CT) following N application. Plots receiving 180 kg N ha −1 in both tillage systems had large peak of N 2 O emission rates during the wettest parts of the season. The CT and NT systems generally had similar cumulative CO 2 emissions but NT had higher cumulative N 2 O emissions than CT. Our findings suggests that changing from CT to NT under the heavy soil conditions of Quebec may increase GHG, mainly as result of the increase in N 2 O emission. This negative effect of NT could be reduced by avoiding fertilizing when precipitation is more intense.