Abstract
The recycling of green crop residues is promoted for enhancing soil organic carbon sequestration and health, but can also stimulate emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and ammonia (NH₃). Soil tillage can lead to different residue distributions which affect contact with decomposers and local gas and solute diffusion. This study aims to quantify N₂O, NH₃, and carbon dioxide emissions from N-rich red clover residue subjected to three different distributions in the soil—surface, layered, and mixed—across three contrasting agricultural soils. The incubations were performed under laboratory conditions for 50 days at 15 °C, with a water-filled pore space of 60%. Gas fluxes as well as soil ammonium and nitrate contents were measured. Results showed that N₂O emissions were strongly influenced by soil type and residue placement, with sandy loam producing the highest cumulative fluxes, particularly in the mixed (17.4 kg N ha⁻1) and layered (11.5 kg N ha⁻1) treatments. NH₃ volatilization occurred almost exclusively from surface residues, peaking at 10.2 kg N ha⁻1 in sandy loam soil. Emission for N2O were significantly higher than previously reported for residues. These findings highlight that both residue placement and soil properties critically determine gaseous emission patterns.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to Ms. J. Jean-Jacques, Mr. O. Fanucci, Mr. L. Vieville, Mr. M. Marques, Mr. G. Alavoine for their supervision, advice and help in chemical analyses. We thank Ms. Ernfors for providing the SLU soil. We would also like to thank Dr. B. Andrieu for his review of an earlier version of this manuscript.
Funding
Authors acknowledge the financial support received from the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the ERA-NET Cofund scheme FACCE ERAGAS, in the frame of the “Improved Estimation and Mitigation of Nitrous Oxide Emissions and Soil Carbon Storage from Crop Residues (Residue Gas) project. FACCE ERA-GAS has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement No. 696356. The French funding grant number was ANR-17-EGAS-0003. The project was also funded by the Department of Environment and Agriculture, INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment).
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French soil samples were collected from the experimental facilities of INRAE and/or AgroParisTech within the ICOS infrastructures. No specific licenses or permits were required for these locations as they are designated research sites managed by the authors’ host institution. SLU soil was collected by project partners within the Residue Gas project. All sampling procedures complied with institutional safety and environmental guidelines.
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Chandra, V., Lashermes, G., Laville, P. et al. Temporal dynamics of ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions following green crop residue recycling in soils.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-54279-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-54279-5
Keywords
- Soil organic matter
- Laboratory incubations
- Soil pH
- Red clover
- Mineral nitrogen dynamics
- Greenhouse gas mitigation
Source: Ecology - nature.com
