81-7 Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Potato Production and Their Management.



Monday, October 17, 2011: 2:30 PM
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Room 006D, River Level

David Burton, Environmental Sciences, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Truro, NS, Canada, Bernie J. Zebarth, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Federicton, NB, Canada and John MacLeod, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Charlottetown, PE, Canada
Scientifically, the potato production system is an interesting one from the perspective of nitrous oxide emissions. It is a production system where soil management causes distinct distributions of soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics over relatively short distances.  The potato hill, formed as a result of tillage following planting of the potato, has a low bulk density, well-aerated environment, containing the majority of the fertilizer applied, and is where the growing plant will be located. The potato furrow by contrast is a dense and therefore less aerobic environment where carbon and NO3- supplies are reduced relative to the hill. How do the denitrifier community and the process of denitrification respond to these differences? In this paper we will use the results of studies we have conducted in Atlantic Canada and the Northeastern United States to explore this question and its implications for nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from potato production and their management.
See more from this Division: ASA Section: Global Agronomy
See more from this Session: Challenges and Opportunities In Sustainable Agriculture: Global Case Studies of Potato Production