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Soil compaction raises nitrous oxide emissions in managed agroecosystems. A review

Agronomy for Sustainable Development, ISSN: 1773-0155, Vol: 42, Issue: 3
2022
  • 25
    Citations
  • 0
    Usage
  • 51
    Captures
  • 0
    Mentions
  • 0
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    25
    • Citation Indexes
      24
    • Policy Citations
      1
      • 1
  • Captures
    51

Review Description

Nitrous oxide (NO) is the contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions with the highest warming global potential. It is widely recognised that traffic and animal-induced compaction can lead to an increased potential for NO emissions by decreasing soil oxygen supply. The extent to which the spatial and temporal variability of NO emissions can be explained by soil compaction is unclear. This review aims to comprehensively discuss soil compaction effects on NO emissions, and to understand how compaction may promote NO emission hotspots and hot moments. An impact factor of NO emissions due to compaction was calculated for each selected study; compaction effects were evaluated separately for croplands, grasslands and forest lands. Topsoil compaction was found to increase NO emissions by 1.3 to 42 times across sites and land uses. Large impact factors were especially reported for cropland and grassland soils when topsoil compaction—induced by field traffic and/or grazing—is combined with nitrogen input from fertiliser or urine. Little is known about the contribution of subsoil compaction to NO emissions. Water-filled pore space is the most common water metric used to explain NO emission variability, but gas diffusivity is a parameter with higher prediction potential. Microbial community composition may be less critical than the soil environment for NO emissions, and there is a need for comprehensive studies on association between environmental drivers and soil compaction. Lack of knowledge about the interacting factors causing NO accumulation in compacted soils, at different degrees of compactness and across different spatial scales, limits the identification of high-risk areas and development of efficient mitigation strategies. Soil compaction mitigation strategies that aim to loosen the soil and recover pore system functionality, in combination with other agricultural management practices to regulate NO emission, should be evaluated for their effectiveness across different agro-climatic conditions and scales.

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