Nitrous oxide emission and sweet potato yield in upland soil: Effects of different type and application rate of composted animal manures

The aims of this study were to determine type and application rate of composted animal manure to optimize sweet potato yield relative to N2O emissions from upland soils. To this end, the study was conducted on upland soils amended with different types and rates of composted animal manure and located at two geographically different regions of South Korea. Field trials were established at Miryang and Yesan in South Korea during the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) growing season over 2 years: 2017 (Year 1) and 2018 (Year 2). Three composted animal manures (chicken, cow, and pig) were applied at the rates of 0,10, and 20 Mg ha(-1) to upland soils in both locations. In both Years and locations, manure type did not affected significantly cumulative N2O emissions from soil during the sweet potato growing season or the belowground biomass of sweet potato. However, application rate of animal manures affected significantly the cumulative N2O emission, nitrogen (N) in soil, and belowground biomass of sweet potato. An increase in cumulative N2O emission with application rates of animal manures was related to total N and inorganic N concentration in soil. The belowground biomass yield of sweet potato but also the cumulative N2O emission increased with increasing application rate of composted animal manures up to 7.6 and 16.0 Mg ha(-1) in Miryang and Yesan, respectively. To reduce N2O emission from arable soil while increasing crop yield, composted animal manures should be applied at less than application rate that produce the maximum belowground biomass of sweet potato. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The type of animal manure did not significantly affect N2O emissions or belowground biomass of sweet potato, but the application rate of animal manures significantly impacted N2O emissions, soil nitrogen content, and belowground biomass of sweet potato. Increasing application rates of composted animal manures led to higher N2O emissions and belowground biomass yield of sweet potato, suggesting that application rates should be controlled to reduce N2O emissions while maximizing crop yield.