TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating tradeoffs in nitrogen loss pathways using an environmental damage cost framework
AU - Preza-Fontes, Giovani
AU - Christianson, Laura E.
AU - Pittelkow, Cameron M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Agricultural & Environmental Letters published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Few studies have addressed whether in-field practices to reduce nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) leaching might increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which could undermine attempts to mitigate agricultural N pollution. Over a 3-year period, we assessed the impacts of N application timing and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop on subsurface drainage NO3-N leaching and N2O emissions to quantify changes in total N loss and corresponding social and environmental damage costs under continuous corn (Zea mays L.). While NO3-N losses were reduced by 37% with the combination of in-season split N application and cereal rye cover crop relative to pre-season N application, soil N2O emissions increased by 26%, highlighting a tradeoff between N loss pathways. As a result, total N losses and social and environmental damage costs from each system were not different. These results demonstrate the importance of addressing agricultural N pollution using a holistic framework accounting for the environmental and social risks of both NO3-N losses and N2O emissions.
AB - Few studies have addressed whether in-field practices to reduce nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) leaching might increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which could undermine attempts to mitigate agricultural N pollution. Over a 3-year period, we assessed the impacts of N application timing and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop on subsurface drainage NO3-N leaching and N2O emissions to quantify changes in total N loss and corresponding social and environmental damage costs under continuous corn (Zea mays L.). While NO3-N losses were reduced by 37% with the combination of in-season split N application and cereal rye cover crop relative to pre-season N application, soil N2O emissions increased by 26%, highlighting a tradeoff between N loss pathways. As a result, total N losses and social and environmental damage costs from each system were not different. These results demonstrate the importance of addressing agricultural N pollution using a holistic framework accounting for the environmental and social risks of both NO3-N losses and N2O emissions.
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U2 - 10.1002/ael2.20103
DO - 10.1002/ael2.20103
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85162148261
SN - 2471-9625
VL - 8
JO - Agricultural and Environmental Letters
JF - Agricultural and Environmental Letters
IS - 1
M1 - e20103
ER -