Soil temperature and gas (CO2 and O2) emissions from soils under different tillage machinery systems

Abstract

With the intensive development of industry, agriculture, forestry, public utilities, and other fields, the issue of climate change has been discussed actively. Increasing emissions of CO2 greenhouse gas is one of the most important causes of the climate change. In agriculture, soil and processes occurring therein form one of the biggest sources of CO, emissions into the environment. The main objective of this study is to establish the impact of different tillage machines on the emission of CO, and O, from soil, to study the dynamics of the upper soil level temperature before and after tillage, and during plant vegetation. The experimental studies of Calcareous hypogleyic luvisol were carried out at the Experimental Station of the Lithuanian University of Agriculture in 2009-2010. The following 5 different tillage machinery systems were applied for the studies: (DP) deep ploughing up to 25 cm depth; (SP) shallow ploughing up to 12 cm depth; (DC) deep chisel cultivation up to 30 cm depth; and (SC) shallow loosening with disc harrow up to 12 cm depth and (DD) direct drilling (no-tilled soil). The studies allowed establishing that the selection of the tillage machinery system influences the emission of CO, greenhouse gas from soil. The highest CO., gas emissions were found incase of intensive ploughing (551 ppm); the lowest emissions were observed from soils subjected to hallow loosening with disc harrow and from no-tilled soils (330 ppm). No significant differences in O, gas emissions in case of applying different tillage machinery systems were established. All options of autumn tillage machinery systems case a decrease in the temperature of the upper layer of soil, while spring ones increase it compared to no-tilled soil.