ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Short-Term Inventory of GHG Fluxes in Semi-Natural and Anthropogenized Grassland
Ligita Balezentiene, Rolandas Bleizgys
More details
Hide details
Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Studentu 11, LT-53361 Akademija, Kauno R., Lithuania
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2011;20(2):255-262
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Climate change accelerates global warming and has thus become an increasing concern with need for
prompt solutions. This process occurs due to increased atmospheric green house gas (GHG) emissions. The
agro sector (crop and livestock agriculture) contributes 10 to 12% per year of the total global anthropogenic
emission and tends to increase. Most agricultural GHG emissions are generated by intensively fertilized soils,
enteric fermentation, and manure management. Remarkable GHG fluxes occurred from grasslands which
occupy 69% of global agricultural land. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate and estimate GHG emissions
in natural and abandoned grassland improved by managed fertilizing. Experimental data sets cover
grassland (clay loam topsoil over silt loam, Calc(ar)i-Endohypogleyic Luvisol) abandoned more than 20 years,
which has subsequently been fertilized with different rates of N and multiple NPK. Direct CO2, N2O, and CH4
emissions were measured in differently studied treatments (semi-natural sward: Control (0), N60, N120, N180,
N240, N180P120, N180K150, N60P40K50, and N180P120K150; cultural pasture: N180P120K150) during vegetation period
(2009). Decreasing tendency of emission fluxes was determined during vegetation period and employing
lower fertilizer rates. Therefore, appropriate fertilizing rate (N60P40K50) of extensive grassland should be considered
for its mitigating impact on climate change.