Influence of Fertilizer Placement On Gaseous Loss (CO2, CH4, N2O, and NH4) Under Different Tillage Management Practices in a Corn Cropping System.

Recent concerns for climate change combined with a growing threat of environmental degradation have generated interest among the scientific community to develop new technologies to abate these concerns.  Thus, an implement for applying poultry litter in shallow subsurface band has been developed and used for side-dressing row crops.  It is hypothesized that this technology will reduce nutrient loss in surface water runoff, N volatilization, and greenhouse gas emissions.  This study evaluated the effects of fertilizer source (poultry litter vs. inorganic N), fertilizer placement (subsurface banding vs. surface application) under different tillage systems (conventional tillage vs. no-tillage) with and without a cover crop (rye). This study was conducted in the Appalachian Plateau region of northeast Alabama on a Hartsells fine sandy loam. Measurements of CO₂ CH₄, N₂O, and NH₄ were evaluated to assess the effects of the different management practices. The results of this study will show the impact that subsurface applying poultry litter has on greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to commercial fertilizer and surface application of poultry litter, under conventional and no-tillage systems.