Effects of Combined Application of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Maize Productivity in a Field Condition

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important elements in agriculture. However, excessive fertilization may cause serious global environmental issues including increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) in agricultural environments. Combination of organic and inorganic fertilizations may enhance nutrient holding capacity and productivity, mitigation potential N losses during cultivation. However, these effects remain unclear. We investigated GHGs emissions, their intensity (GHGI), soil characteristics, and productivity in a maize filed under different N fertilization regimes with equivalent N rate including NPK (urea), Compost (compost), NPK+Compost (urea and compost) except control (no fertilizer). Inorganic fertilizations significantly stimulated N2O emission as compared to the control. Compost and NPK+Compost treatments effectively mitigated N2O emissions by ca. 50% as compared to NPK treatment (0.8 g m-2). CO2 and CH4 emissions were not mainly influenced or negligible by N fertilizations during cultivation. Overall soil qualities were improved by compost and NPK+Compost applications including extractable NH4+-N and CEC. The GHGI, a sustainable indicator, was lowest in NPK+Compost treatment, suggesting the promising N management practice. Conclusively, combined amendments of inorganic and organic fertilizers could be a better way to reduce potential N losses and increase productivity and soil quality in maize cultivated soils.Total maize productivity and greenhouse gas intensity under different N fertilization regimes.