Nitric oxide emission from a typical vegetable field in the Pearl River Delta, China

Croplands contribute to atmospheric nitric oxide (NO), but very limited data are available about NO fluxes from intensively managed croplands in China. In this study, NO fluxes were measured in a typical vegetable field planted with flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. Chinensis var. utilis Tsen et Lee), which is the most widely cultivated vegetable in Guangdong province, south China. NO emission drastically increased after nitrogen fertilizer application, and other practices involving loosening the soil also enhanced NO emission. Mean NO emission flux was 47.5 ng N m−2 s–1 over a complete growth cycle. Annual NO emission from the vegetable field was about 10.1 kg N ha−1 yr−1. Fertilizer-induced NO emission factor was estimated to be 2.4%. Total NO emission from vegetable fields in Guangdong province was roughly estimated to be 11.7 Gg N yr−1 based on the vegetable field area and annual NO emission rate, and to be 13.3 Gg N yr−1 based on fertilizer-induced NO emission factor and background NO emission. This means that NO emission from vegetable fields was approximately 6% of NOx from commercial energy consumption in Guangdong province.