Application of the DNDC model to estimate N2O emissions under different types of irrigation in vineyards in Ningxia, China

•Conduct in situ observation of N2O emissions under drip and furrow irrigation regimes.•Verify the feasibility of the DNDC model to simulate N2O emissions.•Conduct scenario analysis to explore the variation in N2O emissions.•Perform regional simulation to demonstrate the reduction in N2O emissions.

Furrow irrigation, which can be combined with fertilisation by dissolving solid fertilisers in irrigation water, is the most common practice in vineyards in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and drip irrigation and fertigation have been employed in some areas. These irrigation methods and their corresponding fertilisation schemes may affect nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the soil. Therefore, it is important to use a model to simulate differences in N2O emissions and identify farmland management methods that limit N2O emissions. During the July–August 2012 and July–September 2013 growing seasons, the denitrification and decomposition (DNDC) model was tested against experimental N2O emissions data from vineyards in Yuquanying, Yongning, Yinchuan, Ningxia. After model validation, the simulated differences in emissions between furrow irrigation and drip irrigation were 9.86 ± 0.845 and 0.966 ± 0.464 kg ha−1 a−1 in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Thus, the emissions were reduced by approximately 72.5% and 52.4% in 2012 and 2013. In the regional simulation, the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the annual N2O emission reductions reached 27,749,760 ± 5,489,160 kg CO2-equivalents after the vineyards in the Ningxia Autonomous Region were converted from furrow irrigation to drip irrigation. In conclusion, the DNDC model, which proved to be a powerful tool for addressing the efficacy of alternative management practices in vineyards, revealed that N2O emissions can be reduced by adopting drip irrigation systems rather than traditional furrow irrigation systems.