title: Measurements of soil carbon dioxide emissions from two maize agroecosystems at harvest under different tillage conditions.
abstract: In this study a comparison of the soil CO2 fluxes emitted from two maize (Zea mays L.) fields with the same soil type was performed. Each field was treated with a different tillage technique: conventional tillage (30 cm depth ploughing) and no-tillage. Measurements were performed in the Po Valley (Italy) from September to October 2012, covering both pre- and postharvesting conditions, by means of two identical systems based on automatic static soil chambers. Main results show that no-tillage technique caused higher CO2 emissions than conventional tillage (on average 2.78 and 0.79 μmol CO2 m(-2) s(-1), resp.). This result is likely due to decomposition of the organic litter left on the ground of the no-tillage site and thus to an increased microbial and invertebrate respiration. On the other hand, fuel consumption of conventional tillage technique is greater than no-tillage consumptions. For these reasons this result cannot be taken as general. More investigations are needed to take into account all the emissions related to the field management cycle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics & Physics, Catholic University, via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Gerosa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giacomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics & Physics, Catholic University, via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Finco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Angelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics & Physics, Catholic University, via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Boschetti
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fabio
authors.affiliation: ERSAF, Regional Agency for Services to the Agriculture and Forests of the Lombardy Region, via Pola 12, 20124 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Brenna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stefano
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics & Physics, Catholic University, via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzuoli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riccardo
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D001272:Atmosphere; D018533:Biomass; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development; D017753:Ecosystem; D006540:Herbicides / Q000633:toxicity; D007558:Italy; D016014:Linear Models; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D057685:Plant Weeds / Q000254:growth & development; D012621:Seasons; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013696:Temperature; D014887:Weather; D003313:Zea mays / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D012987:Soil; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002244:Carbon