Nitrous Oxide Production and Mitigation Through Nitrification Inhibitors in Agricultural Soils: A Mechanistic Understanding and Comprehensive Evaluation of Influencing Factors

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas, and agriculture represents more than fifty percent of total anthropogenic emissions. The production of N2O in soil is biogenic through nitrification, denitrification, chemonitrification, nitrifier denitrification, etc., which are processes influenced by the soil pH, temperature, moisture, oxygen concentration, organic carbon, and soil nitrogen. Higher N2O emissions from the soil result in lower nitrogen use efficiency and higher environmental pollution in terms of global warming. Therefore, an understanding of different pathways for N2O production in soil and the affecting factors is essential to mitigate N2O emissions from soil to the atmosphere. Nitrification inhibitor application has been reported in many studies, but the impact of nitrification inhibitors in different perennials (orchards) and biennials (rice, wheat, maize, etc.) is not lacking. In this study, we develop an understanding of different N2O production pathways and different influencing factors. The role of the different nitrification inhibitors was also developed to achieve low N2O emissions from soils to the atmosphere.