Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T14:37:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucas Contarato Pilon.pdf: 1648966 bytes, checksum: cac40ef638ed16eaccc0afa53f321565 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-28 / Diante da necessidade de obter informações sobre o cultivo de cafeeiros arborizados, o objetivo do trabalho é avaliar a relação dos atributos químicos, físicos e os componentes da matéria orgânica do solo sob cultivo de café consorciado com diferentes espécies arbóreas, comparativamente ao café cultivado a pleno sol, tendo como referência uma área sob floresta. O trabalho foi conduzido em sistemas de produção de café, numa propriedade familiar, município de Nova Venécia - ES. O solo da área é um ARGISSOLO AMARELO Distrocoeso típico, cultivado com café conilon consorciado com árvores, nos seguintes sistemas de uso e manejo: 1) café sem consórcio (pleno sol), 2) café consorciado com nim (Azadirachta indica), 3) café consorciado com cedro australiano (Cedrela fissilis) e 4) café consorciado com teca (Tectona grandis). Foi utilizado um solo de área florestal, como referência. A amostragem do solo foi realizada nas seguintes profundidades: 0,0 0,05; 0,05 0,10; 0,10 0,20; e 0,20 0,40 m, avaliando-se atributos químicos (pH, P, K, Ca, Mg, Al, H+Al, N, C total, C ext em água, C biomassa microbiana e emissão de CO2) e físicos do solo (granulometria, densidade do solo e de partículas, porosidade total, macro e microporosidade, estabilidade de agregados, resistência do solo à penetração e umidade do solo). A avaliação do carbono solúvel (C ext) e do carbono da biomassa microbiana do solo (CBMS) foi realizada em duas épocas (março e setembro/2012) nas profundidades de 0,0 0,05 e 0,05 0,10 m; já a emissão de CO2 foi medida na mesma época que, na presença e ausência de serapilheira. Os resultados experimentais mostram que os sistemas de uso e manejo apresentam comportamento diferenciado para grande parte dos atributos estudados. O solo florestal apresenta maiores teores e estoques de carbono orgânico total e nitrogênio total, 19,8 e 1,99 Mg ha-1 respectivamente, além de maior teor de carbono na biomassa microbiana (518,8 μg g-1 solo em março e 364,8 μg g-1 solo em setembro). Os atributos dos solos sob cafeeiros consorciados, de maneira geral, não diferem do solo sob cafeeiro a pleno sol, exceção feita para os atributos Mg, N e o C ext, C-BMS, quociente microbiano (qMic) na duas épocas de coleta, os quais são superiores nos consórcios agroflorestais, e o quociente metabólico (qCO2) inferior, denotando maior estabilidade dos cafeeiros arborizados. O café a pleno sol mostra-se um agroecossitema mais perturbado com maior qCO2 (1,81 μg CO2 C-BMS-1 h-1 em março e 2,44 μg CO2 C-BMS-1 h-1 em setembro). A proteção do solo ocasionada pelo sombreamento das árvores e a deposição de serapilheira influencia principalmente os atributos biológicos estudados, favorecendo um maior equilíbrio nos cafeeiros arborizados. Com relação aos atributos físicos, o consórcio proporciona menor densidade do solo, maior porosidade total e macroporosidade do solo, diferindo do café a pleno sol. Os cafeeiros consorciados se diferem somente na agregação do solo. A resistência do solo à penetração é influenciada pela umidade do solo, com destaque para o café a pleno sol que apresenta valores mais baixos desse atributo, em função da irrigação, que eleva a umidade do solo. O estudo numa condição de Argissolo coeso, mostra que 5 anos de implantação de sistemas arborizados são suficiente para apresentar pequenas mudanças nos atributos estudados, no entanto para atributos de alta sensibilidade, como os biológicos, são suficientes para apresentar mudanças mais consistentes dos sistemas de uso e manejo / Faced with the need for information on the coffee agroforestry systems, the objective is to evaluate the relationship of the chemical, physical and components of soil organic matter under coffee intercropping with different tree species, compared to the full-sun coffee with an area under forest like reference. The research was conducted in coffee production systems, a family farm, in Nova Venécia city - ES. The soil is an YELLOW ULTISOL Distrocohesive typical, with shadow coffee plantation, the following different land use systems and management: 1) coffee full (full-sun), 2) coffee intercropped with neem (Azadirachta indica), 3) coffee intercropped with Australian cedar (Cedrela fissilis) and 4) coffee intercropped with Teca (Tectona grandis). It was used a soil of forest area, as a reference. Soil sampling was conducted in the following depths: 0.0-0.05, 0.05-0.10; 0.10-0.20, and 0.20-0.40 m, evaluating chemical soil attributes ( pH, P, K, Ca, Mg, Al, H + Al, total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC), water-soluble carbon (WSC), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil CO2 emission and physical soil attributes (particle size, bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity and soil resistance penetration), was collected and characterization of accumulated litter. The evaluation of soluble carbon (soluble C) and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) was held twice a year (March and september/2012) at depths from 0.0-0.05 and 0.05-0, 10 m, the soil CO2 emission was measured at the same times, in the presence and absence of litter. The experimental results show that the use and management systems were characterized for most attributes researched. The forest soil has higher levels of stocks and TOC and TN, 19.8 and 1.99 Mg ha-1 respectively, and the higher SMBC (518.8 mg g-1 soil in March and 364, 8 mg g-1 soil in September). The soil under shadow coffee, in general, do not differ from full-sun coffee, except for the attributes Mg, N and soluble C, SMBC, microbial quotient (QMIC) at both harvests, which are higher in agroforestry systems, and attributes TOC/ soluble C and metabolic quotient (qCO2) lower values, indicating greater stability of shadow coffee systems. The full-sun coffee shows more disturbed agroecosystem with high qCO2 (1.81 μg CO2 CBMS-1 h-1in March and 2.44 μg CO2 CBMS-1 h-1 in September). The protection of soil caused by shading from trees and litterfall influences the biological attributes primarily, favoring a greater balance in shadow coffee. Relative to physical attributes, the intercropped provides a lower bulk density, higher total porosity and macroporosity, differing full-sun coffee. The shadow coffee up differs only in soil aggregation. The soil resistance penetration is influenced by soil moisture, especially for full-sun coffee which shows lower values of this attribute, depending on irrigation management, which increase soil moisture. The study provides a ULTISOL cohesive, shows that 5 years of systems implementation, are enough to present small changes in the attributes studied, however high sensitivity to attributes such as biological changes are sufficient to represent most consistent use and management systems

Water scarcity combined with an increasing world population is creating pressure to develop new methods for producing food using less water. Rice is a staple crop with a very high water demand. This study examined the success in maintaining yields under water-saving irrigation management, including alternate wetting and drying (AWD). A meta-analysis was conducted examining yields under various types of water-saving irrigation compared to control plots kept under continuous flooding. The results indicated that yields can indeed be maintained under AWD as long as the field water level during the dry cycles is not allowed to drop below -15 cm, or the soil water potential is not allowed to drop below -10 kPa. Yields can likewise be maintained using irrigation intervals of 2 days, but the variability increases. Midseason drainage was not found to affect yield, though non-flooded conditions when maintained throughout most of the crop season appeared to be detrimental to yields. Increasingly negative effects on yields were found when increasing the severity of AWD or the length of the drainage periods. Potential benefits and drawbacks of water-saving irrigation management with regards to greenhouse gas emissions, soil quality and nutrient losses were discussed to highlight the complexity of the challenges of saving water in rice production.

No description available.

La coltivazione dei sistemi colturali poliennali su terreni marginali combina la produzione sostenibile di biomassa per diversi utilizzi a benefici di carattere ambientale come il sequestro del C atmosferico nel suolo. La limitata longevità di questi sistemi colturali (10-20 anni), fornisce la possibilità di sfruttarli come una tecnica temporanea per rigenerare la fertilità dei terreni marginali e di studiare il loro effetto nel lungo periodo sul carbonio del suolo. Con questa tesi, avevo l'obiettivo di studiare l'effetto della riconversione a coltura annuali dei sistemi agricoli poliennali sul carbonio del suolo: per raggiungere questo obiettivo, ho combinato ad una meta-analisi di letteratura sull'effetto della riconversione, con un esperimento di campo di lungo periodo, un esperimento di incubazione in laboratorio e l'uso di un modello matematico del carbonio del suolo. L'uso combinato di questi approcci mi ha permesso di mostrare il potenziale che i sistemi colturali poliennali hanno nel sostenere il sequestro del C ne suolo anche dopo la loro riconversione. Quindi i sistemi colturali poliennali sono una pratica sostenibile promettente che può essere integrata in rotazioni agricole di 13 anni sui terreni marginali del nord d'Italia per ripristinare il carbonio del suolo. / The cultivation of perennial cropping systems on marginal lands combines the production of sustainable biomass for multiple uses with environmental benefits such as carbon (C) sequestration in soil. In this thesis, we studied the effect of perennial cropping system on soil C considering the scenario of perennial cropping systems reversion to arable land. The limited longevity (10-20 years) of perennial cropping systems, gives the possibility of using these crops as a temporary- option to restore soil fertility of marginal lands and to study the long-term legacy of these cropping systems on soil C. In this thesis I aimed to study the effect of perennial cropping systems reversion to arable land on soil C: to achieve this objective, I combined a literature meta-analysis on the effect of reversion of perennial cropping systems on soil C, with a long-term field experiment on perennial cropping systems, an incubation experiment and the use of a process-based soil C model. The combined use of these approaches gave me the chance to show the potential of perennial cropping systems to support C sequestration even after their reversion. Therefore, perennial cropping systems are a promising sustainable practice which could be integrated on a 13-year agricultural rotation on marginal lands of northern Italy to restore soil C.

No description available.

Soil spectroscopy in the visible-to-near infrared (VNIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) is a cost-effective method to determine the soil organic carbon content (SOC) based on predictive spectral models calibrated to analytical-determined SOC reference data. The degree to which uncertainty in reference data and spectral measurements contributes to the estimated accuracy of VNIR and MIR predictions, however, is rarely addressed and remains unclear, in particular for current handheld MIR spectrometers. We thus evaluated the reproducibility of both the spectral reflectance measurements with portable VNIR and MIR spectrometers and the analytical dry combustion SOC reference method, with the aim to assess how varying spectral inputs and reference values impact the calibration and validation of predictive VNIR and MIR models. Soil reflectance spectra and SOC were measured in triplicate, the latter by different laboratories, for a set of 75 finely ground soil samples covering a wide range of parent materials and SOC contents. Predictive partial least-squares regression (PLSR) models were evaluated in a repeated, nested cross-validation approach with systematically varied spectral inputs and reference data, respectively. We found that SOC predictions from both VNIR and MIR spectra were equally highly reproducible on average and similar to the dry combustion method, but MIR spectra were more robust to calibration sample variation. The contributions of spectral variation (ΔRMSE < 0.4 g·kg−1) and reference SOC uncertainty (ΔRMSE < 0.3 g·kg−1) to spectral modeling errors were small compared to the difference between the VNIR and MIR spectral ranges (ΔRMSE ~1.4 g·kg−1 in favor of MIR). For reference SOC, uncertainty was limited to the case of biased reference data appearing in either the calibration or validation. Given better predictive accuracy, comparable spectral reproducibility and greater robustness against calibration sample selection, the portable MIR spectrometer was considered overall superior to the VNIR instrument for SOC analysis. Our results further indicate that random errors in SOC reference values are effectively compensated for during model calibration, while biased SOC calibration data propagates errors into model predictions. Reference data uncertainty is thus more likely to negatively impact the estimated validation accuracy in soil spectroscopy studies where archived data, e.g., from soil spectral libraries, are used for model building, but it should be negligible otherwise.

Le réservoir de carbone de sol est un élément clé du cycle global du carbone et donc du système climatique. Les sols et le carbone organique qu'ils contiennent constituent le plus grand réservoir de carbone des écosystèmes terrestres. Ce réservoir est également responsable du stockage d'une grande quantité de carbone prélevé de l'atmosphère par les plantes par la photosynthèse. C'est pourquoi les sols sont considérés comme une stratégie de mitigation viable pour réduire la concentration atmosphérique de CO2 dûe aux émissions globales de CO2 d'origine fossile. Malgré son importance, des incertitudes subsistent quant à la taille du réservoir global de carbone organique de sol et à ses dynamiques. Les modèles de biosphère terrestre sont des outils essentiels pour quantifier et étudier la dynamique du carbone organique de sol. Ces modèles simulent les processus biophysiques et biogéochimiques au sein des écosystèmes et peuvent également simuler le comportement futur du réservoir de carbone organique de sol en utilisant des forçages météorologiques appropriés. Cependant, de grandes incertitudes dans les projections faite par les modèles de biosphère terrestre sur les dynamiques du carbone organique de sol ont été observées, en partie dues au problème de l'équifinalité. Afin d'améliorer notre compréhension de la dynamique du carbone organique de sol, cette recherche visait à optimiser les paramètres du schéma de carbone de sol contenu dans le modèle de schéma canadien de surface terrestre incluant les cycles biogéochimiques (CLASSIC), afin de parvenir à une meilleure représentation de la dynamique du carbone organique de sol. Une analyse de sensibilité globale a été réalisée pour identifier lesquels parmis les 16 paramètres du schéma de carbone de sol, n'affectaient pas la simulation du carbone organique de sol et de la respiration du sol. L'analyse de sensibilité a utilisé trois sites de covariance des turbulences afin de représenter différentes conditions climatiques simulées par le schéma de carbone de sol et d'économiser le coût calculatoire de l'analyse. L'analyse de sensibilité a démontré que certains paramètres du schéma de carbone de sol ne contribuent pas à la variance des simulations du carbone organique de sol et de la respiration du sol. Ce résultat a permis de réduire la dimensionnalité du problème d'optimisation. Ensuite, quatre scénarios d'optimisation ont été élaborés sur la base de l'analyse de sensibilité, chacun utilisant un ensemble de paramètres. Deux fonctions coûts ont été utilisées pour l'optimisation de chacun des scénarios. L'optimisation a également démontré que la fonction coût utilisée avait un impact sur les ensembles de paramètres optimisés. Les ensembles de paramètres obtenus à partir des différents scénarios et fonctions coûts ont été comparés à des ensembles de données indépendants et à des estimations globales du carbone organique de sol à l'aide de métrique tel la racine de l'erreur quadratique moyenne et le bias, afin d'évaluer l'effet des ensembles de paramètres sur les simulations effectuées par le schéma de carbone de sol. Un ensemble de paramètres a surpassé les autres ensembles de paramètres optimisés ainsi que le paramétrage par défaut du modèle. Ce résultat a indiqué que la structure d'optimisation était en mesure de produire un ensemble de paramètres qui simulait des valeurs de carbone organique de sol et de respiration du sol qui étaient plus près des valeurs observées que le modèle CLASSIC par défaut, améliorant la représentation de la dynamique du carbone du sol. Cet ensemble de paramètres optimisés a ensuite été utilisé pour effectuer des simulations futures (2015-2100) de la dynamique du carbone organique de sol afin d'évaluer son impact sur les projections de CLASSIC. Les simulations futures ont montré que l'ensemble de paramètres optimisés simulait une quantité de carbone organique de sol 62 % plus élevée que l'ensemble de paramètres par défaut tout en simulant des flux de respiration du sol similaires. Les simulations futures ont également montré que les ensembles de paramètres optimisés et par défaut prévoyaient que le réservoir de carbone organique de sol demeurerait un puits de carbone net d'ici 2100 avec des sources nettes régionales. Cette étude a amélioré globalement la représentation de la dynamique du carbone organique de sol dans le schéma de carbone de sol de CLASSIC en fournissant un ensemble de paramètres optimisés. Cet ensemble de paramètres devrait permettre d'améliorer notre compréhension de la dynamique du carbone du sol. / The soil carbon pool is a vital component of the global carbon cycle and, therefore, the climate system. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems. This pool stores a large quantity of carbon that plants have removed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Because of this, soils are considered a viable climate change mitigation strategy to lower the global atmospheric CO2 concentration that is presently being driven higher by anthropogenic fossil CO2 emissions. Despite its importance, there are still considerable uncertainties around the size of the global SOC pool and its response to changing climate. Terrestrial biosphere models (TBM) simulate the biogeochemical processes within ecosystems and are critical tools to quantify and study SOC dynamics. These models can also simulate the future behavior of SOC if carefully applied and given the proper meteorological forcings. However, TBM predictions of SOC dynamics have high uncertainties due in part to equifinality. To improve our understanding of SOC dynamics, this research optimized the parameters of the soil carbon scheme contained within the Canadian Land Surface Scheme Including Biogeochemical Cycles (CLASSIC), to better represent SOC dynamics. A global sensitivity analysis was performed to identify which of the 16 parameters of the soil carbon scheme did not affect simulated SOC stocks and soil respiration (Rsoil). The sensitivity analysis used observations from three eddy covariance sites for computational efficiency and to encapsulate the climate represented by the global soil carbon scheme. The sensitivity analysis revealed that some parameters of the soil carbon scheme did not contribute to the variance of simulated SOC and Rsoil. These parameters were excluded from the optimization which helped reduce the dimensionality of the optimization problem. Then, four optimization scenarios were created based on the sensitivity analysis, each using a different set of parameters to assess the impact the number of parameters included had on the optimization. Two different loss functions were used in the optimization to assess the impact of accounting for observational error. Comparing the optimal parameters between the optimizations performed using the different loss functions showed that the loss functions impacted the optimized parameter sets. To determine which optimized parameter set obtained by each loss function was most skillful, they were compared to independent data sets and global estimates of SOC, which were not used in the optimization using comparison metrics based on root-mean-square-deviation and bias. This study generated an optimal parameter set that outperformed the default parameterization of the model. This optimal parameter set was then applied in future simulations of SOC dynamics to assess its impact upon CLASSIC's future projections. These future simulations showed that the optimal parameter set simulated future global SOC content 62 % higher than the default parameter set while simulating similar Rsoil fluxes. The future simulations also showed that both the optimized and default parameter sets projected that the SOC pool would be a net sink by 2100 with regional net sources, notably tropical regions.

No description available.

Die Ergebnisse aus den beiden Dauerfeldversuchen verdeutlichen, dass die mineralische N Düngung wie erwartet den größten Einfluss auf die Höhe der THG Emissionen hat. Die höchsten THG Minderungspotenziale zeigten sich folglich in der Reduktion der mineralischen N Düngung, insbesondere wenn die N Düngung oberhalb des standortspezifischen Ertragsoptimums liegt. Die Anpassung der Fruchtfolge kann zur Erhöhung der Bodenkohlenstoff-Vorräte beitragen und letztendlich die THG Emissionen mindern, allerdings bedarf diese These weiterer Untersuchungen. Die Ergebnisse haben weiterhin gezeigt, dass mit dem Aufbau organischer Bodensubstanz durch Stalldung erhebliche Potenziale zur THG-Minderung verbunden sind. Je nach methodischem Ansatz zur Berücksichtigung von Bodenkohlenstoff-Veränderungen ergaben sich allerdings große Unterschiede in den THG-Bilanzen und letztendlich auch in den ermittelten THG-Minderungspotenzialen. Die Entwicklung eines einheitlichen wissenschaftlichen Verfahrens zur Berücksichtigung von Bodenkohlenstoff-Veränderungen wird deshalb empfohlen. Die Ergebnisse aus der Fallstudie haben gezeigt, dass die THG Minderung in der landwirtschaftlichen Praxis eine Veränderung der Ackerflächenverhältnisse erfordert. In diesem Zusammenhang ist der Anbau emissionsintensiver Fruchtarten mit einer intensiven mineralischen N Düngung wie beispielsweise Winterraps zu reduzieren und durch den Anbau emissionsarmer Fruchtarten zu ersetzen. Im untersuchten landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb erwiesen sich Mais mit organischer N Düngung sowie der Anbau von Leguminosen als besonders emissionsarm. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte darüber hinaus gezeigt werden, dass ein positiver Beitrag der ackerbaulichen Bodennutzung zur THG Minderung nicht zwangsläufig mit höheren Kosten für den Landwirtschaftsbetrieb verbunden sein muss, wenn bei der betriebswirtschaftlichen Optimierung die THG Emissionen angebauter Fruchtarten berücksichtigt werden. / The aim of this study was to analyze the potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in different land use systems on sandy soils in the Brandenburg region in Germany, based on two long-term field experiments at Thyrow and Groß Kreutz and an on farm case study. The calculations of the GHG balances are based on the LCA standard and the German emission report guidelines. There is currently no scientific consensus on how soil organic carbon changes are to be included in GHG balances. Therefore, different approaches to include soil organic carbon changes in GHG calculations from long-term field experiments were examined. The results of the long-term field experiments showed that mineral nitrogen fertilization had the greatest influence on GHG emissions. The reduction of mineral nitrogen fertilization consequently showed the biggest GHG reduction potential especially if nitrogen fertilization was above the local level. The adaptation of crop rotations may increase soil organic carbon content and thereby mitigate GHG emissions, but this hypothesis requires further research. An increase of soil organic carbon stocks by organic fertilization was shown for the use of farmyard manure. Although this had a high GHG reduction potential, there were large differences between the analytical approaches. This highlights the need to develop standardized scientific methods for assessing GHG emissions from cropping systems. The results of the case study showed that changing the proportions of different crop species can be used for GHG reduction. In particular, the reduction of crops with high mineral nitrogen demand, e.g. oilseed rape, and the substitution with crops having low GHG emissions is recommended. Maize, receiving high rates of organic fertilizer, as well as legumes showed low GHG emissions on the evaluated farm. Furthermore, this study elaborates the potential economic benefit for agricultural enterprises with regards to the correlation of GHG reduction and an optimized crop rotation.

Ziel der Arbeit ist die Gesamtbilanzierung der Treibhausgasemissionen eines Anbausystems unter Bewässerung auf einem Sandboden. Die dazu aufgestellte Treibhausgasbilanz basiert auf langjährigen Datenreihen zu Erträgen und Corg-Vorräten eines Dauerfeldversuchs sowie auf zweijährigen im Feldversuch durchgeführten N2O-Messungen. Die durchgeführten Untersuchungen zum Einfluss der Bewässerung auf die Corg-Vorräte zeigen, dass der Einsatz von mineralischem Stickstoffdünger und Bewässerung auf einem leichten Standort unter den klimatischen Bedingungen Nord-Ost-Deutschlands positive Effekte hat. Die N2O-Emissionen eines Sandbodens unter den klimatischen Bedingungen Brandenburgs sind sehr niedrig. Die Applikation von mineralischem Stickstoffdünger hat nur schwache und Bewässerung hat aufgrund der der hohen Bodendurchlüftung des Sandbodens keine Effekte auf die Höhe der N2O-Emissionen. Die direkten und indirekten Emissionen aus dem Maschinen- und Betriebsmitteleinsatz erhöhen sich bei Bewässerung und steigender Stickstoffdüngung deutlich. Bei den indirekten Treibhausgasemissionen nehmen die Emissionen der Herstellung des mineralischen Stickstoffdüngers einen bedeutenden Anteil der Gesamttreibhausgasemissionen ein. Bewässerung führt durch den erhöhten Dieselverbrauch hauptsächlich zu einer Erhöhung der direkten Emissionen. Unter Bewässerung kann jedoch ein Teil der Emissionen durch zunehmende Corg-Vorräte kompensiert werden. Somit sind in einigen Fällen die Gesamttreibhausgasemissionen pro Hektar bei Bewässerung geringer als ohne Bewässerung. Die aus Stickstoffdüngung und Bewässerung resultierenden Ertragserhöhungen führen dazu, dass die Gesamttreibhausgasemissionen bezogen auf die Ertragseinheit in den meisten bewässerten Varianten deutlich geringer sind als in den unbewässerten. Daraus lässt sich ableiten, dass Bewässerung auf einem Sandboden zu einer Verminderung der Treibhausgasemissionen beitragen kann. / The aim of this work is the estimation of the net greenhouse gas emissions by a greenhouse balance for an irrigated cropping system on a sandy soil in north-east Germany under various nitrogen fertilizer intensities. The balances are based on data of yields and SOC stocks of an irrigated long term field experiment as well as on results of N2O-measurements over two years. The results of the analysis of the long term response of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization have shown that irrigation and mineral nitrogen fertilization led to significant increases in yields and harvest residues. The increased carbon inputs from above ground harvest residues had positive effects on the SOC stocks. The results of N2O measurements indicated that N2O emissions from a sandy soil are very low. Mineral nitrogen fertilization had only marginal effects. Irrigation showed no effects on the amount of N2O emissions. On the one hand the analysis of the prepared greenhouse gas balances showed that irrigation and increased nitrogen fertilization lead to a strong increase of direct and indirect emissions from machinery and maintenance resource use. The indirect emissions of nitrogen fertilizer production took up a main part of the net greenhouse gas emissions. Irrigation mainly increased greenhouse gas emissions of fuel use and fuel production as well as the emissions of the machinery production. On the other hand the increasing SOC stocks especially in the fertilized variants under irrigation led to a compensation of a huge part of the additional emissions. Thus, in many cases the net greenhouse gas emissions per unit area was lower under irrigation. Due to the increased yields under irrigation the net greenhouse gas emissions per unit yield were lower than that under non-irrigated conditions.