Effects of exogenous nitrogen on freshwater marsh plant growth and N2 O fluxes in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Field management strongly affected the emission of N2O and plant growth from freshwater marshes. Nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes, leaf area, plant height and above ground biomass were investigated under four N treatments (0, 6, 12 and 24g NH4NO3–Nm-2) in the freshwater marshes of Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. The average growing season N2O flux was 0.065±0.037, 0.086±0.111, 0.141±0.186, 0.445±0.491mgm-2h-1, respectively, the above-ground biomass was 201±49, 252±40, 290±47, 954±115gm-2, respectively, the plant height was 66.25±20.99, 71.91±16.18, 73.55±16.59, 84.14±27.07cm, respectively. Exogenous nitrogen had a significant impact on N2O fluxes and plant growth. Compared to the non-fertilization treatment, the average growing season N2O flux in fertilization increased by 32%, 113%, 581%, respectively, the above-ground biomass increased by 26%, 44%, 375%, respectively, while the plant height increased by 8.5%, 11% and 27%, respectively. A quadratic relationship between the nitrogen applied rate and N2O fluxes, and a non-linear positive correlation between the nitrogen and above-ground biomass were found, while the relationship between the N2O flux and the above-ground biomass was significantly linear positive correlated after nitrogen application, so was the plant height. It was proposed that the exogenous nitrogen gives rise to considerable N2O emissions from freshwater marshes and a large fraction of N2O was emitted to the atmosphere via the transpiration stream within the Deyeuxia angustifolia plants, which provides some quantificational data on the relationship between the nitrogen, N2O fluxes and marsh plant growth.