Climate Change and Management Impacts on Soybean N Fixation, Soil N Mineralization, N₂O Emissions, and Seed Yield

Authors

Elvis F. Elli, Iowa State UniversityFollow
Ignacio A. Ciampitti, Kansas State University
Michael J. Castellano, Iowa State University
Larry C. Purcell, University of Arkansas
Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota
Patricio Grassini, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Nicolas C. La Menza, Louisiana State University, Alexandria
Luiz Moro Rosso, Kansas State University
André F. de Borja Reis, Louisiana State University, Alexandria
Péter Kovács, South Dakota State University
Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Iowa State UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

4-27-2022

Citation

Elli EF, Ciampitti IA, Castellano MJ, Purcell LC, Naeve S, Grassini P, La Menza NC, Moro Rosso L, de Borja Reis AF, Kovács P and Archontoulis SV (2022) Climate Change and Management Impacts on Soybean N Fixation, Soil N Mineralization, N2O Emissions, and Seed Yield. Front. Plant Sci. 13:849896. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.849896

Comments

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).

Abstract

Limited knowledge about how nitrogen (N) dynamics are affected by climate change, weather variability, and crop management is a major barrier to improving the productivity and environmental performance of soybean-based cropping systems. To fill this knowledge gap, we created a systems understanding of agroecosystem N dynamics and quantified the impact of controllable (management) and uncontrollable (weather, climate) factors on N fluxes and soybean yields. We performed a simulation experiment across 10 soybean production environments in the United States using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model and future climate projections from five global circulation models. Climate change (2020–2080) increased N mineralization (24%) and N₂O emissions (19%) but decreased N fixation (32%), seed N (20%), and yields (19%). Soil and crop management practices altered N fluxes at a similar magnitude as climate change but in many different directions, revealing opportunities to improve soybean systems’ performance. Among many practices explored, we identified two solutions with great potential: improved residue management (short-term) and water management (long-term). Inter-annual weather variability and management practices affected soybean yield less than N fluxes, which creates opportunities to manage N fluxes without compromising yields, especially in regions with adequate to excess soil moisture. This work provides actionable results (tradeoffs, synergies, directions) to inform decision-making for adapting crop management in a changing climate to improve soybean production systems.