Process-oriented simulation and observations of N2O emission from intensively managed agricultural cropping system

We report experimental observation and model simulations of N 2 O emissions in a cropland, located in Southern Italy, candidate ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation system) level 1 site. Eddy Covariance (EC) and chamber measurements were conducted on sorghum wheat and corn crops over several years. The Agricultural Productions Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model was used to simulate the N 2 O emission. Our preliminary results indicate that APSIM was able to catch the seasonal dynamics of the N 2 O fluxes, when compared to the EC observations. A considerably lower agreement was found with static chamber measurements. Amount and timing of nitrogen fertilization drive the N 2 O emission. Overall, we found APSIM simulations underestimated the cumulative values, compared to both eddy covariance and chambers observations.