Martin H Chantigny

• PhD
• Researcher at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

In northern areas, it is assumed that soil residual mineral N measured at harvest represents the pool at risk of environmental loss during the non-growing season. Using 15N-tracing techniques we determined (i) the distribution of side-dressed pig slurry N in the mineral, organic and clay-fixed N pools of sandy loam and clay soils, and (ii) whether...

Freeze-thaw (FT) cycles stimulate soil nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) mineralization, which may induce nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. We examined how soybean (Glycine max L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) residue incorporation affect N2O emissions from high C content (35 g kg-1) silty clay and low C content (19 g kg-1) sandy loam soils over eight 10-d FT cyc...

Though microbial activity is known to occur in frozen soils, little is known about the fate of animal manure N applied in the fall to agricultural soils located in areas with prolonged winter periods. Our objective was to examine transformations of soil and pig slurry N at low temperatures. Loamy and clay soils were either unamended (Control), amen...

Organic matter transformations take place in snow-covered soils during winter but in ways still poorly understood. Given the generally high soil water content and possible formation of ice layers during this period, anaerobic zones could develop and have determinant effects on soil C and N dynamics. The fate of C and N under wet and cold conditions...

Carbohydrates, amino acids, and amino sugars are constituents of soil organic matter (SOM) that are involved in the dynamics and transformation of soil carbon and nitrogen. Moreover, their quantification can shed light on either their plant or microbial origin. Various methods exist to quantify and characterize soil carbohydrates, amino sugars, and...

Crop rotations on dairy farms in eastern Canada nowadays include fewer perennial crops and more nitrogen‐demanding annual crops. This study compared, over a 7‐year rotation cycle, the agronomic performance and the legacy effect of six crop rotations that varied in crop types (perennial or annual) and nutrient sources (mineral or organic). Crop yiel...

Aims Perennial forages in rotation with annual crops can improve agricultural resilience by increasing soil organic carbon. However, how nitrogen (N) sources interact with rotation diversity to influence soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions is not well understood. Methods During three snow-free seasons, N2O emissions, crop yields, and ancillary vari...

Assessments of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in managed areas are facing various challenges. A non-flow-through, non-steady-state (NFT-NSS) chamber coupled to a frame permanently inserted into the landfilled substrates is a standard method for quantifying GHG emissions in managed areas, such as pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) landfill sites. Fre...

Assessments of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in managed areas are facing various challenges. A non-flowthrough, non-steady-state (NFT-NSS) chamber coupled to a frame permanently inserted into the landfilled substrates is a standard method for quantifying GHG emissions in managed areas, such as pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) landfill sites. Freq...

Developing and implementing improved management practices are necessary to enhance the sustainability of organic cropping systems. This study examined the effects of various organic cropping systems on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and crop yields in Québec, Canada. Organic cropping systems combining different: (i) crop sequences (barley [Hor...

National inventory reporting of agricultural nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in Canada is based primarily on measurements obtained using static chambers. In regions with cold winters and an accumulated snowpack (including Canada), these measurements tend to focus on the growing season (typically May–October). However, research has shown that emission...

Context Knowledge of the impacts of no-tillage and cover cropping on carbon accumulation and stabilisation in highly weathered agricultural soils of subtropical regions is scant. We hypothesised that implementation of no-tillage coupled with high-quality legume residues in highly weathered agricultural soils would result in high carbon accumulation...

Tillage and nitrogen (N) fertilization can influence soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics, but their interactive effects remain contradictory. A long-term (25 yr) corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) rotation was used to investigate the effect of tillage [moldboard plow (MP) and no-till (NT)] and N rates (0, 80, and 160 kg N·ha⁻¹) on soi...

Composts can be efficient organic amendments in potato culture as they can supply carbon and nutrients to the soil. However, more information is required on the effects of composts on denitrification and nitrous oxide emissions (N2O) and emission-producing denitrifying communities. The effects of three compost amendments (municipal source separated...

Subsoil contains about half of the soil organic carbon (C) at the global scale. However, C and nitrogen (N) in the subsoil are assumed to be relatively stable, and their response to agricultural management practices is uncertain. This study compared the effect of 20 different management systems, combining two tillage regimes (inversion tillage vs m...

Roots of perennial grasses, with their fibrous architecture, are difficult to separate from the surrounding soil. We assessed the effect of five soaking solutions (sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid [disodium EDTA], distilled water, and sodium hexametaphosphate) and three soaking durations (15 min, 2 h, a...

Accurate estimates of manure-induced carbon retention coefficients (MCR) in soil are required when assessing carbon (C) storage and the C footprint in agricultural production systems. Eight field studies using various types and rates of manure applications on different crop rotations with durations varying from 10 to 74 years were used to quantify...

Managing croplands for increased storage of soil organic matter (SOM) contributes to the development of resilient farming systems in a changing climate. We examined SOM dynamics in a wheat (Triticum durum L.) – maize (Zea mays L.) irrigated bed planting system established near Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. Soil samples (0–15 cm) were collected fr...

National inventories of methane (CH4) emission from manure management are based on guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change using country‐specific emission factors. These calculations must be simple and, consequently, the effects of management practices and environmental conditions are only crudely represented in the calculatio...

Liquid manure (slurry) from livestock releases methane (CH4) that contributes significantly to global warming. Existing models for slurry CH4 production—used for mitigation and inventories—include effects of organic matter loading, temperature, and retention time but cannot predict important effects of management, or adequately capture essential te...

Estimating the capacity of cover crops (CC) to capture soil nitrogen (N) and to transfer captured N to subsequent crop remains a challenge because CC biomass production, N content and decomposition rate vary depending on environmental conditions and management practices. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare biomass production and N accu...

Repeated applications of liquid dairy manure (LDM) and perennial crops generally favor nitrogen (N) stocks in soils, but in ways that may differ with soil type and other management practices. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term (21 yr) changes in soil N stocks (0–50 cm) of a silty clay soil, in a cool humid climate, in response...

Managing croplands for increased storage of soil organic matter (SOM) is a critical step towards developing resilient farming systems in a changing climate. We examined SOM dynamics in a wheat (Triticum durum L.) - maize (Zea mays L.) irrigated bed planting system established near Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. Soil samples (0 - 15 cm) were collec...

Reduced tillage is often promoted as a method to sequester carbon (C) in soils and thus mitigate climate change. However, in certain conditions reduced tillage may increase soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes, which may negate any climate gains from the potential storage of C in soil. To investigate how long-term applications of different manures int...

This is a preprint. Please see final published version instead: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0252881 or https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352311346_A_mechanistic_model_of_methane_emission_from_animal_slurry_with_a_focus_on_microbial_groups Abstract. Livestock slurry releases methane (CH4) that contribute...

Reducing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agriculture is critical to limiting future global warming. In response, a growing number of food retailers and manufacturers have committed to reducing N2O emissions from their vast networks of farmer suppliers by providing technical assistance and financial incentives. A key challenge for such companies...

In a 338-d microcosm incubation experiment, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and bacterial diversity were studied in a clayey soil amended with 5% (w/w) biochar in the presence or absence of 4% (w/w) peat- and shrimp-based compost used as an additional C source. Two maple biochars produced at 400 °C (M400) or 700 °C (M700) and pine chips produced at...

Recent models of soil organic matter (SOM) formation propose that the coarse mineral-associated fraction (coarse-MAOM) could be a pivotal fraction bridging the gap between fresh organic matter inputs and stabilized, mineral-associated SOM. However, little is known about the effect of organic input chemistry and soil texture on the carbon (C) and ni...

AimsExtensive knowledge of perennial forage root systems is essential, given their critical role in below-ground C input.Methods Root length and diameter were quantified periodically from 2016 to 2018 with minirhizotrons in a field experiment with three forage management systems: mixture of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and tall fescue (Festuca arun...

Our understanding of soil organic matter (SOM) formation and stabilization mechanisms has evolved recently. The SOM is considered as a continuum from coarse fresh and decomposing plant residues (particulate organic matter, >53 μm; POM) to fine and presumably more stable mineral-associated organic matter (fine organic matter, <53 μm; FOM), which rep...

Non-legume bioenergy crops can be fertilized with animal manures instead of mineral fertilizers, but the simultaneous application of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) with manures can increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. On the other hand, manure could increase soil organic C stocks and partly offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming p...

Hot water is believed to extract bio-available soil organic matter (SOM), including organic compounds from the biomass of soil microbes. The role of soil physico-chemical factors in relation to extractability of SOM in hot water is not well understood. We evaluated the influence of exchangeable sodium (Na) on the quantity and quality of organic mat...

No-tillage (NT) and legume cover crops generally improve the quality of tropical and subtropical soils, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are not well known. We performed a study to investigate the influence of NT and legume cover cropping on microbial cell-wall constituents [glucosamine (GlcN), taken as indicator of fungal cell-wall; mur...

objetivo geral dos projetos conduzidos pelo nosso grupo de pesquisa no sul do Brasil, mais especificamente no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, consistiu em quantificar as emissões gasosas de N nas formas de amônia (NH3) e de óxido nitroso (N2O) após o uso dos dejetos de animais em sistema de plantio direto (SPD) e propor estratégias para mitigá-las. Em...

The impact of management practices on crop productivity has often been assessed. However, crop response to specific practices may vary as a function of soil type and other associated management practices. The objective of this study was to determine how interactions between tillage, fertilizer source, crop residue management, and pedoclimatic facto...

It is uncertain whether process-based models are currently capable of simulating the complex soil, plant, climate, manure management interactions that influence soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from perennial cropping systems. The objectives of this study were (1) to calibrate and evaluate the DeNitrification DeComposition (DNDC) model using mult...

Dairy farms need to improve their environmental performance to justify continued consumption of dairy products. Previous studies have demonstrated improved re-use of dairy slurry nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) by separating solid and liquid fractions. This study was conducted to examine the long-term effects of applying whole dairy slurry (WS), s...

In cool temperate regions, large emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), an important greenhouse and ozone-depleting gas, have been observed during freeze–thaw (FT) cycles. However, it is unclear how freezing and thawing rates, freezing intensity, and freezing duration influence N 2 O emissions. We used a laboratory incubation to measure N 2 O emission...

Land application of pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) may replace landfilling in certain jurisdictions. However, the consequences of this change in management on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from PPMS are unknown. Land application may also entail temporary storage by landfilling due to a timing mismatch between PPMS production and application. We...

Several technologies and techniques are available for mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with dairy manure management in the barn, the storage unit, and the fields. For instance, incorporation of manure to soil, solid-liquid separation, composting, enclosed manure storage, and anaerobic digestion have been identified as good optio...

Tie-stall housing (93%) and solid manure management (44%) are used on many dairy farms in the province of Quebec (Canada). This could however change in the near future since the rise in average herd size and the popularity of milking robots are such that the industry expects an increase in free-stall dairies managing manure with liquid systems. Thi...

Controlling nitrogen (N) losses from pig slurry (PS) is a challenge under no‐till because amendments are left on the soil surface. We investigated the potential of shallow injection of PS, with and without addition of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD), to abate gaseous ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in winter crops in...

Sweet pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] and sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], previously tested for ethanol production, were evaluated as high sugar crops for animal feeds to possibly replace silage corn (Zea mays L.). We compared the forage yield, nutritive value, and ensilability of one hybrid of sweet pearl millet and two...

In eastern Canada, climate change-related warming and increased precipitation may alter winter snow cover, with potential consequences for soil conditions, nitrogen (N) cycling, and microbes. We conducted a two-year field study aimed at determining the influence of snow removal, snow accumulation, and ambient snow in a potato-barley crop system on...

Ammonia losses from broadcast urea vary based on soil physical and chemical properties; however, less is known about how soil properties affect NH3 losses after subsurface banding of urea. Therefore, three field trials were established to determine how initial soil moisture, clod size, and clay content affect NH3 volatilization from subsurface‐band...

In cold agricultural regions, animal manure and synthetic fertilizers may be applied in the fall for convenience. However, the fate of applied nitrogen (N) is unclear and may differ depending on N source and interannual and regional variations in winter conditions. A multi-region study using ¹⁵ N-labelled reactive N (NH 4 - ¹⁵ N) applied in the fal...

This work describes a semi-empirical dynamic model for predicting ammonia volatilization from field-applied slurry. Total volatilization is the sum of first-order transfer from two pools: a "fast" pool representing slurry in direct contact with the atmosphere, and a "slow" one representing fractions less available for emission due to infiltration o...

Ammonia (NH3) emission from animal manure contributes to air pollution and ecosystem degradation, and the loss of reactive nitrogen (N) from agricultural systems. Estimates of NH3 emission are necessary for national inventories and nutrient management, and NH3 emission from field-applied manure has been measured in many studies over the past few de...

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from frozen soils have been observed during winter. Concomitantly, nitrite (NO2⁻) accumulations were reported in frozen soils and may have contributed to elevated N2O emissions. The objectives of this study were to determine the processes leading to NO2⁻ accumulation and its contribution to N2O emissions in frozen soil...

Stratégies optimales de gestion des déjections pour des fermes laitières québécoises productives et faibles émettrices de gaz à effet de serre (GES)  Traditionnellement, les étables laitières du Québec utilisent la stabulation entravée et la gestion solide des fumiers.  Pour des raisons pratiques et économiques, les projets de rénovation ou de co...

To determine how soil physical and chemical characteristics affect NH3 volatilization, we measured NH3 losses from eight different eastern Canadian soils with various soil clay contents and cation exchange capacities (CEC). Losses were measured from soil mesocosms banded (0.05 m depth) with urea (equivalent of 140 kg N ha⁻¹) in a dynamic chamber sy...

Infrared spectroscopy has the potential to rapidly analyse soil water-dissolved carbon and amino sugars. In this study, mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectra collected from soil water extracts or from bulk soils were analysed with partial least squares regression (PLSr) to estimate the concentrations of water-dissolved carbon and amino...

Climate change-related increases in winter temperatures and precipitation, as predicted for eastern Canada, may alter snow cover, with consequences for soil temperature and moisture, nitrogen cycling, and greenhouse gas fluxes. To assess the effects of snow depth in a humid temperate agricultural ecosystem, we conducted a two-year field study with...

Pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) is applied on agricultural soils as an organic fertilizer. Although it is well accepted that land application of PPMS has benefits for soils and crops, information on PPMS-induced soil N2O emissions is still limited. We assessed the effect of substituting mineral N fertilizer for PPMS on soil N2O emissions after a...

Infrared spectroscopy has the capacity to predict soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) at local/regional scales, but no studies have been conducted to evaluate this technique at a large (cross-regional) scale in Canada. In this paper, mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopies in combination with partial least-squares re...

Increasing N fertilization decreased the in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVTD) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) but increased N concentration of sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and sweet pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] in eastern Canada. Sweet sorghum had lower NDF, acid detergent fiber, and N concentrations, and gre...

Factorial experiments were conducted at two locations in Quebec to measure the combined effects of cover crop (CC) [mix of red (Trifolium pratense L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.)], fertilizer type [mineral (27–0–0) or organic (pig slurry)], and nitrogen (N) rate (0, 50, 100, 150 kg N ha⁻¹ ) on canola (Brassica napus L.) yield and N uptak...

Climate change is expected to increase agricultural productivity in Canada and in other northern countries but this increase will likely affect the environmental performance of dairy farms, one of the most important agricultural sectors in Canada. The objective of this study was to project the impact of climate change on the agronomic and environme...

Alternative fertilization practices are needed for reducing gaseous and leaching N losses at high urea application rates. The objective of this study was to compare gaseous N emissions (N2O and NH3) and NO3⁻ concentrations in the soil solution during two successive lettuce cropping seasons under contrasting fertilization practices. Treatments were...

The effects of application methods and nitrification inhibitors on the fertilizer value of pig slurry (PS) in no-till crops are still poorly documented. We evaluated grain and straw yield, and N accumulation of no-till corn (Zea mays L.), oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from 2011 to 2015 on a loam soil under a subtrop...

Limited information about how cover crop management impacts the agronomic performance of succeeding annual crops in semiarid regions constrains cover crop utilization. Therefore, over two years we quantified how cover crop species (fall rye [Secale cereale L. ‘AC Remington’] or oilseed radish [Raphanus sativus L. ‘Tillage® radish’]) and nutrient so...

Soil–crop models can be effective tools for calculating the water and nitrogen (N) balances of agricultural systems, because such models are able to simulate the complex interactions between crop, soil water, and soil N. However, model performance needs to be evaluated against field measurements. Our objectives were to evaluate the STICS model for...

Core Ideas Nitrous oxide emissions were greater in winter than spring or fall. Tillage radish increased over‐winter N 2 O fluxes. Non‐legume cover crops increased N 2 O fluxes under apparent NO 3 limiting conditions. Cover crops retain post‐harvest nutrients but how they impact non‐growing season nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions is unclear. Therefo...

Process-based biogeochemical models such as the DeNitrification–DeComposition (DNDC) model can provide reliable estimations of agricultural nitrogen loss, information necessary for developing better management practices. The Canadian version of the model (DNDC v.CAN) was recently developed to predict NH3 volatilization after the field application o...

Nongrowing season (NGS) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may be significant in cold agricultural regions, but the influence of winter conditions, soil type, and fall manuring must be better documented. We monitored NGS N2O and CO2 fluxes and soil atmosphere composition from 2009 to 2013, on sandy loam and silty clay soils, with and without fall-appli...

In agricultural fields at high and mid latitudes, a large percentage of the annual emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) can occur during freeze-thaw (FT) cycles. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of FT cycles of different amplitudes on N2O emissions, denitrifier transcriptional activity, and the abundance and co...

The soil application of plant residues characterized by different carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratios may lead to conditions more suitable to denitrifying and nitrite ammonifying bacteria. While the former microbial group fosters the loss of nitrogen (N) through the production of N2 and nitrous oxide (N2O), the latter may retain N into the agroecosyste...

Importance: A PCR assay targeting the P450nor gene involved in fungal denitrification was developed and validated. The newly developed P450nor primers were used on fungal DNA extracted from a collection of fungi isolated from various soil environment and on DNA directly extracted from soil. The results indicated that approximatively 25% of all iso...

Efficient management practices are needed for no‐till (NT) cropping systems fertilized with pig slurry (PS). We evaluated the effect of application mode (surface broadcasting vs. injection) with or without the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD), on the recovery of PS ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 –N) in 2‐yr crop succession (corn [ Zea mays L.]/...

Improvement in use efficiency of N fertilizers can potentially better sustain agriculture by reducing N2O emissions from soils, but little is known about its impact on soil CO2 emissions. A study, involving both a field experiment and a laboratory incubation, was conducted in eastern Canada to determine the N fertilization effect on soil CO2 emissi...

Soil test indicators are needed to predict the contribution of soil organic nitrogen (N) to crop N requirements. Labile organic matter fractions containing carbon (C) and N are readily metabolized by soil microorganisms, which leads to N mineralization and contributes to the soil N supply (SNS) to crops. The objective of this study was to identify...

Little information exists on root morphological characteristics of agricultural crops under field conditions, which can be a major determinant of plant N uptake efficiency and C input to soil. Sweet pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.BR.] and sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] are envisioned as energy crops in eastern Canada, to compl...

Pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) is an organic residual generated from the paper mill wastewater treatments. The Quebec’s government policies aim to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 20% below the level of 1990 and to ban disposal (landfilling and incineration without energy recovery) of organic material by 2020, which will likely affec...

Manuring soil alters mineralizable N pools and organic matter fractions, but the magnitude is manure-type and soil-texture specific, complicating prediction of N mineralization. Our objective was to determine the responses of residual soil mineralizable N parameters to manure-type and evaluate their relationships to initial organic C and N fraction...

Background/Question/Methods Agricultural ecosystems contribute the majority of global anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Up to 80% of annual N2O fluxes occur during the non-growing season, often as pulses during midwinter and spring thaws. In the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, climate change may incre...

Nitrogen use efficiency is a key factor for the economic and environmental sustainability of farms. It comprises the ability for crops to recover applied fertilizer N in their aboveground biomass, called fertilizer N uptake efficiency (NupE). Sweet pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.BR.] and sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] are C4 a...

Water-extractable organic matter has been shown to increase as temperature increases (from 20 to 80°C), with the rate of increase being soil dependent. We examined whether biodegradation during overnight soil-water extraction may influence the temperature response of extractable C and N. Dissolved organic N (DON) and C (DOC), and NH4-N were determi...

Tillage effects on denitrifier communities and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions were mainly studied during the growing season. There is limited information for the non-growing season, especially in northern countries where winter has prolonged periods with sub-zero temperatures. The abundance and structure of the denitrifier community, denitrification...

Pig slurry (PS) is a valuable nitrogen (N) source for agricultural crops but the simultaneous supply of readily decomposable carbon and mineral N can result in large soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Our objective was to determine the individual and combined effects of split PS application and addition of a nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide,...