The efficacy of 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate on N2O emissions is linked to niche differentiation

The effectiveness of nitrification inhibitor, 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions varies among soils, due to both abiotic (soil properties) and biotic factors (ammonia oxidizers and denitrifiers).

Understanding the nature of these effects is necessary to improve the efficacy of DMPP, therefore improving nitrogen use efficiency and environmental benefits. Our results showed: (i) DMPP effectively inhibited nitrification through inhibiting ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) abundance; (ii) releasing ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) from the competition with AOB allowed AOA to efficiently grow and multiply under high ammonium conditions; (iii) abiotic factors played more important roles than biotic factors in soil N2O emissions.