Presence of spring-thaw N2O emissions are not linked to functional gene abundance in a drip-fertigated cropped soil in arid northwestern China

Spring-thaw represents a significant source for nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from fertilized croplands in temperate regions. In this study, we present surface N2O fluxes, soil-profile N2O concentrations at 5, 15, 30 and 60 cm depths along with the abundance of nitrifiers and denitrifiers over the winter and spring-thaw periods in an arid, drip- fertigated cotton field, which had received spring application of 240 kg N ha−1 as urea alone (Urea),...