To understand the influence of basal application of N fertilizer on nitrification potential and N2O and NO emissions, four soil samples were collected from an upland Andisol field just before (sample 1) and 4 (sample 2), 36 (sample 3) and 72 (sample 4) days after the basal application of N fertilizer during the Chinese cabbage growing season from 12 September to 30 November 2005. The potentials of N2O production and nitrification of the soils were determined using a N tracer technique and the soils were incubated for 25 days at 25°C and 60% water-filled pore space (WFPS). The results revealed that as much as 84–97% N2O and almost all NO were produced by nitrification. The N2O emission peak occurred approximately 350 h after the beginning of incubation for samples 1 and 2, but just 48 h later in samples 3 and 4. Total N2O emission during the 25-day incubation of samples 3 and 4 ranged from 190 to 198 µg N kg soil, which was significantly higher than the 99–108 µg N kg soil recorded in samples 1 and 2. Basal application of N fertilizer did not immediately increase the nitrification potential and the ratio of N2O to N added, but did dramatically increase the nitrification potential and the ratio of N2O to N added as (NH4)2SO4 36–72 days after the basal N fertilizer was added. In contrast, NO emission was negatively correlated with nitrification potential and total N2O emission. As a result, a trade-off relationship between total NO and N2O emissions was identified. The results indicated that there was a time-lagged induction of the change of N turnover in the soil, which was possibly caused by slow population growth of the nitrifiers and/or a slow shift in the microbial community in the soil.