Estimating a nitrous oxide emission factor for animal urine from some New Zealand pastoral soils

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change methodology estimates that over 50% of total nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in New Zealand derive from animal excreta-N deposited during grazing. The emission factor for excreta-N as used by this methodology has an important impact on New Zealand's total N2O inventory. The objectives of this study were to refine the N2O emission factor for urine by simultaneously measuring N2O emissions from 5 pastoral soils of different drainage class, in 3 different regions in New Zealand following a single application of urine; plus test various aspects of the soil cover method for determining emission factors. Cow urine and synthetic urine was applied to pastoral soils in autumn 2000 and N2O emissions were measured using closed flux chambers at regular intervals for 4–18 months following application. The N2O emission factors for cow urine estimated for the first 4 months after urine application varied greatly depending on rainfall and soil drainage class, and ranged from 0.3 to 2.5% of the urine-N applied, suggesting that adopting a single emission factor for New Zealand may be inappropriate. The largest emission factor was found in a poorly drained soil, and the lowest emission factor was found in a well-drained stony soil. Ongoing measurements on one of the soils resulted in an increase in emission factors as the N2O emissions had not reached background levels 4 months after urine application. To characterise urine-induced N2O emissions, we recommend measurements continue until N2O emissions from urine-amended soil return to background levels. Furthermore, we recommend using real animal urine rather than synthetic urine in studies when determining the N2O emission factor for urine.

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The effect of increasing rates of nitrogen fertiliser and a nitrification inhibitor on nitrous oxide emissions from urine patches on sheep grazed hill country pasture

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea07238 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 147 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Coby J. Hoogendoorn ◽

Cecile A. M. de Klein ◽

Alison J. Rutherford ◽

Selai Letica ◽

Brian P. Devantier

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

New Zealand ◽

Nitrification Inhibitor ◽

N2o Emission ◽

Emission Factors ◽

Application Rate ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Hill Country ◽

Sheep Urine

Urine deposited by grazing animals represents the largest source of N2O emissions in New Zealand. Sheep-grazed hill pastures are an important component of New Zealand pastoral land, but information on N2O emissions from these areas is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of increasing rates of fertiliser nitrogen and of a nitrification inhibitor on N2O emissions from urine patches. The study was carried out in grazed paddock-scale trials at the Ballantrae and Invermay Research Stations, New Zealand. The fertiliser N treatments were 0, 100, 300 and 750 (500 for Invermay) kg N/ha.year. Nitrous oxide measurements were conducted in the spring of 2005 and 2006, following applications of synthetic sheep urine with or without dicyandiamide (DCD) in these four N treatments. In both years and at both sites, N2O emissions increased with N fertiliser application rate in both urine and non-urine affected areas. The addition of DCD to the synthetic urine reduced N2O emissions from the urine affected areas during the measurement period by 60–80% at Ballantrae and by 40% at Invermay. The N2O emission factors for the artificial sheep urine (expressed as N2O-N lost as % of N applied) ranged from 0.01 to 1.06%, with the higher values generally found in the high N fertiliser treatments. The N2O emission factors were generally less than or similar to those from sheep urine applied to flat land pasture.

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Nitrous oxide emission in response to N application in irrigated sugarcane

Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental ◽

10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v22n11p758-763 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. 758-763

Author(s):

Alzeneide da S. Lopes ◽

Aderson S. de Andrade Júnior ◽

Luís H. Bassoi ◽

Josiane F. Silva ◽

Edson A. Bastos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Experimental Design ◽

Emission Factor ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

N2o Emission ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

N Application ◽

N Dose ◽

N2o Emission Factor ◽

Methods Of Application

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to compare the emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) resulting from the application of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) doses in fertigated sugarcane, in comparison to emissions from conventional fertilizer application. The study was conducted in the experimental area of Embrapa Mid-North, Teresina, Piauí state, Brazil, from August 2014 to January 2015. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, analyzed in a (2 x 2) +1 factorial scheme, with four replicates. The treatments consisted of the combination of two doses of N and K2O (60-120 and 120-180 kg ha-1, respectively) and two methods of application (in soil and fertigation), and a control. The use of fertigation reduced the emissions of N2O in sugarcane compared with the crop under conventional fertilization. Increase in N dose from 60 to 120 kg ha-1 applied through fertigation did not affect N2O emissions, while 60 and 120 kg ha-1 applied in the soil led to 40.6 and 50.2% increases in N2O emissions, respectively. The application of 60 and 120 kg ha-1 of N in the soil led to higher N2O emission factor, being 1.39 and 2.08% higher than in the crop fertigated with 60 and 120 kg ha-1 of N, respectively.

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Groundwater N<sub>2</sub>O emission factors of nitrate-contaminated aquifers as derived from denitrification progress and N<sub>2</sub>O accumulation

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-5-1215-2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 1215-1226 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

D. Weymann ◽

R. Well ◽

H. Flessa ◽

C. von der Heide ◽

M. Deurer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emission Factor ◽

Noble Gas ◽

N2o Emission ◽

Emission Factors ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Northern Germany ◽

Stable Component ◽

Sand And Gravel ◽

First Time ◽

Ipcc Default

Abstract. We investigated the dynamics of denitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) accumulation in 4 nitrate (NO−3) contaminated denitrifying sand and gravel aquifers of northern Germany (Fuhrberg, Sulingen, Thülsfelde and Göttingen) to quantify their potential N2O emission and to evaluate existing concepts of N2O emission factors. Excess N2 – N2 produced by denitrification – was determined by using the argon (Ar) concentration in groundwater as a natural inert tracer, assuming that this noble gas functions as a stable component and does not change during denitrification. Furthermore, initial NO−3 concentrations (NO−3 that enters the groundwater) were derived from excess N2 and actual NO−3 concentrations in groundwater in order to determine potential indirect N2O emissions as a function of the N input. Median concentrations of N2O and excess N2 ranged from 3 to 89 μg N L−1 and from 3 to 10 mg N L−1, respectively. Reaction progress (RP) of denitrification was determined as the ratio between products (N2O-N + excess N2) and starting material (initial NO−3 concentration) of the process, characterizing the different stages of denitrification. N2O concentrations were lowest at RP close to 0 and RP close to 1 but relatively high at a RP between 0.2 and 0.6. For the first time, we report groundwater N2O emission factors consisting of the ratio between N2O-N and initial NO−3-N concentrations (EF1). In addition, we determined a groundwater emission factor (EF2) using a previous concept consisting of the ratio between N2O-N and actual NO−3-N concentrations. Depending on RP, EF(1) resulted in smaller values compared to EF(2), demonstrating (i) the relevance of NO−3 consumption and consequently (ii) the need to take initial NO−3-N concentrations into account. In general, both evaluated emission factors were highly variable within and among the aquifers. The site medians ranged between 0.00043–0.00438 for EF(1) and 0.00092–0.01801 for EF(2), respectively. For the aquifers of Fuhrberg and Sulingen, we found EF(1) median values which are close to the 2006 IPCC default value of 0.0025. In contrast, we determined significant lower EF values for the aquifers of Thülsfelde and Göttingen. Summing the results up, our study supports the substantial downward revision of the IPCC default EF5-g from 0.015 (1997) to 0.0025 (2006).

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Estimating direct N2O emissions from sheep, beef, and deer grazed pastures in New Zealand hill country: accounting for the effect of land slope on the N2O emission factors from urine and dung

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment ◽

10.1016/j.agee.2015.03.005 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 205 ◽

pp. 70-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Surinder Saggar ◽

Donna L Giltrap ◽

Rob Davison ◽

Rob Gibson ◽

Cecile AM de Klein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

N2o Emission ◽

Emission Factors ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Hill Country ◽

Grazed Pastures

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Estimating nitrous oxide emissions from a dairy farm using a mechanistic, whole farm model and segregated emission factors for New Zealand

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr12064 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 188 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Iris Vogeler ◽

Pierre Beukes ◽

Alvaro Romera ◽

Rogerio Cichota

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

New Zealand ◽

Dairy Farm ◽

Emission Factors ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Nitrification Inhibitors ◽

Cart Analysis ◽

Farm Model ◽

Farm Scale

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agriculture are generally estimated using default IPCC emission factors (EFs) despite the large variation in measured EFs. We used a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to segregate measured EFs from direct emissions from urine patches and fertiliser and effluent applications, based on temporal and site-specific factors. These segregated EFs were linked to simulations from the DairyNZ Whole Farm Model to obtain N2O emissions for a typical pasture-based dairy farm in New Zealand. The N2O emissions from urine patches, dung pads, and fertiliser and effluent application, as well as from indirect sources, were aggregated to obtain total N2O emissions for the farm-scale. The results, based on segregated EFs, were compared with those obtained using New Zealand-specific EFs. On-farm N2O emissions based on these segregated EFs were 5% lower than those based on New Zealand-specific EFs. Improved farm management by avoiding grazing, effluent, and N fertiliser application during periods of high risk for N2O emissions, or by the use of mitigation technologies such as nitrification inhibitors, could reduce annual farm scale N2O emissions.

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Impact of dicyandiamide application on nitrous oxide emissions from urine patches in northern Victoria, Australia

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea07251 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 156 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

K. B. Kelly ◽

F. A. Phillips ◽

R. Baigent

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

New Zealand ◽

Dairy Cow ◽

Production Systems ◽

Animal Production ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Cow Urine ◽

Reduce Emissions ◽

Animal Production Systems

Animal production systems in Australia are a significant contributor to nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil, with the Australian Greenhouse Gas Inventory attributing ~25% of the N2O emissions from agricultural soils to animal production. Recent studies in New Zealand using dicyandiamide (DCD) in association with the application of urine to pastoral soil have reported reductions in N2O emission of up to 78% and reduced nitrate leaching of up to 45%. As such, the application of DCD to grazed pastures offers potential to reduce emissions resulting directly from animal production. This study was conducted on a border-check irrigated perennial pasture used for dairy production in northern Victoria. Automated enclosure chambers were linked to a fourier transformed infrared spectrometer to determine N2O emissions. The three treatments were a control, dairy cow urine (1000 kg N/ha) and dairy cow urine (1000 kg N/ha) with DCD included (10 kg/ha). The treatments were applied in mid-spring (15 September 2005) and again in mid-summer (25 January 2006) to a new area of pasture with N2O emissions measured for 120 and 70 days, respectively. Soil temperature and soil water content were monitored continuously. Soil inorganic-N was measured (0–100 mm) every 7 to 14 days for up to 120 days. Application of DCD reduced N2O emissions from a urine patch by 47% when applied in mid-spring and 27% when applied in mid-summer. The impact of the application of DCD on emissions from single urine patches lasted for ~50 days in mid-spring and 25 days in mid-summer. These reductions are lower than those reported in New Zealand studies and are likely to be related to soil conditions, principally temperature. The surface application of DCD has potential to reduce emissions from urine patches in northern Victoria; however, the effects are likely to be short-lived given the soil temperatures and high clay content typical of many Australian soils. More research is required to examine emission reduction options that are cost effective for animal production systems.

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Nitrous oxide emission factor from cattle urine and dung in native grassland of the Pampa biome, South Brazil

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr19095 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 198 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Janquieli Schirmann ◽

Diego Fernandes de Bastos ◽

Douglas Adams Weiler ◽

Murilo G. Veloso ◽

Jeferson Dieckow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Emission Factor ◽

Live Weight ◽

N2o Emission ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Native Grassland ◽

Tier 1 ◽

N2o Fluxes ◽

The Impact ◽

South Brazil

Native grassland supports extensive livestock production in the Pampas of South America, but the impact of cattle excreta on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions remains unknown in this biome. The objective of this study was to determine the N2O emission factor (EF-N2O, % of N applied that is emitted as N2O) for urine and dung from beef cattle grazing on native grasslands. A field trial was conducted under low and moderate forage allowances (FA4 and FA12; i.e. 4 and 12 kg dry matter/100 kg live weight respectively) during the 30th year of a long-term grassland experiment on a Typic Paleudult in South Brazil. Urine and dung were applied onto separate patches, at rates equivalent to one average urination or defecation; and N2O fluxes were monitored with closed static chambers over 338 days. In adjacent microplots receiving the same excreta treatment, water-filled pore space, nitrate, ammonium and extractable dissolved organic carbon were monitored in the top 0.1 m of soil. Averaged across the forage allowances, daily soil N2O fluxes were low in the control without excreta (1.3 g N ha–1), but increased upon application of dung (3.8 g N ha–1) and urine (66 g N ha–1). The annual N2O emission and the EF-N2O for urine were greater under FA12 than FA4, but no difference was observed for dung. The positive relationships between N2O-N emissions and ammonium intensity and nitrate intensity suggest that N2O may have been produced concurrently by nitrification, nitrifier/denitrification and denitrification. On average, the EF-N2O was almost 10 times higher for urine than for dung (0.74% vs 0.08%), both much lower than the IPCC’s Tier 1 default value of 2%. Our findings reinforce the need for disaggregating the EF-N2O for urine and dung and of revising the IPCC’s Tier 1 EF-N2O.

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Dung and farm dairy effluent affect urine patch nitrous oxide emissions from a pasture

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an15511 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 337 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. Li ◽

J. Luo ◽

Y. Shi ◽

Y. Li ◽

Y. Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Dairy Farm ◽

N2o Emission ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

N2o Production ◽

Dairy Effluent ◽

Farm Dairy Effluent ◽

Urine Patch ◽

N2o Emission Factor

Urine patches in grazed pastures have been identified as important sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. An increase in N2O emissions is possible where urine patches coincide with dung patches and farm dairy effluent (FDE) applications. The aim of the present study was to quantify the effects of dung additions and fresh FDE applications on N2O emissions from urine patches. A field experiment was conducted on a pasture site at the AgResearch’s Ruakura dairy farm in Hamilton, New Zealand. A closed soil chamber technique was used to measure the N2O emissions from a free-draining volcanic soil that received urine (492 kg N/ha, simulated urine patches), with or without dung (1146 kg N/ha) and fresh FDE (100 kg N/ha) and to compare these with controls receiving no urine. The addition of dung delayed the peak N2O fluxes from the urine patches by ~30 days. This could be due to temporary nitrogen (N) immobilisation during decomposition of carbon from the dung. However, over the whole measurement period (271 days), dung addition increased the N2O emission factor (EF, % of applied N emitted as N2O) for the urine from 1.02% to 2.09%. The application of fresh FDE increased the EF to 1.40%. The effluent- or dung-induced increases in N2O emissions from the urine patches were possibly caused both by the direct input of N from effluent or dung and through the indirect priming effect of addition of dung or effluent on the availability of N from urine patches for N2O production. We conclude that when EFs are used in calculations of N2O emissions from urine, consideration should be given to the likelihood of coincidence with dung or FDE applications.

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Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Pineapple Cultivation on a Tropical Peat Soil

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13094928 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 4928

Author(s):

Alicia Vanessa Jeffary ◽

Osumanu Haruna Ahmed ◽

Roland Kueh Jui Heng ◽

Liza Nuriati Lim Kim Choo ◽

Latifah Omar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Soil Temperature ◽

Peat Soil ◽

Farming Systems ◽

N2o Emission ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Natural State ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Wet Season ◽

Peat Soils

Farming systems on peat soils are novel, considering the complexities of these organic soil. Since peat soils effectively capture greenhouse gases in their natural state, cultivating peat soils with annual or perennial crops such as pineapples necessitates the monitoring of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, especially from cultivated peat lands, due to a lack of data on N2O emissions. An on-farm experiment was carried out to determine the movement of N2O in pineapple production on peat soil. Additionally, the experiment was carried out to determine if the peat soil temperature and the N2O emissions were related. The chamber method was used to capture the N2O fluxes daily (for dry and wet seasons) after which gas chromatography was used to determine N2O followed by expressing the emission of this gas in t ha−1 yr−1. The movement of N2O horizontally (832 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) during the dry period was higher than in the wet period (599 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) because of C and N substrate in the peat soil, in addition to the fertilizer used in fertilizing the pineapple plants. The vertical movement of N2O (44 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) was higher in the dry season relative to N2O emission (38 t N2O ha−1 yr−1) during the wet season because of nitrification and denitrification of N fertilizer. The peat soil temperature did not affect the direction (horizontal and vertical) of the N2O emission, suggesting that these factors are not related. Therefore, it can be concluded that N2O movement in peat soils under pineapple cultivation on peat lands occurs horizontally and vertically, regardless of season, and there is a need to ensure minimum tilling of the cultivated peat soils to prevent them from being an N2O source instead of an N2O sink.

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