Elucidating three-way interactions between soil, pasture and animals that regulate nitrous oxide emissions from temperate grazing systems

McAuliffe, Graham A.; López-Aizpún, María; Blackwell, Martin; Castellano‐Hinojosa, Antonio; Darch, Tegan; Evans, J.; Horrocks, Claire; Cocq, Kate Le; Takahashi, Taro; Harris, Paul; Lee, Michael R. F.; Cardenas, L. M.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2020.106978

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(87 reference statements)

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“…As shown by regression analyses, soil moisture and temperature were significant predictors of N 2 O-N EF for both non-irrigated and irrigated pastures but appeared to be most vital within the first two weeks and two months, respectively, following excreta application (Appendix A, Table A4). Soil moisture and ambient temperature, are known to influence N 2 O emission significantly by modulating the microbial activity and transport of gases in soil [10,11]. Higher N 2 O-N EFs associated positively with higher WFPS.…”

Section: Soil Moisture and Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Generally, N 2 O emissions from pastures are dependent on soil type, climate, N input, the sward composition, and grazing management [7,9]. Particularly, soil moisture and ambient temperature influence N 2 O emission significantly by modulating the microbial activity and transport of gases in soil [10,11]. Furthermore, soil moisture affects nitrification and denitrification processes [11,12].…”

Section: Of 26mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the chamber method can capture the magnitude and temporal patterns from emission hotspots (i.e., urine and dung patches), and it makes the comparison of different treatments in parallel possible. Moreover, the accuracy of measurements can be improved if the interval of measurements is increased [10]. Nevertheless, the high coefficient of variation (about 23%) associated with the current measurements might have undermined the detection of significant differences.…”

Section: N 2 O Emissions and Emission Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nitrous Oxide Emission from Grazing Is Low across a Gradient of Plant Functional Diversity and Soil Conditions

et al. 2021

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Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from pastures can vary significantly depending on soil and environmental conditions, nitrogen (N) input, as well as the plant’s ability to take up the N. We tested the hypothesis that legume-based N sources are characterized by significantly lower emission factors than mineral N based dairy systems. Therefore, this study monitored N2O emissions for a minimum of 100 days and up to two growing seasons across a gradient of plant species diversity. Emissions were measured from both, grazed pastures and a controlled application of urine and dung using the static chamber method. About 90% of the accumulated N2O emissions occurred during the first 60–75 days. The average accumulated N2O emissions were 0.11, 0.87, 0.99, and 0.21 kg ha−1 for control, dung, urine patches, and grazed pastures, respectively. The N uptake efficiency at the excreta patch scale was about 70% for both dung and urine. The highest N2O-N emission factor was less than half compared with the IPCC default (0.3 vs. 0.77), suggesting an overestimation of N2O-N emissions from organically managed pastures in temperate climates. Plant diversity showed no significant effect on the N2O emissions. However, functional groups were significant (p < 0.05). We concluded that legume-containing pasture systems without a fertilizer addition generally appear capable of utilizing nitrogen inputs from excreta patches efficiently, resulting in low N2O emissions.

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Section: Soil Moisture and Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Of 26mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: N 2 O Emissions and Emission Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nitrous Oxide Emission from Grazing Is Low across a Gradient of Plant Functional Diversity and Soil Conditions

et al. 2021

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“…General information on the platform (including an introductory video) is available on a dedicated portal [6] . The NWFP's overall design philosophy [7] , environmental appraisal [8] and cattle operation [9] have been discussed as part of separate studies.…”

Section: Experimental Design Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data to identify key drivers of animal growth and carcass quality for temperate lowland sheep production systems

et al. 2021

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With the growing demand for animal-sourced foods and a serious concern over climate impacts associated with livestock farming, the sheep industry worldwide faces the formidable challenge of increasing the overall product supply while improving its resource use efficiency. As an evidence base for research to identify key drivers behind animal growth and carcass quality, longitudinal matched data of 741 ewes and 2978 lambs were collected at the North Wyke Farm Platform, a farm-scale grazing trial in Devon, UK, between 2011 and 2019. A subset of these data was subsequently analysed in a study to assess the feasibility of using a lamb's early-life liveweight as a predictor of carcass quality [1] . The data also have the potential to offer insight into key performance indicators (KPIs) for the sheep industry, or what variables farmers should measure and target to increase profitability.

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“…Following winter housing, cattle were turned out to pasture and rotated around the fields that constitute each farmlet, with certain fields being reserved for silage production for the following winter. The animals were maintained until they reached target weights of ∼555 kg for heifers and ∼620 kg for steers (typically around October/November), to achieve sufficient muscle coverage (conformation) and fat cover (fat class) for the UK market [26]. A small proportion of animals spent part of the second winter in housing until they satisfied these criteria.…”

Section: The North Wyke Farm Platformmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Using Novel Equations to Predict Nitrogen Excretion and Associated Emissions from Pasture-Based Beef Production Systems

et al. 2022

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The excretion of nitrogen (N) in faeces and urine from beef cattle contributes to atmospheric pollution through greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions and eutrophication of land and aquatic habitats through excessive N deposition and nitrate leaching to groundwater. As N excretion by beef cattle is rarely measured directly, it is important to accurately predict losses by utilising a combined knowledge of diet and production parameters so that the effect of dietary changes on the potential environmental impact of beef production systems can be estimated. This study aimed to identify differences between IPCC and more detailed country-specific models in the prediction of N excretion and N losses at a system level and determine how the choice of model influences the interpretation of differences in diet at the system scale. The data used in this study were derived from a farm-scale experimental system consisting of three individual grazing farms, each with a different sward type: a permanent pasture, a high sugar ryegrass monoculture, and a high sugar ryegrass with white clover (~30% groundcover). Data were analysed using a mixed linear model (residual maximum likelihood analysis). The IPCC methods demonstrated significantly lower estimates of N excretion than country-specific models for the first housing period and significantly greater losses for the grazing and second housing periods. The country-specific models enabled prediction of N partitioning to urine and faeces, which is important for estimation of subsequent N losses through the production system, although the models differed in their estimates. Overall, predicted N losses were greater using the IPCC approaches compared to using more detailed country-specific approaches. The outcomes of the present study have highlighted that different models can have a substantial impact on the predicted N outputs and subsequent losses to the environment for pasture-based beef finishing systems, and the importance, therefore, of using appropriate models and parameters.

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Elucidating three-way interactions between soil, pasture and animals that regulate nitrous oxide emissions from temperate grazing systems

Cited by 19 publications

References 64 publications

Nitrous Oxide Emission from Grazing Is Low across a Gradient of Plant Functional Diversity and Soil Conditions

Nitrous Oxide Emission from Grazing Is Low across a Gradient of Plant Functional Diversity and Soil Conditions

Data to identify key drivers of animal growth and carcass quality for temperate lowland sheep production systems

The Impact of Using Novel Equations to Predict Nitrogen Excretion and Associated Emissions from Pasture-Based Beef Production Systems

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