Meta-analysis of global livestock urine-derived nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils.

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Lopez, M., Horrocks, C. A., Charteris, A., Marsden, K. A., Ciganda, V. S., Evans, J., Chadwick, D. R. and Cardenas, L. M. 2020. Meta-analysis of global livestock urine-derived nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils. Global Change Biology. 26 (4), pp. 2002-2013. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15012

AuthorsLopez, M., Horrocks, C. A., Charteris, A., Marsden, K. A., Ciganda, V. S., Evans, J., Chadwick, D. R. and Cardenas, L. M.
Abstract

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an air pollutant of major environmental concern, with agriculture representing 60% of anthropogenic global N2O emissions. Much of the N2O emissions from livestock production systems result from transformation of N deposited to soil within animal excreta. There exists a substantial body of literature on urine patch N2O dynamics, we aimed to identify key controlling factors influencing N2O emissions and to aid understanding of knowledge gaps to improve GHG reporting and prioritise future research. We conducted an extensive literature review and random effect meta-analysis (using REML) of results to identify key relationships between multiple potential independent factors and global N2O emissions factors (EFs) from urine patches. Mean air temperature, soil pH and ruminant animal species (sheep or cow) were significant factors influencing the EFs reviewed. However, several factors that are known to influence N2O emissions, such as animal diet and urine composition, could not be considered due to the lack of reported data. The review highlighted a widespread tendency for inadequate metadata and uncertainty reporting in the published studies, as well as the limited geographical extent of investigations, which are more often conducted in temperate regions thus far. Therefore, here we give recommendations for factors that are likely to affect the EFs and should be included in all future studies, these include: soil pH and texture; experimental set-up; direct measurement of soil moisture and temperature during the study period; amount and composition of urine applied; animal type and diet; N2O emissions with a measure of uncertainty; data from a control with zero-N application and meteorological data.

KeywordsGrazing livestock; Urine patch; N2O; Emission factors; Greenhouse gas; Grassland
Year of Publication2020
JournalGlobal Change Biology
Journal citation26 (4), pp. 2002-2013
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15012
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeS2N - Soil to Nutrition - Work package 2 (WP2) - Adaptive management systems for improved efficiency and nutritional quality
Publisher's version
Supplemental file
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online23 Jan 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted06 Jan 2020
PublisherWiley
ISSN1354-1013

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