Greenhouse in Agriculture - Grazing Systems
The potential of inhibitors for the mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions from animal production systems in south-eastern Australia
Scientific staff:
Project leader: Kevin Kelly, DPI Tatura
Other scientists: Graeme Ward, John Graham, Sally Officer, Richard
Eckard Objectives:
- To demonstrate and quantify the mitigation potential of
inhibitors to reduce direct nitrous oxide emissions from urinary
deposition.
- To define of the mitigation potential and timing of
inhibitor applications required to optimise efficacy.
- To define of the impact on pasture DM production and
nutritive characteristics through the use of inhibitors.
Background
The 2006 Australian Greenhouse Gas Inventory,
attributes about 15.6% of greenhouse gas emissions to agriculture,
of which methane accounts for 12.1% and nitrous oxide (N2O)
3.5%. Animal production systems in Australia are a significant
contributor to nitrous oxide emissions from soil, with the
Australian Greenhouse Gas Inventory attributing about 27% of the
nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils to direct emissions
from animal production, principally the return of urine and manure
to pasture and rangelands (DCC 2008a). A further, 26% of emissions
from soils is attributed to indirect losses such as nitrogen in
run-off, leaching and ammonia volatilisation associated with animal
returns.
This project will use automatic chambers to
intensively study N2O losses from urine patches in south
west Victoria, using a range of application timings of both urine
and an inhibitor. Coupled with this will be satellite sites where
the same treatments are applied across a range of climate and soils
conditions, with these sites monitored for soil mineral N fractions
and DM production. This project will assist in improving our
understanding of emissions from urinary returns under Australian
conditions and the mitigation potential of inhibitors.
Core site
A core site will be established at DemoDAIRY,
Terang (38o14’S, 142o55’E), in south west
Victoria. Terang has a long term average annual rainfall of about
780 mm (111 year mean). The core site will be used to study gaseous
emissions using an automated system linking 8 enclosure chambers to
a Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) to measure N2O,
CO2 and CH4 emissions.
Satellite sites
Associated with the core site a further 5 sites in south west
Victoria, will have the same treatments applied and sampled for soil
mineral N status and potentially pasture production. These sites
aim to cover a range of the soil types and climatic conditions
(rainfall principally) typical of this region
Commencement date: April 2009 Completion
date: June 2012
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