Summary
This multi-country field study examined how pasture vegetation cover influences nitrous oxide losses from cattle urine under tropical rainy season conditions. Degraded pastures with low vegetative cover showed approximately 73% higher cumulative N₂O emissions (3.31 vs 1.91 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹) and 2.3 times higher emission factors (0.42 vs 0.18%) compared to adequately vegetated pastures. The findings suggest that maintaining adequate vegetative cover through improved pasture management could substantially reduce climate-relevant greenhouse gas emissions from grazing systems.
UK applicability
Whilst this study was conducted in tropical Latin America and Caribbean conditions with high rainfall variability, the underlying mechanism—that vegetation cover reduces nitrogen loss pathways—may have relevance to UK grassland management. However, direct application would require validation under cooler, temperate maritime conditions with different soil types and grazing patterns.
Key measures
Cumulative N₂O emissions (kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹), emission factors (%), soil N₂O quantified via closed static chambers and gas chromatography
Outcomes reported
The study quantified nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from simulated cattle urine patches across paired degraded and non-degraded pastures in five Latin American and Caribbean countries, measuring cumulative rainy season emissions and calculating urine-nitrogen emission factors.
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