Summary
This empirical study characterised urine deposition patterns and nitrogen composition in penned sheep across seasonal and pasture-quality gradients, using 193 urination events from six animals. Sheep grazing improved pasture excreted higher daily nitrogen loads (26.7 g N sheep−1 d−1) than those on semi-improved pasture (16.7 g N sheep−1 d−1), though individual patch nitrogen loading was moderated by differences in soil surface area coverage between sites. The findings provide quantitative data to support more accurate prediction of reactive nitrogen losses from sheep-grazed grasslands and offer a validated artificial urine formulation for controlled experimental work.
UK applicability
These results are directly applicable to UK sheep farming systems, as the study was conducted in UK conditions across pasture types representative of British grasslands. The site- and season-specific urine composition data and updated artificial urine recipe will improve the accuracy of UK field experiments and models predicting ammonia and nitrous oxide losses from pastoral grazing.
Key measures
Urination frequency and volume, daily urine nitrogen excretion (g N sheep−1 d−1), urine nitrogen concentration (g N L−1), urine patch nitrogen loading, urine chemical composition, metabolomic profile, urine-to-soil surface area influenced
Outcomes reported
The study quantified urination frequency (8–11 times per day), mean urine event volume (289 ± 14 mL), and daily urine nitrogen excretion in sheep grazing improved versus semi-improved pastures, alongside chemical composition and metabolomic profiling of urine samples. Results were used to develop an updated artificial sheep urine recipe for experimental studies.
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