Summary
This field-based study examined the mechanistic pathways controlling N2O emissions from sheep excreta deposited on organic grassland soils under extensive grazing management. By identifying nitrification as a critical bottleneck in the N2O production pathway, the authors demonstrated substantially lower emissions (ca. 43% reduction) than predicted by conventional country-specific emission factors, suggesting current models may overestimate livestock-derived N2O from organic soils. The findings have implications for refining greenhouse gas inventory methodologies for grazing systems on organic soils.
UK applicability
Directly applicable to United Kingdom organic grassland systems and extensive sheep grazing, which are common in upland and marginal areas. The results suggest that UK greenhouse gas emission inventories for sheep grazing on organic soils may currently overestimate N2O contributions, potentially informing more accurate climate accounting for organic farming and grazing-based systems.
Key measures
N2O emissions (in mass units, likely kg N2O-N ha⁻¹ or similar); nitrification rates; emission factors; comparison to national/country-specific excretal EF
Outcomes reported
The study investigated nitrification as a limiting factor in nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from sheep urine patches on extensively grazed organic soils. The research reported approximately 43% reduction in N2O emissions compared to country-specific excretal emission factors.
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