Summary
This study provides empirical data on sheep urine parameters from 193 urination events across six sheep, demonstrating that nitrogen excretion and chemical composition vary significantly by pasture quality and season. The authors report daily urine nitrogen excretion of 26.7 g N per sheep on improved pasture versus 16.7 g N on semi-improved pasture, though actual patch nitrogen loading differed due to site-specific differences in urine-to-soil contact area. The paper contributes an updated artificial urine 'recipe' and highlights the importance of site- and season-specific data for accurately modelling nitrogen losses from grazed grasslands.
UK applicability
Directly applicable to UK sheep farming systems, as the study was conducted on UK grasslands (improved and semi-improved pastures). The findings are relevant for predicting reactive nitrogen losses from sheep-grazed grasslands across diverse UK farm types and informing environmental management practices.
Key measures
Urination frequency (events per day), urine event volume (mL), daily urine production (L sheep⁻¹ d⁻¹), daily urine nitrogen excretion (g N sheep⁻¹ d⁻¹), individual urine nitrogen concentration (g N L⁻¹), urine-to-soil surface area (L m⁻²), urine chemical composition, and metabolomic profile
Outcomes reported
The study quantified urination frequency (8–11 times per day), volume (mean 289 mL per event; 2.77 L per sheep per day), and nitrogen content in sheep urine across different pasture types and seasons. Results revealed that daily urine nitrogen excretion and concentration were higher from sheep grazing improved pasture compared to semi-improved pasture, with implications for nitrogen loss patterns and urine patch loading on soil.
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