Effects of plantain in pasture on nitrous oxide emissions from cattle urine patches, as affected by urine deposition timing and soil type
- 17 October 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research
- Vol. 66 (1), 1-17
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00288233.2021.1987279
Abstract
Two lysimeter experiments were conducted to quantify the effect of including plantain in pasture on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from cattle urine patches, as affected by urine deposition timing and soil type. In experiment one, two pasture types were tested: (i) perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)/white clover (Trifolium repens) (PRG/WC), and (ii) perennial ryegrass/white clover/plantain (Plantago lanceolata) (PRG/WC/P) pastures, under four urine application dates (late summer, early autumn, mid-autumn, and late autumn). In experiment two, two pasture types were tested: (i) PRG/WC and (ii) PRG/WC/P on two soil types (Balmoral shallow stony silt loam and Templeton deep stone-less silt loam). Both experiments applied cow urine (700 kg N ha−1) and collected gas samples using a closed chamber method. In experiment one and two, the addition of plantain to pasture had no significant effect on N2O-N emissions. Soil type had no significant effect on N2O-N emissions. However, urine application timing had a significant effect, with February having the highest average N2O-N emissions (9.0 kg N2O-N ha−1), followed by March (3.0 kg N2O-N ha−1), April (2.7 kg N2O-N ha−1) and May (1.7 kg N2O-N ha−1). This change in N2O-N emissions is attributed to cooler conditions reducing microbial activity, subsequently reducing nitrification and denitrification rates.Keywords
Funding Information
- New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- Lincoln University
- New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (Honours Scholarship)
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Challenge of the Urine Patch for Managing Nitrogen in Grazed Pasture SystemsPublished by Elsevier BV ,2015
- Nitrogen partitioning and milk production of dairy cows grazing simple and diverse pasturesJournal of Dairy Science, 2013
- Nitrous Oxide (N 2 O): The Dominant Ozone-Depleting Substance Emitted in the 21st CenturyScience, 2009
- Factors Affecting Nitrification in SoilsCommunications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 2008
- Estimating a nitrous oxide emission factor for animal urine from some New Zealand pastoral soilsSoil Research, 2003
- Nitrous oxide emissions from grazed grasslandSoil Use and Management, 1997
- Modeling the temperature response of nitrificationBiogeochemistry, 1996
- Nutrient Cycling and Soil Fertility in the Grazed Pasture EcosystemPublished by Elsevier BV ,1993
- Lysimeters Without Edge Flow: An Improved Design and Sampling ProcedureSoil Science Society of America Journal, 1992
- Improved Soil Cover Method for Field Measurement of Nitrous Oxide FluxesSoil Science Society of America Journal, 1981