The primary aim of the research reviewed in this thesis has been to provide information required by land managers on inherent and dynamic soil properties for sustainable intensive agriculture. A soil survey in the Te Puke district, New Zealand, found the soils to be young with the majority having a layer of tephra in their profiles which gives rise to low overall nutrient status and free draining properties. Soils in north west Tasmania were found to be predominantly Red Ferrosols formed on basalt. The Ferrosols are characteristically strongly structured, strongly acid and have high organic carbon contents. The Ferrosols surveyed were being managed at their optimum land capability or better, with little evidence of soil degradation. The importance of taking a morphological approach to the studies of soil health is illustrated by comparing data from similar paddock histories across the soil orders studied. The differences in physical properties and soil carbon contents between soil orders were pronounced. The measured effects of cropping on soils varied depending on inherent differences between the soils studied. Soil carbon levels were found to be falling with increased years of cropping on all soils studied. Strong correlations were found between soil carbon and a range of soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Target levels of soil carbon are suggested for cropping systems, which can be used as an indicator of sustainability. The soil properties and paddock variables found to be significantly correlated with crop yield varied, depending on crop and soil type. Two easily applied measures of soil structure were correlated to crop production on heavier textured soils. Research into the off-site effects of agriculture in north west Tasmania found that there were high levels of water turbidity caused by soil erosion from cropped paddocks and high levels of nutrients emanating from dairy pastures on drained lowland areas. There has been a positive change in farmer perceptions and soil management practices over a ten-year period in north west Tasmania. Several information brochures have been published for farmers to assess and manage their soils for sustainable production. The research undertaken and reviewed here has produced information on inherent and dynamic soil properties required by farmers for sustainable intensive agriculture. The work has played a major role in the understanding of how soil management has an impact both on and off site and in influencing soil management on farms in both Tasmania and the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

The potential of proximal soil sensing methods for high resolution investigation of soils in the landscape has been investigated. This addresses the need for improved environmental monitoring and management of soils within their environs. On-the-go electromagnetic (EM) mapping has been used to map soils, providing a high resolution (< 10m) spatially defined soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) datalayer. Vis-NIR field spectroscopy has been trialled for in situ analysis of soil carbon, nitrogen and moisture. The portable spectroradiometer has been used at 6 sites in the Taupo-Rotorua region for rapid, field analysis of soil carbon (R2 calibration = 0.95, R2 prediction = 0.75,) soil nitrogen (R2 calibration = 0.95, R2 prediction = 0.86) and moisture (R2 calibration = 0.96, R2 prediction = 0.70) by collecting reflectance spectra from the flat surface of a soil core; and at one Manawatu site for soil moisture (R2 calibration = 0.79, R2 prediction = 0.71), where the reflectance spectra were collected directly from a freshly cut in situ soil surface. EM mapping and Vis-NIR field spectroscopy were used in combination to spatially characterize soil moisture patterns at the Manawatu site. Soil available water-holding capacity (AWC) of ECa-defined zones has been assessed at six irrigated production farming sites. Two methods (predicted AWC v ECa; estimated AWC v ECa) have been used to relate soil ECa to soil AWC to predict spatial AWC (R2 = 0.8 at 5 sites). Site-specific soil water balance models have been developed at all sites; and a wireless real-time soil moisture monitoring network has been trialled at two sites, to be used with the ECa-AWC prediction model for the development of daily soil water status maps, for variable rate irrigation (VRI) scheduling. This digital, spatially defined soil water status information is available for upload to a sprinkler system modified for variable rate application. The calculated water savings with VRI were 926% with equivalent energy savings and improved irrigation water use efficiency. Drainage and runoff were reduced by 055% during the period of irrigation, with the accompanying reduced risk of nitrogen leaching. The reduction in virtual water content of product has also been assessed for VRI and compared with uniform rate irrigation (URI) at three study sites. This study suggests that these proximal sensing methods provide a new improved way of monitoring and mapping soils. This facilitates soil inventory mapping, for example soil moisture and carbon mapping. In addition, these high resolution environmental monitoring and mapping techniques provide the information required for optimizing site-specific management of natural resources at the farm scale. On-the-go electromagnetic (EM) mapping has enabled a step change in the pedological investigation of New Zealand soils. Resulting soil ECa maps provide a tool for improving traditional soil map boundaries because they delineate soil zones primarily on a basis of soil texture and moisture in non-saline soils. In this study the maps have been used for site-specific irrigation management at the farm-scale, aiming to increase the energy efficiency of this land management operation. The study has developed a method for improved use of freshwaters by more accurate irrigation scheduling, based on high resolution characterization of spatial and temporal soil differences.

No description available.

This study has provided fundamental information on the fate of urine nitrogen (N) when applied to pasture soils. In this work the three pasture soils used were a Bruntwood silt loam (BW), an old well-developed (lime and fertilizer incorporated and farmed for more than 20 years) peat soil (OP) and a young peat (YP) which was less developed (farmed for about 10 years). Initial soil chemical and physical measurements revealed that the peat soils were acidic, had higher cation exchange capacities, had greater carbon:nitrogen ratios and were better buffered against changes in soil pH than the BW soil. However, the BW soil was more fertile with a higher pH. The peat soils had lower bulk densities and higher porosities. Four experiments were performed. In the first experiment ¹⁵N-labelled urine was applied at 500 kg N ha⁻¹ to intact soil cores of the three soils. Treatments imposed were the presence and absence of a water table at two temperatures, 8°C or 23° C, over 11-14 weeks. ¹⁵N budgets were determined. This first experiment showed that the nitrification rate was faster in the BW soil and was retarded with a water table present. Significant leaching of nitrate occurred at 8°C in the BW soil without a water table. This was reduced when a water table was present. Leaching losses of urine-N were lower in the peat soils than in the BW soil. Apparent denitrification losses (i.e. calculated on a total-N recovery basis) ranged from 18 to 48 % of the ¹⁵N-applied with the greatest losses occurring in the peat soils. The second experiment examined denitrification losses, over 30 days, following the application of synthetic urine-N at 420 kg N ha⁻¹ to small soil cores situated in growth cabinets. The effects of temperature (8°C or 18°C) and synthetic urine (presence or absence) were measured on the BW and OP soils. Nitrous oxide (N₂0) measurements were taken from all soil cores and a sub-set of soil cores, at 18°C, had ¹⁵N-labelled synthetic urine-N applied so that ¹⁵N-labelled nitrogen gases could be monitored. This experiment showed that the application of synthetic urine and increased soil temperature enhanced denitrification losses from both soils. Denitrification losses, at 18°C, as ¹⁵N-labelled nitrogen gases accounted for 24 to 39 % of the nitrogen applied. Nitrous oxide comprised less than half of this denitrification loss. Losses of N₂0 in leachate samples from the soil cores accounted for less than 0.1 % of the nitrogen applied. A third experiment, using Iysimeters, was performed over a 150 day period in the field. The six treatments consisted of the 3 soils with applied synthetic urine, with or without a simulated water table; each replicated three times. Lysimeters were installed in the field at ground level and ¹⁵N-labelled synthetic urine-N was applied (500 kg N ha⁻¹) on June 4 1992 (day 1). Nitrification rates differed between the soils following the trend noticed in the first experiment. As in the first experiment, nitrate was only detected in the leachate from the BW soil and the inclusion of a water table reduced the concentration of nitrate. In the BW soil, the leachate nitrate concentrations exceeded the World Health Organisation's recommended limit (< 10 mg N L-1) regardless of water table treatment. No nitrate was detected in the leachates from the peat soils but there was some leaching of organic-N (< 5 % of N added) in all the peat soil treatments. Denitrification losses were monitored for the first 100 days of the experiment. In the BW soil without a water table, N₂0 production peaked at approximately day 20 and accounted for 3 % of the nitrogen applied. In the peat soils the measured denitrification losses accounted for less than 1 % of the nitrogen applied. Apparent denitrification losses in the peats were, however, calculated to be approximately 50 % of the ¹⁵N-labelled synthetic urine-N applied. It is postulated that the difference between apparent denitrification losses and those measured could have been due to; loss of dinitrogen in leachate, protracted production of dinitrogen below detectable limits, production of denitrification gases after measurements ceased (i.e. days 100 to 150) and entrapment of dinitrogen in soil cores. Due to the apparent denitrification losses being so high, further research into this nitrogen loss pathway was performed. The fourth and final experiment measured denitrification directly using highly enriched (50 atom %) ¹⁵N-labelled synthetic urine-N. It was performed in a growth cabinet held initially at 8°C. The ¹⁵N-labelled synthetic urine was applied at 500 kg N ha⁻¹ to small soil cores of each soil type. Fluxes of N₂0 and ¹⁵N-labelled gases were measured daily for 59 days. On day 42 the temperature of the growth cabinet was increased to 12°C in an attempt to simulate the mean soil temperature at the end of the field experiment. Up to this time, production of nitrogenous gases from the YP soil had been very low. Interpretation of gaseous nitrogen loss in the YP soil was difficult due to the possibility of chemodenitrification occurring. However, in the OP and BW soils, gaseous losses of nitrogen (determined as ¹⁵N-labelled gas) represented 16 and 7 % of the nitrogen applied respectively. Nitrous oxide comprised approximately half of this gaseous nitrogen loss, in both the OP and BW soils. This work implies that urine-N applied to the mineral soil (BW) could potentially threaten the quality of ground water due to nitrate contamination through leaching. In contrast, denitrification appears to be the major loss mechanism from the peat soils, with the production of nitrous oxide being the primary focus for any environmental concern. Future work should examine the fate of the nitrate leached from the BW soil and the potential for dilution, plant uptake or denitrification below a 30 cm soil depth. A better understanding of the denitrification mechanisms could help reduce denitrification and thereby improve the efficiency of nitrogen use and reduce the output of nitrous oxide.

Many researchers have reported differences in soil C and N dynamics between soils of different textures and/or soil organic matter contents. However, it has proven difficult to determine the exact relationships and mechanisms between C and N dynamics and soil texture/SOM. There are few studies that consider how these soil physical and chemical conditions influence the effects of drying and rewetting on the mineralisation of C and N and the microbial transformations that follow. The objectives of this study were: 1) To determine the effects of repeated drying and rewetting cycles on C and N dynamics in soils of differing textural class and organic matter levels. 2) To use C & N mineralised at constant moisture contents to calculate mineralisation during dry/wet cycles for comparison with actual mineralisation. Two soil types with contrasting textures were chosen and 6 paddocks on each soil type were selected to produce an OM gradient for each soil. Three moisture treatments were chosen to simulate moist (field capacity at -0.01 MPa), moderately dry (120% of wilting point at -1.5 MPa) and very dry (80% of wilting point at - 1.5 MPa) field conditions. The dry moisture treatments were then combined with a rewet treatment where they were either rewet or maintained dry (+ or – rewet), resulting in a total of five dry/rewet treatments. Soils were packed into funnel tops to a BD of 1.1 g/cm³ and sealed in glass jars fitted with septa to allow gas sampling. Drying was achieved using silica gel which allowed continued gas measurement during drying periods. Gas samples were collected throughout the experiment and analysed for CO₂ by IRGA and N₂O by GC. At the start and end of the study, soils were analysed for Min N, MBC, MBN, HWC, DOC, POM, total C and total N. The correlation between calculated and actual C mineralisation data indicates that the intercept is not consistent with the origin and that the slope is not consistent with the 1:1 line. While those paddocks with high %C had high cumulative C mineralisation, there didn’t appear to be any strong relationship between soil texture or OM content and the difference between actual and calculated C mineralisation. A plot of calculated C mineralisation rates against the actual C mineralisation rates shows that much of the error in the calculated cumulative data arises from an underestimation of the mineralisation flush when the dry soil is rewetted, especially during the first dry-rewet cycle, and an over estimation of the rate at which respiration decreases as the soil dries. In order to use C mineralisation data from soils held at constant moisture contents to accurately predict C mineralisation in soils exposed to dry-rewet cycles, knowledge of the stress history for the soil would be required e.g. size, duration and frequency of rainfall events, dry rates etc. The N₂O-N emission data is inherently more variable than the C mineralisation data. The fine-textured soils tend to have much higher N₂O-N emissions than the coarser soils, probably due to the creation of anoxic sites upon rewetting in the fine-textured soils. The data indicates that prediction of N₂O-N emissions in soils exposed to dry-rewet cycles using emission data from soils held at constant moisture contents would be very inaccurate, primarily due to the inherent variability of N₂O-N emissions in soils.

The current silvicultural regimes of Pinus radiata plantations in New Zealand with wider initial tree spacings have created the potential for increased growth of understorey vegetation. A consequence of this is that the response of P. radiata to P fertiliser is expected to be more influenced by the interaction between the P fertiliser, the tree and the understorey vegetation than was the case in the past. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of different rates of a soluble and a sparingly-soluble P fertiliser (Triple superphosphate and Ben-Geurier phosphate rock) and weed control, and their interactions, on soil P chemistry and the growth and P uptake of 4-5-year-old second-rotation P. radiata on an Allophanic Soil (Kaweka forest) and a Pumice Soil (Kinleith forest). The results showed that the application of P fertilisers had no effect on P. radiata growth at both field trial sites two years after this treatment, although it increased radiata needle P concentration. However, at both sites, the understorey vegetation removal treatment increased tree diameter at breast height and basal area. At the highly P-deficient (Bray-2 P 4 µg g-1) Kaweka forest, the presence of understorey (bracken fern and some manuka) reduced resin-Pi and Olsen P concentrations, but at the moderate P fertility (Bray-2 P 13 µg g-1) Kinleith forest, the understorey (Himalayan honeysuckle, buddleia and some toetoe) increased Bray-2 P, resin-Pi, and Olsen P concentrations. A glasshouse study on P. radiata seedlings was conducted to test the hypothesis that when ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is grown with P. radiata, it increases radiata needle P concentration, while when broom (Cytisus scoparius L.) is grown with P. radiata, it has no effect. The acid phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere of P. radiata was higher when radiata was grown with broom than that when it was grown with ryegrass. This is consistent with the higher P concentration in needles of radiata grown with broom than that of radiata grown with ryegrass, in the absence of P fertiliser addition. However, when P fertiliser was added (50 and 100 µg P g-1 soil) the needle P concentration of radiata grown with broom was lower than that when radiata was grown with ryegrass.

Lakes resulting from open pit mining may be potential water resources or potential environmental problems, depending on their water quality. As the global abundance of pit mines and pit lakes increases, there is increasing pressure on the mining industry to create pit lakes that have environmental, social, and/or economical utility. This thesis uses an interdisciplinary approach involving mineralogy, physical limnology, and geochemistry to predict and improve the water quality of a proposed pit lake at the Martha gold mine, New Zealand. A mineral quantification method developed for this study measured the distributions and concentrations of wall rock minerals, and identified 8 relatively homogeneous wall rock regions, called mineral associations. Acid-base accounting using calcite and pyrite quantities identified 3 associations with acid-generating potential. Three physical limnology tools (relative depth, wedderburn number, and numerical modeling with DYRESM), predicted that the upper 2/3 of the lake will circulate annually during the winter turnover period, whereas the lower 1/3 will remain permanently isolated. Permanent stratification resulted from density differences between groundwater and river water inputs during lake filling, plus lake morphology. The geochemical model used the distribution of mineral associations to characterize the composition of pit wall runoff, and used the limnologic prediction to define the mixing frequency, mixing depth, and layer volumes. Initial modeling with the geochemical program PHREEQC indicated the lake will have a pH of 5, and Cu and Zn concentrations that exceed aquatic life protection guidelines. Sensitivity analyses showed that subaqueous water-rock reactions did not have a significant affect on lake pH, suggesting these reactions are less important geochemical factors in pyrite-bearing pit lakes. Surface adsorption onto ferrihydrite reduced concentrations of As, Pb, and Cu, suggesting these reactions are important geochemical factors in pit lakes. By covering the acid-generating mineral associations, lake pH increased above 6.5, allowing for future recreational use. Concentrations of Cu complied with aquatic life protection guidelines, however, Zn concentrations remained above these guidelines. This study demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary pit lake predictions in the design of closure plans for open pit mines. Such studies improve the ability of mining companies to sustainably develop mineral resources.

Lakes resulting from open pit mining may be potential water resources or potential environmental problems, depending on their water quality. As the global abundance of pit mines and pit lakes increases, there is increasing pressure on the mining industry to create pit lakes that have environmental, social, and/or economical utility. This thesis uses an interdisciplinary approach involving mineralogy, physical limnology, and geochemistry to predict and improve the water quality of a proposed pit lake at the Martha gold mine, New Zealand. A mineral quantification method developed for this study measured the distributions and concentrations of wall rock minerals, and identified 8 relatively homogeneous wall rock regions, called mineral associations. Acid-base accounting using calcite and pyrite quantities identified 3 associations with acid-generating potential. Three physical limnology tools (relative depth, wedderburn number, and numerical modeling with DYRESM), predicted that the upper 2/3 of the lake will circulate annually during the winter turnover period, whereas the lower 1/3 will remain permanently isolated. Permanent stratification resulted from density differences between groundwater and river water inputs during lake filling, plus lake morphology. The geochemical model used the distribution of mineral associations to characterize the composition of pit wall runoff, and used the limnologic prediction to define the mixing frequency, mixing depth, and layer volumes. Initial modeling with the geochemical program PHREEQC indicated the lake will have a pH of 5, and Cu and Zn concentrations that exceed aquatic life protection guidelines. Sensitivity analyses showed that subaqueous water-rock reactions did not have a significant affect on lake pH, suggesting these reactions are less important geochemical factors in pyrite-bearing pit lakes. Surface adsorption onto ferrihydrite reduced concentrations of As, Pb, and Cu, suggesting these reactions are important geochemical factors in pit lakes. By covering the acid-generating mineral associations, lake pH increased above 6.5, allowing for future recreational use. Concentrations of Cu complied with aquatic life protection guidelines, however, Zn concentrations remained above these guidelines. This study demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary pit lake predictions in the design of closure plans for open pit mines. Such studies improve the ability of mining companies to sustainably develop mineral resources.

Page xvi is missing from both the electronic and print copy / One-third of the North Island of New Zealand has been identified as requiring increased soil conservation if pastoral farming is to be sustainable. For over 50 years the planting of widely spaced poplar trees (Populus spp.) has been one of the main methods used to control soil erosion on hill pastures. Research has shown that these plantings have successfully decreased soil erosion but their impact on the productivity of pastoral farming has received little research attention. The research that has been undertaken has found poplars can suppress understorey pasture production by up to 40%, suggesting that farmers require more research information on the impact of planting conservation trees on the productivity of their farm if the use of conservation trees is to be more widely adopted on erosion prone land. The objective of this thesis was to provide comprehensive data on the relationship between the range of poplar densities used for soil conservation on the light and soil under poplars, and consequently the effect on understorey pastures. Three field sites on commercial sheep and beef hill farms, in regions with contrasting summer soil moisture availability, Manawatu (one site) and Central Hawke's Bay (two sites), were monitored for two years. Tree stocking rates ranged from 0 to 375 trees/ha. Measurements were based on units of four trees with most measurements either directly below the tree crowns or in the gaps between the trees, but more intensive transect measurements were also made. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the ratio of red to far red light (R:FR) were measured under the trees and in open pasture controls. Stand density indices used included all the commonly used measures of tree canopies, including digital photography, and stem diameter at breast height (DBH). PAR transmission was inversely related to all of the stand density indices with canopy closure based on digital photographs being the most robust of the indices used. PAR under the trees, relative to open pasture, was greater in the gaps than below tree crowns. Under a completely closed canopy, PAR transmission was reduced to 15-20% and 50-55% of the open pasture in summer and winter, respectively. The RFR under the trees, relative to open pasture, decreased markedly at high stand densities (allowing less than 40% PAR transmission) in summer, but was similar in winter. The change in PAR under the trees was shown to be a major factor limiting pasture growth, particularly directly below the tree crowns. For both summer and winter, canopy closure measured with a standard digital camera was strongly related to stand level PAR transmission (r2=0.88-0.97; P<0.0001) and was also a practical method of measuring canopy closure in the field. The soil measurements confirmed earlier research that soil pH increases under mature poplar trees. There was a 0.2 - 0.7 unit increase in soil pH in the upper 75 mm of soil over both contrasting regions. The soil fertility under the trees in terms of requirements for pasture growth was similar to that of the open pasture with calcium and potassium up to 2.2 and 9.0 quick test units higher in the soil under the trees than in the open pasture, respectively. The direct cause of the increased concentration of some cations under the trees was the annual tree leaf litter. Overall, the soil fertility under the trees had the potential to produce similar pasture production to that of the open pasture with the added advantage of less acid conditions. Averaged over all sites the respective annual net herbage accumulation (ANHA) under poplar canopy closures of 25, 50 and 75 % was estimated from the equations developed to be 77, 60 and 48% of the open pasture. The greatest decrease was directly below the tree crowns where at canopy closures greater than 20% the ANHA was a relatively constant 50% of open pasture. In the vertically projected gap between trees the ANHA decreased by 6.6% relative to open pasture for each 10% increase in canopy closure. At approximately 80% canopy closure there was no difference between the ANHA directly below the trees and in the gap. Pasture net herbage accumulation (NHA) under the trees relative to open pasture was at its lowest in summer and autumn (36% of open pasture under a closed canopy), and at its greatest in early spring before tree canopy leafed out (72% of open pasture under a closed canopy). The botanical composition and feed value of the pasture under the trees was broadly similar to that of the open pasture. The greatest impact of the poplars on the pasture was decreased NHA due to shading. The decrease in NHA directly below mature unpruned poplars is substantial and would decrease farm profitability if the poplar stand density were high over a large area of the farm. The use of poplars for soil conservation is essential but these results show the importance of managing trees through pruning and thinning so that canopy closure is minimised. ANHA under the trees can be maintained at 75% of the open pasture if canopy closure is prevented from exceeding 30-40%.

New Zealand's greenhouse gas inventory is dominated by the agricultural trace gases, CH4 and N2O instead of CO2, which is dominant on a global scale. While the majority of the anthropogenic CH4 is emitted by ruminant animals as a by-product of enteric fermentation, N2O is mainly produced by microbial processes occurring in the soil. In grazed pastoral soils, N2O is generated from N originating from dung, urine, effluent applied to land, biologically fixed N2 and fertiliser. The amount of emission depends on complex interactions between soil properties, climatic factors and management practices. Increased intensification of pastoral agriculture in New Zealand, particularly in dairying has led to an increased production of farm dairy effluent. Traditionally, direct disposal of nutrient rich farm dairy effluents (FDE) into water bodies was an acceptable practice in New Zealand, but with the introduction of the Resource Management Act (1991), discharge of effluents into surface waters is now a controlled activity and many Regional Councils encourage the land irrigation of effluents to protect surface water quality. While the impact of grazing and FDE irrigation on groundwater contamination through leaching and runoff of nutrients has been studied extensively, there has been only limited work done on the effect of these practices on air quality as affected by N2O emission. This thesis examines the effects of various factors, such as compaction due to cattle treading, and the nature, application rate and time of effluent application on N2O emission in relation to the changes in the soil physical properties and C and N transformation from a number of small plot and field experiments. The results were then used, together with data from the literature, to predict the emissions from effluent irrigated pastures using a process-based model. In grazed pastures, animal treading causes soil compaction, which results in decreased soil porosity and increased water filled pore space that stimulate the denitrification rate as well as influence the relative output of N2O and dinitrogen (N2) gases. A field plot study was conducted to determine N2O emission from different N sources as affected by soil compaction. The experiment comprised two main treatments (uncompacted and compacted) to which four N sources (natural cattle urine, potassium nitrate, ammonium sulphate and urea at the rate of 600kg N ha-1) and a control (water only) were applied. Compaction was obtained through driving close parallel tracks by the wheels of the vehicle. The changes in the soils physical properties (bulk density, penetration resistance (PR), soil matric potential and oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) due to the compaction created by the wheel traction of the vehicle were compared with the changes in these properties due to the treading effect of grazing cattle, which was monitored in another field experiment. The N2O fluxes were measured using a closed chamber technique. The compaction at the grazing trial and at the wheel traction experimental plot caused significant changes in soil bulk density, PR, soil matric potential and ODR values. Overall, the bulk density of the compacted soil was higher than the uncompacted soil by 6.7% (end of 3 weeks) and 4.9% (end of 1 week) for the field experiment and the grazing trial, respectively. Results suggest that maximum compaction occurred in the top 0-2 cm layer. Compaction caused an increase in N2O emission, which was more pronounced in the nitrate treatment than in the other N sources. In the case of the compacted soil, 10% of the total N applied in the form of nitrate was emitted, whereas from uncompacted soil this loss was only 0.7%. N2O loss was found to decrease progressively from the time of application of N treatments. Total N2O emission for the three month experimental period ranged from 2.6 to 61.7 kg N2O-N ha-1 for compacted soil and 1.1 to 4.4 kg N2O-N ha-1 for uncompacted soil. In the second field plot experiment, the results of N2O fluxes from treated farm dairy effluent (TFDE), untreated farm dairy effluent (UFDE), treated piggery farm effluent (TPFE) and treated meat effluent (TME) applied to 2m x 1m plots for 'autumn' (February-April) and 'winter' (July-September) are described. Effluent irrigation resulted in higher emissions during both the seasons indicating that the supply of C and N through effluent irrigation contributed to increased N2O emission. The highest emissions were observed from TPFE (2.2% of the applied N) and TME (0.6% of the applied N) during the autumn and winter seasons, respectively. Emissions generated by the TFDE application were the lowest of the four effluent sources but higher than the water and control treatments. The effect of effluent irrigation on N2O emission was higher during the autumn season than the winter season. The effect of key soil and effluent factors such as water filled pore space (WFPS), nitrate, ammonium and available C in soil and effluents on N2O emission was examined using regression equations. The third field plot experiment examined the effect of four TFDE application rates (25mm, 50mm, 75mm and 100mm) on N2O emission. Treatments were added to 2m x 1m plots lined with plastic sheet to restrict the flow of effluent. The N2O emission increased with the increasing effluent loading rate, with the emission ranging from 0.8 to 1.2% of the added N. This can be attributed to the increasing addition of N and C in the soil with the increasing application rate of the effluent. Besides, providing C and N substrates, the effluent application increased the WFPS of the soil, thereby creating conditions conducive for dentrification and N2O emission. A field experiment was conducted at the Massey University No 4 Dairy farm in which N2O emission and related soil and environmental parameters were monitored for two weeks following the TFDE applications over an area of 0.16 ha in September 2003 (21mm), January 2004 (23mm) and February 2004 (16mm). Emissions were measured by a closed chamber technique with 20 chambers for each treatment, in order to cover the variability present in the field. N2O emissions increased immediately after the application of the effluent, and subsequently dropped after about two weeks. The total N2O emitted from the effluent application after the first, second and third irrigation was 2%, 4.9% and 2.5%, respectively of the total N added through the effluent. The higher emission observed during the second effluent irrigation event was due to high soil moisture content during the measurement period. Moreover effluent was applied immediately after a grazing event leading to more N and C input into the soil through excretal deposition. In this experiment the residual effect of effluent application on N2O emission was also examined by monitoring emissions 12 weeks after the effluent application. The emissions from the control and effluent irrigated plots were similar, indicating that there was no residual effect of the effluent irrigation on N2O emissions. In a separate field study, N2O emission was monitored at the Massey University No 4 Dairy farm to examine the effect of a grazing event of moderate intensity on N2O emission. The treatments consisted of a grazed and an ungrazed control. The fluxes from the grazed site were much higher than for the ungrazed site with the total emissions from the former site being 8 times higher than the latter site for the entire experimental period. A modified New Zealand version of denitrification decomposition model (DNDC), a process based model, namely "NZ-DNDC", was used to simulate N2O emission from the TFDE application in the field experiment. The model was able to simulate the emission as well as the WFPS within the range measured in the field. But simulated emissions from the TFDE were slightly lower than measured values. Improvements in the parameterisation for effluent irrigation are likely to further improve the N2O simulations.