Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Peter J. Tomlinson / Growing cover crops (CCs) in rotation with cash crops has become popular in recent years for their many agroecosystem benefits, such as influencing nutrient cycling and reducing nutrient losses. This study aimed to (i) determine the long-term effects of no-till with CCs and varying nitrogen (N) rates on subsequent sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] yield and yield components, (ii) assess how CCs affect the N dynamic in the soil-crop relationship during the growing season and N use efficiency (NUE) of sorghum, and (iii) define and evaluate important periods of nitrous oxide (N₂O) losses throughout the cropping system. Field experiments were conducted during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 growing season in a three-year no-till winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) – sorghum – soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] rotation. Fallow management consisted of a chemical fallow (CF) control plus four CCs and a double-crop soybean (DSB) grown after wheat harvest. Nitrogen fertilizer was subsurface banded at five rates (0, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg ha⁻¹) after sorghum planting. On average, DSB and late-maturing soybean (LMS) provided one-third and one-half of the N required for optimum economic grain yield (90 kg N ha⁻¹), respectively; resulting in increased grain yield when compared to the other CCs and CF with 0-N application. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) and daikon radish (Raphanus sativus L.) had no or negative effects on sorghum yield and N uptake relative to CF across all N rates. Sorghum-sudangrass (SS) (Sorghum bicolor var. sudanese) significantly reduced N uptake and grain yield, even at higher N rates. Sorghum following CF had the lowest NUE at optimum grain yield when compared to all CC treatments, suggesting that CCs have a tendency to improve NUE. Cover crops reduced N₂O emissions by 65% during the fallow period when compared to CF; however, DSB and SS increased emissions when N was applied during the sorghum phase, indicating that N fertilization might be the overriding factor. Moreover, about 50% of the total N₂O emissions occurred within 3 weeks after N application, regardless of the cover crop treatment, indicating the importance of implementing N management strategies to reduce N₂O emissions early in the growing season. Overall, these results show that CC selection and N fertilizer management can have significant impacts on sorghum productivity and N₂O emissions in no-till cropping systems.

Food production security and resiliency require combination of agricultural management practices that are environmentally friendly and economically viable. Cover crops and tillage are two typical management practices that influence corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) production in Illinois and the Midwest, USA. Finding practices that could potentially reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and sequester carbon (C) in the soil can improve agricultural resiliency to climate change. Generally, shifting from reduced tillage (RT) to no-till (NT) improves soil structure and decreases C emissions or sequesters soil C but might increase N2O emissions. Including a legume cover crop such as hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.) before corn is preferred to winter cereal cover crops (WCCCs) to avoid yield penalty in corn and ensure high grain production. Winter cereal cover crops such as winter cereal rye (Secale cereale) (WCR) could potentially decrease soil N2O emissions during fallow period by capturing residual N and reducing soil moisture. These conditions could change in soils with legacy tillage (RT vs. NT) effects due to changes in soil physical, chemical, and biological over time. We utilized a medium-term (six-year-old) trial to test several hypotheses. We hypothesized that RT increases the soil temperature, accelerates soil organic matter mineralization, and especially in combination with hairy vetch could increase soil N in the soil leading to increased corn grain yield and N2O emission (Chapter 1). We also hypothesized that WCR takes up residual N after harvesting corn, decrease soil N, use soil moisture, and therefore, could decrease soil N2O emission (Chapter 2). For study 1 (Chapter 1), our objective was to evaluate the influence of cover crop (hairy vetch) vs. a no CC control and tillage systems (RT vs. NT) on (i) corn yield, N uptake, removal, and N balance; (ii) N2O emissions during corn season; (iii) yield scaled N2O emissions on a long-term (eight years) tillage × cover cropping system during the corn growing season in 2019 and 2021. We also analyzed factors that influence N2O emissions via principal component analysis in corn season. In corn growing seasons, we found that corn grain yield was higher in RT than NT reflecting on more N in the soil in RT than NT. Hairy vetch increased corn grain yield, soil N, and N2O-N indicating increased corn grain yield by hairy vetch N contribution let to higher N loss. Yield-scaled N2O-N emissions in NT-2019 (3696.4 g N2O-N Mg-1) were twofold higher than RT-2019 (1872.7 g N2O-N Mg-1) and almost fourfold higher than NT-2021 and RT-2021 indicating in a wet year like 2019, yield-scaled N2O-N emissions were higher in NT than RT. Principal component analysis indicated N2O-N fluxes were less driven by soil N and more by environmental conditions and N balances reflecting on N application at planting in this trial. . The objectives for chapter 2 were to evaluate the legacy effect of tillage (RT vs. NT) and cover crops (WCR vs. a no cover crop control) on soil nitrate-N (NO3-N), volumetric water content (VWC), temperature, and N2O emission trends during a fallow period after corn in a six-yr trial. In spring 2020 we also estimated WCR biomass and N uptake as affected by tillage practices and compared WCR biomass to weeds in the no cover crop treatment. In rye growing season, winter cereal rye biomass was 55% higher than weeds in the fallow treatment. A linear positive relation between WCR biomass and N uptake (R2= 0.93) and C accumulation (R2 = 0.99) indicates WCR captures more N and adds more C inputs than weeds. Winter cereal rye biomass was also higher in RT than NT reflecting on higher soil temperature and N availability in RT than NT. Soil VWC was lower in WCR plots and there was a negative linear relation between days of the year (DOY) and VWC (R2 = 0.6). Despite all these differences, soil N2O-N values were mainly less than 5 g N2O-N ha-1d-1 in all sampling dates regardless of tillage or cover crop treatment. We conclude that in poorly drained Alfisols with claypan and fragipans, NT is not an effective strategy to decrease N2O-N fluxes. Hairy vetch benefits corn grain yield and supplement N but that increases N loss through N2O-N emissions. We concluded that we should focus on decreasing N2O emissions early in corn season since majority of N is lost during that time sometimes 300 times higher than those reported during the WCR phase. Some changes in management practices that could reduce N2O losses are shifting from upfront N application to sidedress N management, terminating hairy vetch at or even after corn planting, and combine these efforts with enhanced efficiency fertilizers that control nitrification and denitrification.

Corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) production in Illinois has a significant impact on the economy and environmental footprint in the state and the Midwest region. Nutrient leaching from Midwestern agricultural fields is one of the major reasons for the hypoxic zone developed in the Gulf of Mexico. Winter-fallow and early spring (after fertilizer application) are the two most critical periods for nutrient leaching due to increased precipitation and availability of nutrients. Cover crops (CCs) in these seasons are a promising best management practice (BMP) to reduce nutrient leaching in the winter-fallow season. No-till (NT) and reduced tillage (RT) are some other BMPs that farmers in Illinois adopt to reduce erosion. The adoption of CCs is limited due to the lack of knowledge and data on the yield and environmental benefits of CCs in different climatic and soil regimes. Thereby, this doctoral dissertation addresses several critical questions about CC and tillage impacts in claypan soils of southern Illinois with four principal projects with multiple objectives. Research study 1 was a field experiment conducted from 2013-to 2021 to understand the effect of CCs (CCs vs. noCC) and two tillage (NT and RT) practices on soil nitrate-N leaching. The experimental design was a complete randomized design with CC treatments that had two levels (two crop rotations) corn-cereal rye (Secale cereale L.)-soybean-hairy vetch (Vicia villosa R.) [CcrShv] and corn-noCC-soybean-noCC [CncSnc] and tillage treatments with two levels (NT and RT) replicated three times in the field. Each plot had a pan lysimeter installed below the A horizon (22-30 cm depth) to collect water samples weekly or biweekly depending on the rainfall. The corn yield was significantly greater in RT rotations compared to NT rotations with a 36% increase in the yield in 2019 and 2021 corn rotations. The yield was significantly greater in CcrShv rotations compared to the CncSnc rotations. The greatest yield was observed in the interaction of CcrShv-RT in all years. This increase in yield is inversely correlated to the remaining soil N values when the N credit from CCs was not accounted for. Soil nitrate-N leaching was significantly greater in CcrShv rotations compared to the CncSnc rotation in 2021 indicating vetch CC biomass decomposition can lead to increased leaching losses if the window between CC termination and corn planting is not minimized. Precipitation during the early spring can play a vital role in flushing the newly applied fertilizer as well as the N released from decomposing CC residue. The excessively wet year of 2019 showed that N losses are dominated by both nitrate-N leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, but in a typical growing season N losses are dominated by leaching compared to emissions. Research study 2 was designed to better understand the N cycling and fate of applied N in a complete corn-soybean rotation in southern Illinois with CCs and tillage practices. The research was overlayed in the same field with the same crop rotation and tillage practices. In this study, 15N labeled urea fertilizer (9.2% atom) was applied before the corn and soybean seasons. Soil, water, and biomass samples were collected to understand N distribution in each pool. In the corn season in 2017 a significantly greater 15N recovery was observed in CC (CcrShv) plots compared to the noCC plots in the sample collected seven days after planting (DAP). In the CC and depth interaction, a significantly greater 15N recovery was observed in 15-30 cm depth showing that the increased macropores due to CCs can lead to subsurface movement of N through the topsoil. The 15N recovery in water samples was high in CncSnc rotations in the cereal rye season but was significantly greater in CcrShv rotations (8.95 kg ha-1) in hairy vetch seasons. In the two years of complete rotation, the cumulative 15N recovery (quantity derived from fertilizer in water) was significantly greater in CC rotation. In the corn plants, the 15N recovered from the soil was greater than the 15N recovered from fertilizer. This shows the importance of the residual N from prior fertilizer and organic matter input. In the cereal rye season, CCs recovered significantly greater 15N from fertilizer compared to noCC rotations, assuring that cereal rye is an effective nutrient scavenger. A similar pattern was observed in the hairy vetch season as well. However, the soybean 15N recovery was greater in noCC rotations compared to CC rotations. The third study was a field trial on CCs and tillage to understand their individual and combined impact on soil physical parameters. Soil physical parameters were first measured in 2014 and were repeated in 2021. Bulk density at the 0-5 cm depth was 5% lower in 2021 compared to 2014 with the lowest BD in CC rotations with RT practices. For the depth of 0-15 cm, the lowest BD was observed in CC rotation with RT but, the largest reduction was observed in the CC rotation with NT. The wet aggregate stability was improved from 15-28 % over the years in all rotations. The lowest percentage improvement was observed in noCC rotation with RT practice. Penetration resistance was significantly lower in CC plots for the depth of 0-2.5 cm. CCs further improved the time to runoff in plots even though the infiltration rates were not affected. Chemical soil health indices were not significant overtime for CCs or tillage practices. However, a large number of earthworm counts were observed in NT systems compared to RT systems. The final project was a field trial to identify the soil P response to the CC and tillage practices. For this study, three different CC rotations, [corn-cereal rye-soybean-hairy vetch / corn-cereal rye-soybean-oats+radish / corn-noCC-soybean-noCC] and two tillage practices (NT and RT) were used. Soil samples were collected after the corn harvest in 2015 and 2021 and were analyzed for soil Phosphorus (P), inorganic P fractions by Chan and Jackson method, and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in leachate. The soil Mehlich-3 and Bray-1 P values indicate a great concentration of P in 0-15 cm depth for both years. More refined sampling in 2021 showed that the majority of P in 0-15 cm depth concentrates at the near-surface soil, in 0-5 cm depth irrespective of the CC and tillage treatment. Inorganic soil P fractions were not significantly different between CCs or tillage practices over time. Yet, irrespective of the treatment the non- labile P forms increased in 2021in the soil compared to 2015. The average and cumulative DRP values were highly dependent on the precipitation amounts and timing. However, in general, NT systems had greater average and cumulative DRP leaching compared to RT in both years. In general, CCs in the winter-fallow season is a good recommendation for farms that seek to maximize their production with a minimal environmental footprint. In the long run, CCs can improve soil physical and chemical properties which ultimately can increase the yield potential for corn and soybean. The added benefit of N credit due to leguminous CCs can reduce the fertilizer inputs. The CC benefits including the reduction in nutrient leaching depend on the type of CCs used in the field. More importantly, the CC termination time will be critical to obtain the maximum benefit of CCs. Even though the NT practices improve soil physical properties, long-term NT can increase the risk of soil P stratification in near-surface soils and can ultimately lead to more P loss via erosion, runoff, and soil water leaching. However, the combined use of CC and NT practices can help minimize the potential for erosion and runoff.

This study was conducted to obtain landscape- and regional-scale estimates of N₂O emissions for a representative part of the Black soil zone of Saskatchewan. A 4318-km² study region was stratified based on soil texture and land use. At the regional scale, soil texture was the proxy variable used to represent the differences in soil moisture regimes and soil fertility, whereas land use was the surrogate variable used to reflect the differences in N and C cycling. Soil landscapes were selected to cover the range of soil texture and land use characteristics in the study region. At the landscape level, shoulder and footslope complexes were used as the spatial sampling units to cover the range of topographical and soil characteristics within the landscape. At the landform complex level, soil moisture (as assessed by volumetric moisture content and water-filled pore space) was the most important factor controlling N₂O emission. At the landscape scale, soil moisture was, in turn, influenced by topography, and on the seasonal scale it was affected by climatic factor(s) (e.g., precipitation). The annual N₂O emissions were calculated as the sum of the spring and the summer to fall fluxes. The spring emission was estimated by interpolating the N₂O fluxes measured on discrete sampling days, whereas the summer to fall emission was estimated by establishing regression models that related N₂O fluxes to water-filled pore space. Regional estimates of N₂O emissions were obtained using the GIS database of soil texture and land use types. The average annual fluxes for fertilized cropped, fallow, pasture, and forest areas, weighted by their areal extent in the different textural areas of the study region, were 2.01, 0.12, 0.04, and 0.02 kg N₂O-N ha^-1 yr^-1 respectively. The weighted-average annual fluxes for the medium- to fine-textured and sandy-textured areas were 1.31 and 0.04 kg N₂O-N ha^-1 yr$\sp{-1},$ respectively. For the study region, the weighted-average annual flux was 0.90 kg N₂O-N ha^-1 yr$\sp{-1}.$

付記する学位プログラム名: グローバル生存学大学院連携プログラム / 京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第21465号 / 農博第2308号 / 新制||農||1064(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H31||N5160(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科地域環境科学専攻 / (主査)教授 舟川 晋也, 教授 間藤 徹, 教授 縄田 栄治 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The consequence of climate change will be more flooding in some areas and problems with sea-level rise. Drained wetlands and lakes that today are used for agriculture in the future may need to be rewetted because it might be unsustainable to continue to drain them. Rewetting these lands will have many positive effects like for instance decreased greenhouse gas emissions since these lands due to their high organic matter content are emitting a lot of CO2 and N2O. In this study two sites that could become candidates for rewetting have been studied and compared for their CO2 and N2O emissions. This was done by using a method for sampling gases both from a closed chamber and directly from soil. The emission rates were higher for Ramsjön compared to Vesan for both gases that could probably be an effect of season. A strong covariation between the two gases was shown for Ramsjön and the relationship was fairly strong for Vesan this indicates a common process for releasing the two gases. Rewetting these areas would probably have a high potential for saving greenhouse gas emissions and possibly also serve as flood adaptation areas with a high biodiversity and recreational value.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emisison from paddy soil via the soil nitrification and denitrification processes makes an important contribution to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The soil N2O emission processes are controlled not only by biological, physical and chemical factors but also by farming practices. In recent years, modeling approach has become popular to predict and estimate greenhouse gas fluxes from field studies. In this study, the DeNitrification–DeComposition (DNDC) model were calibrated and tested by incorporating experimental data with the local climate, soil properties and farming management, for its simulation applicability for the irrigated rice system in Duy Xuyen district, a delta lowland area of Vu Gia-Thu Bon River Basin regions. The revised DNDC was then used to quantitatively estimate N2O emissions from rice fields under a range of three management farming practices (water management, crop residue incorporation and nitrogen fertilizer application rate). Results from the simulations indicated that (1) N2O emissions were significantly affected by water management practices; (2) increases in temperature, total fertilizer N input substantially increased N2O emissions. Finally, five 50-year scenarios were simulated with DNDC to predict their long-term impacts on crop yield and N2O emissions. The modelled results suggested that implementation of manure amendment or crop residue incorporation instead of increased nitrogen fertilizer application rates would more efficiently mitigate N2O emissions from the tested rice-based system. / Phát thải nitơ ôxít (N2O) từ canh tác lúa nước (thông qua quá trình nitrat hóa và phản nitrat hóa) đóng góp đáng kể vào tổng lượng khí nhà kính có nguồn gốc từ sản xuất nông nghiệp. Quá trình phát thải N2O là không chỉ phụ thuộc vào các yếu tố sinh-lý-hóa học mà còn phụ thuộc các phương pháp canh tác. Trong những năm gần đây, việc ứng dụng mô hình hóa nhằm tính toán và ước lượng sự phát thải khí nhà kính ngày càng trở lên phổ biến. Trong nghiên cứu này, số liệu quan trắc từ thí nghiệm đồng ruộng và dữ liệu về đất đai, khí hậu, biện pháp canh tác được sử dụng để kiểm nghiệm và phân tích độ nhạy của mô hình DNDC (mô hình sinh địa hóa). Sau đó, mô hình được sử dụng để tính toán lượng N2O phát thải trong canh tác lúa nước dưới các phương thức canh tác khác nhau (về chế độ tưới, mức độ vùi phụ phẩm, bón phân hữu cơ, phân đạm) tại huyện Duy Xuyên, thuộc vùng đồng bằng thấp của lưu vực sông Vu Gia-Thu Bồn. Kết quả kiểm định chỉ ra rằng (1) sự phát thải N2O bị ảnh hưởng đáng kể do sự thay đổi chế độ tưới; (2) nhiệt độ tăng và lượng phân bón N tăng sẽ làm tăng phát thải N2O. Kết quả mô phỏng về tác động lâu dài (trong 50 năm) của các yếu tố đến năng suất cây trồng và phát thải N2O cho thấy: Việc sử dụng phân hữu cơ và phụ phẩm nông nghiệp thay thế cho việc bón phân đạm sẽ giúp giảm phát thải N2O đáng kể.

Cette these etudie les effets de la conversion de la foret tropicale en parcelles agricoles, sur les emissions de n2o par les sols. Ce travail est realise a l’echelle du cycle cultural sur le dispositif experimental de combi (littoral guyanais), a l’aide de mesures in situ et de simulations (modele noe) des flux de n2o. La foret tropicale a ete comparee a des parcelles de foret converties en terres agricoles par la methode ‘chop-and-mulch’. La methode de deforestation ‘chop-and-mulch’ associe coupe mecanique de la vegetation, broyage puis enfouissement des residus forestiers dans le sol. Les terres agricoles etaient soient des parcelles de prairie non paturee soient des parcelles cultivees (maïs fertilise/soja) conduites en semis conventionnel (semis apres travail du sol, sans plante de couverture) ou en semis direct (sans travail du sol, avec plantes de couverture).Les principaux resultats de cette etude sont : le sol de la foret tropicale de combi est un faible emetteur de n2o ; la conversion par la methode ‘chop-and-mulch’ de cette foret en prairie ne conduit pas a une augmentation significative des emissions de n2o entre le 19eme et le 31eme mois suivant la conversion ; la conversion de la foret en parcelles cultivees induit une augmentation significative des emissions de n2o due a la fertilisation et a la modification des parametres edaphiques (densite apparente, temperature, humidite volumique) ; la technique sans travail du sol n’engendre pas de flux de n2o significativement plus eleves que la technique avec travail du sol ; l’introduction du phenomene d’hysterese hydrique dans le modele noe presente un reel potentiel pour l’estimation des emissions de n2o in situ. / This study investigates the effects of the conversion of tropical forest to cultivation on soil n2o emissions. The study was carried out over a complete crop cycle at the experimental site combi (french guianese coast). Nitrous oxide fluxes were obtained in the field and by conducting simulations with the noe model. Undisturbed tropical rainforest was compared to rainforest that had been converted to agricultural land using the ‘chop-and-mulch’ method. The ‘chop-and-mulch’ method is a fire-free method used for vegetation clearing combining the mechanical felling of trees with the mulching of small vegetation. Agricultural land included either mowed grassland or soybean/fertilised maize crop rotation. For croplands the two cultivation practices employed were: conventional seeding (using an offset disc harrow, without cover plants) or direct seeding (no till, with cover plants).The main results of this study are: rainforest soil at combi produced low n2o emissions; rainforest converted to mowed grassland using the 'chop-and-mulch’ method did not lead to a significant increase in n2o emissions between the 19th and 31st months after conversion; the conversion of rainforest to croplands induced a significant increase in soil n2o emissions due to the application of fertiliser and the modification of soil parameters (bulk density, temperature, volumetric moisture); n2o emissions from agricultural practices with no-till were no higher than those produced by conventional agricultural practices using an offset disc harrow; and, the introduction of an hydric hysteresis into the noe model constitutes a promising improvement to estimate in situ n2o emissions.

A better way to improve understanding and quantification of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emitted from intensive maize cropping systems is to develop an advanced emissions measurement method This study developed an open path (OP) method to measure N₂O emissions from four adjacent maize plots managed by tillage practices of no-till (NT) and chisel plow (ChP), and different nitrogen (N) treatments from 2014 to 2016. Anhydrous ammonia (220 kg NH₃-N ha^-1) was applied in once or equally split (full vs. split rate) and applied in different timing (Fall vs. Spring). The spring N application occurred either before planting (pre-plant) or in season (side-dress). Emissions measurements were conducted by using the OP method (the scanning OP Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (OP-FTIR) + the gas point-sampling system + a backward Lagrangian stochastic (bLS) dispersion model) and static closed chamber methods. The performance and feasibility of the OP measurements were assessed by a sensitivity analysis, starting with errors associated with the OP-FTIR for calculating N₂O concentrations, and then errors associated with the bLS model for estimating N₂O emissions. The quantification of N₂O concentrations using the OP-FTIR spectrum was influenced by ambient humidity, temperature, and the path length between a spectrometer and a retro-reflector. The optimal quantitative method mitigated these ambient interference effects on N₂O quantification. The averaged bias of the calculated N₂O concentrations from the spectra acquired from wide ranges of humidity (0.5 – 2.0 % water vapor content), temperature (10 – 35 °C), and path length (100 – 135 meters) was 1.4 %. The precision of the OP-FTIR N₂O concentrations was 5.4 part per billion(3σ) in a stationary flow condition for a 30-minute averaging period. The emissions measurement from multiple sources showed that the field of interest was likely interfered by adjacent fields. Fields with low emission rates were more sensitive to the adjacent fields with high emissions, resulting in substantial biases and uncertainties. The minimum detection limit of the N₂O emission rates was 1.2 µg m^-2 s^-1 (MDL; 3σ). The OP measurements showed that the NT practice potentially reduced N₂O emission compared with ChP. Under the long-term NT treatments, the split-N rate application (110 kg NH₃-N ha^-1 in the fall and spring) resulted in lower N₂O emissions than the full application (220 kg NH₃-N ha^-1 in the fall). The management of NT coupled with split-N rate application minimized N₂O emissions among treatments in this study, resulting in N₂O-N losses of 3.8, 13.2, and 6.6 N kg ha^-1 over 9-, 35-, and 20-days after the spring NH₃ application in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The spring pre-plant N application in 2015 also resulted in higher N₂O emissions than the spring side-dress application in 2016, and the increased N₂O-N loss was corresponding to lower N recovery efficiency in 2015 measurements. A comparison of chamber and OP measurements showed that soil N₂O emissions were likely underestimated by 10x without considering the wind-induced effect on gas transport at the ground-atmospheric interface. This study showed that the OP method provides a great opportunity to study agricultural N₂O emissions as well as management optimization for the sustainability of the agroecosystems.

Grazing pasture is a major system of livestock production in many countries and it has been identified as an important source of N2O from urine deposition on soils. The aim of this study was to determinate the N2O emissions from soil after urine deposition and the emission factor, in addition, determine how temperature and water content of the soil influence these emissions. We also intended to study a potential of mitigation using nitrification inhibitors. Soil and gas samples were collected in traditional livestock areas in Brazil and UK to evaluate the N2O emission dynamics under field conditions. In addition, incubation experiments were conducted to evaluate how temperature and water content affect N2O emissions in the soil and to study the potential mitigation on N2O emission from the soil after urine application, using two distinct nitrification inhibitors. In the field experiment, the N2O emission factor for cattle urine was 0.20% of the applied urine N in Brazil and 0.66% for the UK conditions. The incubation experiments showed the N2O emissions after urine application are higher in soils with high moisture and high temperature. The nitrification inhibitor effectiveness was not statistically significant, however had shown some N2O emission absolute reductions among 6% to 33% comparing with urine only application on the soil. Various physical and biological factors can be influence the effectiveness of the products. It confirmed that urine deposition can contribute to N2O emission from the soil and the temperature and water content can markedly increase these emissions. The nitrification inhibitors have a potential mitigation effect since some decreased emissions of almost 40%. The results in this study are pioneers and can be used as a basis for more complex evaluations and to help with determining the carbon footprint of beef production worldwide / Considerado o maior sistema de produção animal em muitos países, as pastagens tem sido identificadas como uma importante fonte de emissão de N2O, devido à deposição de urina ao solo. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as emissões de N2O do solo após a deposição de urina e seu fator de emissão, além disso, determinar como temperatura e teor de água do solo influenciam as emissões. Pretendeu-se também estudar o potencial de mitigação das emissões de N2O usando inibidores de nitrificação. Amostras de solo e de gás foram coletadas em áreas tradicionais de pastagens do Brasil e do Reino Unido para avaliar a dinâmica das emissões de N2O. Experimentos de incubação também foram realizados para avaliar a influência de fatores como temperatura e teor de água no solo nas emissões, além de avaliar o potencial de redução das emissões de N2O do solo após a aplicação da urina, utilizando dois inibidores de nitrificação. Nos experimentos de campo realizados no Brasil e no Reino Unido, o fator de emissão do N2O para a urina foi de 0,20% e 0,66% do nitrogênio na forma de urina bovina aplicada, respectivamente. Nos experimentos de incubação, as emissões de N2O após a aplicação de urina foram maiores em solos com alta umidade e alta temperatura. A eficácia no uso dos inibidores de nitrificação não foi estatisticamente significativa, no entanto mostrou uma redução absoluta entre 6% a 33% nas emissões de N2O comparado com a aplicação de apenas urina ao solo. Vários fatores físicos e biológicos podem ter influenciado a eficácia dos produtos. Dessa forma, confirma-se que a deposição de urina pode contribuir para a emissão de N2O do solo e que a temperatura e o teor de água no solo podem aumentar consideravelmente essas emissões. Os inibidores de nitrificação podem ser usados como um potencial de mitigação, já que houve redução em termos absolutos de quase 40% nas emissões. Os resultados encontrados neste estudo são pioneiros e poderão ser utilizados como base para avaliações mais complexas e contribuir para a determinação da pegada de carbono na produção de carne mundial