This project aims to identify and develop best management practices for manure injection into soils, with specific focus on: efficiency of nitrification inhibitors; timing of manure additions; associated quantities of nitrous oxide (N2O) losses; and plant nutrient utilization. The long-term objective is to reduce N2O emissions from agricultural landscapes where manure is applied. In Alberta’s agricultural industry, an estimated 8 million tonnes of GHGs per year come from N2O emissions, with the majority occurring in cropping systems where synthetic nitrogen fertilizer or manure is recurrently added to the soil and the portion unused by plants may be lost to the environment. Chemical nitrification inhibitors can slow down the biological process that converts nitrogen to N2O, thereby maintaining nitrogen as ammonium available for plant uptake instead of releasing it as a GHG.
This project will generate new data to support the application of carbon credits for GHG reduction in Alberta’s carbon offset market. It will also provide farmers with options on how to use liquid manure in Alberta’s cropland while reducing the environmental risks and optimizing the efficient use of nutrients.
ERA funded this project through the Biological GHG Management Program, administered by Alberta Innovates. Other project partners are the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency and Dow AgroSciences.