Putting a lid on nitrous oxide emissions from farms

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will receive more than $1.8 million funding for three national projects designed to help farmers reduce emissions of one of the most serious greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide, in a move that would also lead to improved soil fertility and earn farmers valuable carbon credits.

The Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, announced the funding today at QUT’s new $230 million Science and Engineering Centre.

Dr David Rowlings, from QUT’s Science and Engineering Faculty, leads a team of scientists investigating whether composting rather than merely stockpiling manure creates less greenhouse emissions.

“We aim to determine how much nitrous oxide is coming from both composted and non-composted manure - research that could prove very valuable to the livestock industry,” he said.

“Manure at feedlots, piggeries and chicken farms is generally stockpiled at present and sold to farmers as fertiliser.

“However, if turning, aerating and generally composting manure reduces the amount of nitrous oxide that’s released into the atmosphere, then that would be a plus for the environment and also a plus for farmers as nitrogen is good for soil.

“It would mean farmers would need to purchase less fertiliser and it would also potentially increase the value of the manure compost that feedlots sell.”

Dr Clemens Scheer leads a research project which will determine whether farmers can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by incorporating mid-range (2-6 weeks) weather forecasts into their fertilising management strategies.

Dr Scheer said the project would aim to encourage farmers not to fertilise when heavy rainfall was forecast to both avoid fertiliser runoff and increased nitrous oxide emission.

“More nitrous oxide is emitted from soil when it’s wet, so we aim to work with a few farmers and develop case studies to see whether it’s practical to schedule fertilising with favourable weather patterns,” Dr Scheer said.

A third project will work with a group of international scientists under the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases to develop a test to identify those soils that are more prone to emitting nitrous oxide into the environment.

QUT’s Professor Ian MacKinnon, who is the executive director of the Institute for Future Environments, said the new funding would enable vital research that would add to a critical mass of international research into nitrous oxide.

“Armed with the results of this research, landholders will be able to better target their emission reduction strategies,” he said.

The funding was made available under the Climate Change Filling the Research Gap (FtRG) Program - an ongoing program with initial funding of $201 million allocated over six years to 2016-17. The program is a component of the Carbon Farming Futures Program under the federal government’s $1.7 billion Land Sector Package.