Crop Performance Matters When Evaluating GHGs

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https://www.agronomy.org/news-media/releases/2011/0906/511/

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Crop Performance Matters When Evaluating GHGs

Expressing nitrous oxide emissions per unit of crop yield rather than on area basis produces very different results, study finds

MADISON, WI, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 -- Measuring the emission of greenhouse gases from croplands should take into account the crops themselves.

That’s the conclusion of a study in the September-October issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, which examined the impact of farm practices such as tillage on the greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N₂O). Expressing emissions per unit of crop yield rather than on a more conventional areal basis produced very different results, says the study’s leader, Rod Venterea, research soil scientist with the USDA-ARS.

In particular, his team found that total N₂O emissions were not significantly affected by tillage practices when expressed on an area basis. When they were calculated per unit yield of grain, however, emissions were significantly greater under no-tillage than conventional tillage. A byproduct of many agricultural systems, N₂O is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) with a heat-trapping potential more than 300 times that of carbon dioxide.

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