The effect of nitrification inhibitors on nitrous oxide emissions from cattle urine depositions to grassland under summer conditions in the UK

• We evaluated the effects of DCD and pyrazole derivatives on N2O emission.
• Laboratory and field experiments were conducted under UK summer conditions.
• N2O emissions showed similar temporal dynamics in both experiments.
• The nitrification inhibitors did not significantly reduce N2O emissions.
• The lack of effectiveness was presumably due to the higher soil temperature.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) has become the prime ozone depleting atmospheric emission and the third most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential approximately 300 times higher than CO2. Nitrification and denitrification are processes responsible for N2O emission from the soil after nitrogen input. The application of a nitrification inhibitor can reduce N2O emissions from these processes. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of two different nitrification inhibitors (dicyandiamide (DCD) and a commercial formulation containing two pyrazole derivatives (PD), 1H-1,2,4-triazole and 3-methylpyrazole) on N2O emissions from cattle urine applications for summer grazing conditions in the UK. Experiments were conducted under controlled conditions in a laboratory incubator and under field conditions on a grassland soil. The N2O emissions showed similar temporal dynamics in both experiments. DCD concentration in the soil showed an exponential degradation during the experiment, with a half-life of the order of only 10 d (air temperature c. 15 °C). DCD (10 kg ha−1) and PD at the highest application rate (3.76 kg ha−1) reduced N2O emissions by 13% and 29% in the incubation experiment and by 33% and 6% in the field experiment, respectively, although these reductions were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Under UK summer grazing conditions, these nitrification inhibitors appear to be less effective at reducing N2O emissions than reported for other conditions elsewhere in the literature, presumably due to the higher soil temperature.