Studying Fertilizers to Cut Greenhouse Gases
(Undated) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found that using different types of fertilizers can cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, at least in one part of the country.
They are currently examining whether the alternatives offer similar benefits nationwide.
Nitrogen fertilizers are often a necessity for ensuring sufficient crop yields, but their use leads to release of nitrous oxide, a major greenhouse gas.
Fertilizer use is one reason an estimated 78 percent of the nation's nitrous oxide emissions come from agriculture.
Scientists compared nitrous oxide emissions from corn fields treated with either a conventional nitrogen fertilizer (urea) or a specially formulated urea fertilizers-one with "controlled release" polymer-coated pellets.
In a two-year experiment at Fort Collins, they collected the emissions using vented chambers, similar to small "pillbox" structures placed over the soil. They chose a no-till crop system because it's known to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. They found that the controlled-release fertilizer cut nitrous oxide emissions by a third, and that the stabilized fertilizer cut them almost in half.
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