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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Soil, Water & Air Resources Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #305594
Title: Nitrous oxide fluxes from a commercial beef cattle feedlot in Kansas

Author
item AGUILAR, ORLANDO - Technological University Of Panama
item MAGHIRANG, RONALDO - Kansas State University
item RICE, CHARLES - Kansas State University
item Trabue, Steven - Steve
item ERICKSON, LARRY - Kansas State University

Submitted to: Air, Soil, and Water Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2013
Publication Date: 3/16/2014
Citation: Aguilar, O., Maghirang, R., Rice, C., Trabue, S.L., Erickson, L. 2014. Nitrous oxide fluxes from a commercial beef cattle feedlot in Kansas. Air, Soil, and Water Research. 7:35-45.

Interpretive Summary: Greenhouse gases emitted from open beef cattle feedlots are poorly understood especially nitrous oxide (N2O), a compound with a heating index 300 times carbon dioxde. This study was conducted to quantify N2O emission fluxes as affected by pen surface conditions in a commercial beef cattle feedlot in the state of Kansas. Moisture levels in the manure had a large impact on emission rate and in fact surfaces decribed as moist/muddy had a median emission flux 20 times larger than the N2O fluxes from the other pen surface conditions. In addition, N2O peaks from the moist/muddy pen surface condition were six times larger than emission peaks previously reported for agricultural soils. This study shows that mangement practice can impact levels of greenhouse gases. This report supplies needed information on greenhouse gas emissions from cattle feed lot surfaces. Information in this report will be of value for growers, engineers, and regulatory officials on the impact cattle feedlots have in local communities.

Technical Abstract: Emission of greenhouse gases, including nitrous oxide (N2O), from open beef cattle feedlots is becoming an environmental concern; however, research measuring emission rates of N2O from open beef cattle feedlots has been limited. This study was conducted to quantify N2O emission fluxes as affected by pen surface conditions in a commercial beef cattle feedlot in the state of Kansas, USA, from July 2010 through September 2011. The measurement period represented typical feedlot conditions, with air temperatures ranging from -24 to 39°C. Static flux chambers were used to collect gas samples from pen surfaces at 0, 15, and 30 minutes. Gas samples were analyzed with a gas chromatograph and from the measured concentrations, N2O fluxes were calculated. Median emission flux from the moist/muddy surface condition was 2.03 mg m-2 hour-1, which was about 20 times larger than the N2O fluxes from the other pen surface conditions. In addition, N2O peaks from the moist/muddy pen surface condition were six times larger than emission peaks previously reported for agricultural soils.