AGRICULTURE

average percentages of savanna burned annually, as shown in Table 4-14. Based on thearea and type of savanna burned, the amount of carbon released can be calculated (areflection of biomass densities, fractions burned, carbon contents and fractions oxidised).
The second component of the calculation is the same as for other biomass burning
categories – emission ratios are applied to estimate the amount of trace gas released
based on the amount of carbon released (Table 4-15 provides default emission ratios).

TABLE 4-14
REGIONAL SAVANNA STATISTICS
Fraction of
Total Savanna
that is Burned
Annually

Aboveground
Biomass Density

Tropical America

0.50

6.6 ±1.8

Tropical Asia

0.50

4.9

Tropical Africa

0.75

6.6 ±1.6

Sahel zone

0.05-0.15b

North Sudan zone

Fraction of
Biomass
Actually
BurnedFraction ofAboveground
Biomass that is
Living0.5-2.5b

0.95

0.20

0.25-0.50b

2-4b

0.85

0.45

South Sudan zone

0.25-0.50b

3-6b

0.85

0.45

Guinea zone

0.60-0.80b4-8b

0.9-1.0

0.55

Australia

0.05-0.70

2.1-6

Regiona(t dm/ha)Sources: Hao et al., 1990, except where noted. These figures are growing season average biomass values, consideredmost appropriate for general default values
a Note that these are ecological zones that do not correspond directly to areas with political boundaries of the same name.
For example, the North and South Sudan zones include countries other than Sudan and run East-West across the African
continent.
b Menaut et al. (1991) These figures are maximum biomass values. For these arid sub-regions, maximums are considered
the most appropriate default values.
Note: Biomass density is in tonnes of dry matter (dm) per hectare (ha).

The approach recognises that countries generally possess more than one savanna type,each with different characteristics, such as vegetative cover, that would affect trace gas
emissions from burning. Also, the savanna area within a country may not be burned all at
once, but rather in stages over the course of the dry season. Since the amount andnature (e.g., moisture content) of the vegetation changes during the year, factors such as
biomass exposed to burning and fraction burned will vary among the savanna areas
burned at different times. The data requested by this methodology focus upon countryspecific types of savannas and the country-specific rate of burning for each type.21
21 If the area of savanna is not readily available, then the area of "open, broad-leaved
forests," including open, broad-leaved, fallow areas, as defined by the UN Food andAgriculture Organization in FAO (1993) can be used as an estimate. This land area,
corresponds to "mixed broad-leaved forest-grassland tree formations with a continuous
dense grass layer in which the [woody vegetation covers] more than 10% [of the area]"(Lanly, 1982). FAO (1993) provides 1990 estimates of this area, by country, for tropical
America, Asia, and Africa. Hao et al. (1990) provide an estimate of the humid savanna
area in Australia, based on work by Lacey et al. (1982).

4.76

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

It is also recognised that national and regional estimates of the percentage of savanna areaburned annually are highly uncertain. An example selection of regional estimates is
included in Table 4-14. Though regional variability is great, the methodology, by focusing
upon a simple classification of savanna type and the burning by type, can be implemented
using data that are available to most countries. The methodology is intended to beflexible to allow users to define the savanna types and/or geographic subregions forcalculations. It is strongly recommended that national experts consider dividing total
savannas into woody savannas and grasslands, if possible. Many countries contain somesystems which have significant aboveground woody biomass and others which have very
little aboveground biomass other than grasses. These subcategories have significantly
different biomass densities and fractions oxidised and should be accounted for separately
rather than by averaging, if data are available. National experts are encouraged to carryout the calculations at the finest levels of detail for which credible data can be obtained.
Finally, by varying assumptions about the rate and/or type of savannas burned, national
experts can easily compare the sensitivity of the calculated emissions to the uncertainties
in the data.
It should be noted that not all savanna burning occurs from anthropogenic causes. Somenatural savanna fires obviously occur, and would occur in the absence of humanintervention. As is the case with many human interactions with the biosphere, it is very
difficult to establish the net effects of human intervention relative to the natural
background, or the conditions which would have occurred naturally in the absence ofintervention. In this situation, the recommended conservative default is that all fires are
considered anthropogenic, unless they can be documented to be from natural causes.
This clearly may overstate the emissions somewhat. National experts may choose tomodify this assumption using expert judgement or other sources to allocate theanthropogenic and natural components, provided the rationale is clearly documented.
Step 1: Total Carbon Released From Savanna Burning
In order to calculate the carbon released to the atmosphere from savanna burning, thesedata are required for each category:•

Area of savanna;•

Fraction of savanna area burned annually;•

Average aboveground biomass density (tonnes dry matter/hectare) of savannas;•

Fraction of aboveground biomass which actually burns;•

Fraction of aboveground biomass that is living;•

Fraction of living and of dead aboveground biomass oxidised; and•Fraction of carbon in living and dead biomass.

Not all of these data must be provided by the user. Initially one could pool the living anddead biomass if data are not available. More importantly, Table 4-14 provides much of
the basic default data that only need to be refined for country-specific relevance. Given
the data, the steps to calculate emissions are not overly difficult. One simply calculates
from the area burned the total carbon released based upon the factors listed above. In

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.77

AGRICULTURE

addition to the data in Table 4-14, other recommended default values are included in the
step-by-step discussion below.22
The following equations summarise the calculations to estimate the total carbon released
due to the burning of savannas for each category:

EQUATION 1
Area of Savanna Burned Annually (ha)=Total Area of Savanna (ha) x Fraction Burned Annually

EQUATION 2
Biomass Burned (t dm)=
Area of Savanna Burned Annually (ha)x Aboveground Biomass Density (t dm/ha) x Fraction Actually Burned

EQUATION 3
Carbon Released from Live Biomass (t C)=
Biomass Burned (t dm) x Fraction that is Live x Fraction Oxidised
x Carbon Content of Live Biomass (t C/t dm)

EQUATION 4
Carbon Released from Dead Biomass (t C)=
Biomass Burned (t dm) x Fraction that is Dead x Fraction Oxidised
x Carbon Content of Dead Biomass (t C/t dm)

22 It is hoped that individual countries have this information since it is needed to

execute the proposed methodology. Regional estimates of these statistics are provided by
Menaut (1990) and Hao et al. (1990) and reproduced in a table. More country-specificresearch is clearly needed on this issue before accurate inventories can be developed.
This research should include data on savanna area burned annually, savanna biomass
densities, live fractions of biomass, burning efficiencies, and carbon contents of savanna
biomass. In the meantime, default values can be used.

4.78

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

EQUATION 5
Total Carbon Released (t C)=
C Released from Live Material (t C) + C Released from Dead Material (t C)

In the first equation, the savanna area in the country is multiplied by the percentage ofthe savanna area that is burned annually, if statistics on area burned annually are notdirectly available. If national experts have data on the area burned annually they should
use this and begin with equation 2. In the second, area burned is multiplied byaboveground dry biomass per hectare (ha) on the savanna at the time of burning and thefraction of biomass which actually burns. Regional estimates of rates of savanna burningand biomass densities are presented in Table 4-14. The fraction actually burned accounts
for the fact that when savannas are burned, not all of the biomass on each hectare isactually exposed to flame. If detailed information is not available, a general default value
in the range of 0.80-0.85 is recommended (Delmas and Ahuja, 1993).
The aboveground biomass density before burning is a function of the type of savanna
being burned and the time of year in which burning occurs.23 The values for West
African savannas provided in Table 4-14 correspond to mid-season fires, except for thoseof the Sahel where burning occurs early. If statistics on maximum biomass density andfraction of maximum biomass density present at the time of burning are not available,countries can use an average biomass density instead. According to this analysis, averagesavanna biomass densities are lowest in tropical Asia, at about 5 tonnes per hectare (t/ha)(Singh and Misra, 1978), average around 6.6 t/ha in tropical Africa and tropical America(San José and Medina, 1976; González-Jiménez, 1979; Coutinho, 1982; Hopkins, 1965;
Haggar, 1970; Menaut and César, 1982; and Huntley and Morris, 1982). The densities
range between 2 and 6 t/ha in Australia (Lacey et al., 1982). These estimates have an
uncertainty of ± 30 per cent based on field measurements (Hao et al., 1990). As
mentioned, these regional average densities are presented in Table 4-14 and can be usedas default values if average biomass density for a specific country or savanna type is notknown.
In the third and fourth equations, the living and the dead portions of abovegroundbiomass burned are multiplied by their respective fractions oxidised and carbon contents.
Estimates of the fraction of aboveground biomass that is living for West African savannas
range from 20 to 55 per cent (Table 4-14). Data suggest that for the live portion, thefraction which burns ranges between 65 and 95 per cent and for the dead portion
essentially 100 per cent burns (Menaut et al., 1991). If fractions oxidised are notavailable, 80 per cent and 100 per cent for the living and dead portions, respectively, canbe used. If country or ecosystem values are not available, then the values 0.45 t C/t dry
biomass and 0.40 t C/t dry biomass can be used as default values for the carbon contentsof the living and dead portions, respectively (Menaut et al., 1991).
The total carbon released from savanna burning (Equation 5) is estimated by summing thecarbon released from the living and the dead biomass fractions, calculated in Equations 3
and 4.

23 Menaut et al. (1991) calculate this number by multiplying the maximum biomass

density of the savanna (which generally is reached at the end of the growing season) by acoefficient that declines as the burning occurs later in the dry season.

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.79

AGRICULTURE

Step 2: Emissions
Once the carbon released from savanna burning has been estimated, the emissions ofCH4, CO, N2O, and NOx can be calculated using emission ratios. (Default values arepresented in Table 4-15.)24 The amount of carbon released due to burning is multiplied by
the emission ratios of CH4 and CO relative to total carbon released to yield emissions of
CH4 and CO (each expressed in units of C). The emissions of CH4 and CO are
multiplied by 16/12 and 28/12, respectively, to convert to full molecular weights.
NMVOC could also be calculated in the same way. However, default values are notavailable in this edition of the Guidelines.
To calculate emissions of N2O and NOx, first the carbon released is multiplied by theestimated ratio of nitrogen to carbon (N/C ratio) in savanna biomass by weight (0.006 isa general default value for savanna biomass burning (Crutzen and Andreae, 1990)). This
yields the total amount of nitrogen (N) released from the biomass burned. The total N
released is then multiplied by the ratios of emissions of N2O and NOx relative to the N
released to yield emissions of N2O and NOx (expressed in units of N). To convert to fullmolecular weights, the emissions of N2O and NOx are multiplied by 44/28 and 46/14,
respectively.25
The non-CO2 trace gas emissions calculations from burning are summarised as follows:
CH4 Emissions= (carbon released) x (emission ratio) x 16/12

CO Emissions= (carbon released) x (emission ratio) x 28/12

N2O Emissions = (carbon released) x (N/C ratio) x (emission ratio) x 44/28
NOx Emissions = (carbon released) x (N/C ratio) x (emission ratio) x 46/14

TABLE 4-15
EMISSION RATIOS FOR SAVANNA BURNING CALCULATIONS
CompoundRatios

CH4 a
CO b

0.004

(0.002 - 0.006)

0.06(0.04 - 0.08)

N2O c
NOx c

0.007

(0.005 - 0.009)

0.121(0.094 - 0.148)

Sources:a Delmas, 1993b Lacaux, et al., 1993
c Crutzen and Andreae, 1990
Note: Ratios for carbon compounds, i.e., CH4 and CO, are mass of carbon compound released(in units of C) relative to mass of total carbon released from burning (in units of C); those forthe nitrogen compounds are expressed as the ratios of mass of nitrogen compounds released
relative to the total mass of nitrogen released from the fuel.

24 This approach is adapted from Crutzen and Andreae, 1990, with some values

updated, based on more recent studies by Delmas (1993), Delmas and Ahuja (1993) and
Lacaux et al. (1993).
25 The molecular weight ratios given above for the emitted gases are with respect tothe weight of nitrogen in the molecule. Thus for N2O the ratio is 44/28 and for NOX it
is 46/14. NO2 has been used as the reference molecule for NOX.

4.80

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

4.4.3 F i e l d B u r n i n g o f A g r i c u l t u r a l R e s i d u e s
Background
Large quantities of agricultural wastes are produced, from farming systems world-wide, inthe form of crop residue.26 Burning of crop residues, like the burning of savannas, is notthought to be a net source of carbon dioxide (CO2) because the carbon released to theatmosphere during burning is reabsorbed during the next growing season. However,crop residue burning is a significant net source of CH4, CO, NOx, and N2O. This section
accounts for emissions of these non-CO2 gases from field burning of agricultural crop
residues. Burning of agricultural crop residues as an energy source is covered in the
Energy chapter, in the section on fuel Combustion.
The amount of agricultural wastes produced varies by country, crop, and management
system. For example, cereal crops produce between 0.6 and 2.5 tonnes of straw per
tonne of grain (Barnard, 1990; Ponnamperuma, 1984), and wetland rice cultivated under amoderate level of management in the Philippines was found to produce between 0.6 and0.9 tonnes of straw per tonne of grain (Ponnamperuma, 1984). Approximately 3.1 billion
tonnes of crop residue are produced each year, with about 60 per cent originating in thedeveloping world, and 40 per cent in the developed world (Strehler and Stützle, 1987).
Burning of agricultural wastes in the fields is a common practice in the developing world.
It is used primarily to clear remaining straw and stubble after harvest and to prepare thefield for the next cropping cycle. In Southeast Asia, burning is the major disposal method
for rice straw (Ponnamperuma, 1984), which accounts for about 31 per cent of the
agricultural waste in the developing world. Sugar cane residues, which make up about
11 per cent of the world's agricultural waste, are primarily disposed of by burning(Crutzen and Andreae, 1990). It has been estimated that as much as 40 per cent of theresidues produced in developing countries may be burned in fields, while the percentage
is lower in developed countries (Barnard and Kristoferson, 1985). Another study
suggests that approximately 425 Tg dry matter agricultural wastes (~200 Tg C) areburned in the fields in developing countries and that about one-tenth as much is burned indeveloped countries (Crutzen and Andreae, 1990).
Calculations
The methodology for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from burning of agricultural
wastes is based, as in savanna burning, on 1) total carbon released, which is a function of
the amount and efficiency of biomass burned and the carbon content of the biomass, and2) the application of emission ratios of CH4 and CO to total carbon released, and of N2O
and NOx to total nitrogen released from biomass fires which are available from thescientific literature on biomass burning. It is generally recommended for all emissions
from agriculture and land use change, that three-year averages of activity data (e.g., crop
residues burned) be used if available.
Step 1: Total Carbon Released from Burning Agricultural Residues
Data required, for each crop type, to calculate the amount of carbon burned inagricultural wastes are listed below:

26 Barnard (1990) outlines several broad categories of crop residue:

woody crop
residues (coconut shells, jute sticks, etc.), cereal residues (rice and wheat straw, maize
stalks, etc.), green crop residues (groundnut straw, soybean tops, etc.), and crop
processing residues (bagasse, rice husks, etc.).

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.81

AGRICULTURE•

Amount of crops produced with residues that are commonly burned;•

Ratio of residue to crop product;•

Fraction of residue burned;•

Dry matter content of residue;•

Fraction oxidised in burning; and•Carbon content of the residue.

There are standard default or literature values available for many of these data. Table
4-17 provides a summary of available default data. The most important data for users toprovide are the actual amount of crops produced (by type) with residues that arecommonly burned. Annual crop production statistics by country for most of the crops
from which residues are burned are given in the FAO Production Yearbooks, FAO (1991).
Users may also find the United Nations World Trade Yearbooks useful. Crop-specific data
for each country on ratios of residue to crop, fraction of residue burned, dry matter
content of residue, and carbon content of residue can be incorporated at any time toreplace the default values. A potentially valuable data source is the recent BUN/UNCED
study by Professor D. Hall (and others) of Kings College, London, Hall et all (1994). In
this context, one should also note the book Renewable Energy: Sources for Fuels andElectricity edited by Johansson et al. (1992).
From production data one can estimate the actual material (in carbon units) that isburned. One simple procedure is shown below:
Total carbon released (tonnes of carbon) =∑all crop types

annual production (tonnes of biomass per year),x the ratio of residue to crop product (fraction),x the average dry matter fraction of residue (tonnes of dry matter / tonnesof biomass),x the fraction actually burned in the field,
x the fraction oxidised,x the carbon fraction (tonnes of carbon / tonnes of dry matter)

It is highly desirable to use country-specific data for these values wherever possible.
Example estimates of residue/crop product ratios, average dry matter fraction and carbon
fraction for certain crops are presented in Table 4-17.27 If no other data are available,

27

Dry matter (dm), or dry biomass, refers to biomass in a dehydrated state.
According to Elgin (1991), the moisture content of crop residue varies depending on thetype of crop residue, climatic conditions (i.e., in a humid environment the residue willretain more moisture than in an arid environment), and the length of time between
harvesting and burning of the residue. From a simple perspective, one can use the dry
matter content values in Table 4-17 to convert from total crop residue to dry matter.
For example, 200 tonnes of crop residue with a moisture content of 10%, would have a
dry matter content of 90%, equal to 180 tonnes of dry matter. To convert from dry
matter to carbon content, an average value of 0.45 t C/t dm can be used in the cases

4.82

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

the following assumptions regarding the fraction of crop residue burned in the field canbe used as very crude default factors: for developing countries 0.25, and for developed
countries a much smaller share possibly, 0.10 or less.28 A default value of 0.90 for
fraction oxidised can be used to account for the approximate 10 per cent of the carbon
that remains on the ground as a result of charcoal formation and other aspects ofincomplete combustion (Seiler and Crutzen, 1980; and Crutzen and Andreae, 1990).
Step 2: Gas Emissions
Once the carbon released from field burning of agricultural residues has been estimated,the emissions of CH4, CO, N2O, and NOx can be calculated based on emission ratios(default values are provided in Table 4-16).29 The amount of carbon released due toburning is multiplied by the emission ratios of CH4 and CO relative to total carbon toyield emissions of CH4 and CO (each expressed in units of C). The emissions of CH4
and CO are multiplied by 16/12 and 28/12, respectively, to convert to full molecularweights. NMVOC could also be calculated in the same way. However, default values are
not available in this edition of the Guidelines.
To calculate emissions of N2O and NOx, first the total carbon released is multiplied by
the estimated N-C ratio of the fuel by weight to yield the total amount of nitrogen (N)released. Some crop-specific values are given in Table 4-17 and 0.015 is a general default
value for crop residues.30 The total N released is then multiplied by the ratios ofemissions of N2O and NOx relative to the N content of the fuel to yield emissions of
N2O and NOx (expressed in units of N). To convert to full molecular weights, theemissions of N2O and NOx are multiplied by 44/28 and 46/14, respectively.31
The calculation for trace gas emissions from burning is summarised as follows:
CH4 Emissions= Carbon Released x (emission ratio) x 16/12

CO Emissions= Carbon Released x (emission ratio) x 28/12

N2O Emissions = Carbon Released x (N/C ratio) x (emission ratio) x 44/28
NOx Emissions = Carbon Released x (N/C ratio) x (emission ratio) x 46/14

where crop specific data are not available. The terms dry matter and dry biomass areused interchangeably in this text.
28 Crutzen and Andreae, 1990. The estimates are very speculative and should be usedwith caution. The actual percentage burned varies substantially by country and crop type.
This is an area where locally developed, country-specific data are highly desirable. As thisissue is studied further, it may be possible to incorporate more accurate, country-and
crop-specific percentages into future editions of the Guidelines.
29 This approach is adapted from Crutzen and Andreae, 1990, with some values

updated based on more recent studies by Delmas (1993), Delmas and Ahuja (1993) and
Lacaux et al. (1993).
30 Crop specific values are generally in the range of 0.01-0.02, from Crutzen and

Andreae, 1990, so that 0.015 can be used as a generally representative value if no otherinformation is available.
31 The molecular weight ratios given above for the emitted gases are with respect tothe weight of nitrogen in the molecule. Thus for N2O the ratio is 44/28 and for NOX it
is 46/14. NO2 has been used as the reference molecule for NOX.

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.83

AGRICULTURE

TABLE 4-16
EMISSION RATIOS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESIDUE BURNINGCALCULATIONS
CompoundRatiosCH4a0.005 Range 0.003 - 0.007

COb

0.06 Range 0.04 - 0.08

N2O c

0.007 Range 0.005 - 0.009

c0.121 Range 0.094 - 0.148

NOx

Sources:a Delmas, 1993b Lacaux, et al., 1993
c Crutzen and Andreae, 1990
Note: Ratios for carbon compounds, i.e., CH4 and CO, are mass of carbon compound
released (in units of C) relative to mass of total carbon released from burning (in unitsof C); those for the nitrogen compounds are expressed as the ratios of mass ofnitrogen compounds relative to the total mass of nitrogen released from the fuel.

4.84

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

TABLE 4-17
SELECTED CROP RESIDUE STATISTICS
Product

Residue/Crop Product

Dry Matter Fraction

Carbon Fraction(% dm)

Nitrogen-Carbon(N-C) Ratio

Wheat

1.3

0.78-0.88

0.4853

0.012

Barley1.2

0.78-0.88

0.4567Maize

10.30-0.50

0.4709

0.02

Oats

1.3

Rye

1.6

Rice

1.4

0.78-0.88

0.41440.014

Millet1.4

0.016

Sorghum

1.4

0.02

Pea

1.5

Bean

2.1

Soya

2.1

Potatoes

0.4

0.05
0.30-0.60

0.4226a0.4072a0.4072aFeedbeet

0.3

0.10-0.20

Sugarbeet

0.2

0.10-0.20 aJerusalem artichoke

0.8

Peanut1

Sources: Strehler and Stützle, 1987
Sugarbeet data from Ryan and Openshaw, 1991
Nitrogen content from Barnard and Kristoferson, 1985
aThese figures are for beet leaves.

Possible refinements of the basic calculations
The basic calculations presented above address the immediate release of non-CO2 tracegases when savannas or crops are burned. This is believed to be the most important
effect of biomass burning on GHG emissions and the best characterised at present.
However, there are other issues not treated in these calculations. The effect of pastburning on current emissions is one such issue. The longer-term release or uptake ofthese gases following burning is an important research issue and may be included in futurerefinements of the calculations. In particular, grassland fires (savanna burning) may
perturb the soils sufficiently to release additional N2O and NOx. Little is known about
the magnitude of this flux so these emissions are not included in the first application of
the methodology. It is less likely that such delayed releases are significant after fieldburning of agricultural residues, but this may also require further study.
Long term changes in soil carbon are certainly possible as a result of agricultural
practices. In the land use change and forestry chapter, there is a general default
assumption that soil carbon is gradually lost from agricultural lands over many years after
forests are cleared. In fact, depending on the specific agricultural and soil management
practices (including burning) which are used, there may be a variety of effects on soil

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.85

AGRICULTURE

carbon. For example, repeated burning of savannas and crop residues in fields may cause
an increase in the amount of carbon stored in the soil over time. This is an area which
requires further research and may lead to more detailed emissions estimation methods inthe future.
In addition, agricultural practices such as overgrazing, which degrade the productivity ofgrasslands or other agricultural lands, reduce the amount of aboveground biomass which
regrows. These could be considered sources of gradual emissions of carbon dioxide.
This situation is not included in the basic calculations, but could be included in morerefined calculations. National experts should determine whether or not this is important
for their country, and whether or not they are able to provide input data.
A similar long-term effect can be observed from savanna burning. If the savannas areburned too frequently, complete regrowth may not occur. In this situation, grasslands
can degrade over time, resulting in long-term losses of both aboveground and soil carbon.
If this condition is significant, national experts are encouraged to estimate the annual
effect and explain the assumptions and data used.
Another possible refinement is to account for carbon that might be sequestered throughthe use of agricultural residues to make durable products (e.g., bricks, composite boards).
The default assumption is that the carbon sequestered in such activities on an annual basis
is small, and can be ignored in the calculations, that is, as long as the stocks of suchproducts are not significantly increasing or decreasing over time, their effect onemissions/removals can be ignored. If national experts believe the effects may besignificant, they are encouraged to estimate this carbon sink and document theassumptions and data used.

4.86

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

4.5

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from
Agricultural Soils
4.5.1 Introduction
Agricultural soils may emit or remove nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and/or
methane (CH4).
This section presents the method for calculating national emissions of N2O fromagriculture soils. This N2O method is a significant revision of the 1995 IPCC Guidelines for
National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC, 1995). Carbon dioxide emissions from soils
are described in the Chapter on Land-use Change and Forestry.
For N2O, the 1995 Methodology was evaluated and the present method includes more
sources of N2O and more explicit information about emission factors. Three sources of
N2O are distinguished in the methodology: (i) direct emissions from agricultural soils, (ii)direct soil emissions from animal production (including stable emissions to be reported
under Manure Management (Section 4.2) ), and (iii) N2O emissions indirectly induced byagricultural activities. The methodology is an approach which requires only input data
available from FAO databases. To retain consistency with the source categories definedin the IPCC Guidelines (1995), not all N2O emissions from these sources are reported
here. Emissions from animal waste management systems (i.e., before manure is added tosoils), and from manure used for fuel, are reported under Section 4.2 and Energy
Chapter, respectively, whereas emissions from human sewage are reported in the Waste
Chapter. However, the description of the N cycle which produces these N2O sources is
included in Section 4.5.4 to provide the reader with a coherent picture of the N cycle as
related to agricultural soils.
Anthropogenic input into agricultural systems include synthetic fertiliser, nitrogen fromanimal wastes, nitrogen from increased biological N-fixation, and nitrogen derived from
cultivation of mineral and organic soils through enhanced organic matter mineralisation.
Nitrous oxide may be produced and emitted directly in agricultural fields, animal
confinements or pastoral systems or be transported from agricultural systems into
ground and surface waters through surface runoff, nitrogen leaching, consumption byhumans and introduction into sewage systems which transport the nitrogen ultimately
into surface water. Ammonia and oxides of N (NOx) are also emitted from agricultural
systems and may be transported off-site and serve to fertilise other systems which leads
to enhanced production of N2O.
Agricultural systems are considered as being the same throughout the world and thismethodology does not take into account different crops, soils and climates which are
known to regulate N2O production. These factors are not considered because limited
data are available to provide appropriate emission factors. Countries which have data toshow that default data are inappropriate for their country should include a full
explanation for the values used. The method also uses a linear extrapolation between
N2O emissions and fertiliser nitrogen application and in the indirect emissions section
does not account for the probable lag time between nitrogen input and ultimate
production of N2O as a result of this nitrogen input into agricultural soils.
Using midpoint emission factors this current methodology and the FAO data (FAO,
1990a;b), global N2O–N emissions for the year 1989 were estimated. Direct emissions

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.87

AGRICULTURE

from agricultural soils totalled 2.5 Tg N, direct emissions from grazing animals totalled 1.6
Tg N and indirect emissions resulting from agricultural nitrogen input into theatmosphere and aquatic systems totalled 1.9 Tg N2O–N. These estimates show that eachof the three components of agriculture considered contribute about the same amount of
N2O to the global atmospheric budget. The N2O input to the atmosphere fromagricultural production as a whole has apparently been underestimated by the previous
IPCC methodology by at least 70 per cent.

4.5.2

Direct N2O Emissions from Agricultural
Soils(Including
Glasshouse
Systems
Farming and Excluding Effects of Grazing
Animals)

Anthropogenic sources of N2O can be biogenic (e.g., enhanced N2O production bybacteria in fertilised fields) or abiogenic (e.g., formation during burning processes).
Several studies indicate that anthropogenic sources are largely biogenic, with agriculture
as a major contributor (Bouwman et al., 1995; Mosier et al., 1995a;b).
Biogenic production of N2O in the soil results primarily from the nitrification anddenitrification processes. Simply defined, nitrification is the aerobic microbial oxidation ofammonium to nitrate and denitrification is the anaerobic microbial reduction of nitrate todinitrogen gas. Nitrous oxide is a gaseous intermediate in the reaction sequences of bothprocesses which leaks from microbial cells into the soil atmosphere. Major regulators ofthese processes are temperature, pH and soil moisture content.
In most agricultural soils, biogenic formation of N2O is enhanced by an increase inavailable mineral nitrogen, which in turn increases nitrification and denitrification rates.
Addition of fertiliser N, therefore, directly results in extra N2O formation. Most studies
on N2O emissions from agricultural soils investigate the difference in N2O production
between fertilised and unfertilised fields. Emissions from unfertilised fields are consideredbackground emissions. However, actual background emissions from agricultural soils may
be higher than historic natural emissions as a result of enhanced mineralisation of soilorganic matter. This is particularly observed in organic soils in both cold and warm
climates over the globe (Bouwman and van der Hoek, 1991; Kroeze, 1994). Backgroundemissions may also be lower than historic emissions due to depletion of soil organic
matter (Groffman et al., 1993).

OVERVIEW OF SOURCES
Introduction
The following sources and sink of N2O can be distinguished.
• Synthetic fertilisers;• Animal excreta nitrogen used as fertiliser;• Biological nitrogen fixation;• Crop residue and sewage sludge application;• Glasshouse farming;• Cultivation of high organic content soils;• Soil sink for N2O.

4.88

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

All of these N2O sources are included in the methodology, except for sewage sludge
application and the soil sink for N2O. These sources and sinks are not estimated because
emissions are negligible or data are insufficient.
Synthetic fertilisers
Synthetic fertilisers are an important source of N2O. The amount of synthetic fertiliser
nitrogen applied to agricultural fields world-wide is well documented in the FAO database(FAO Annual Fertiliser Yearbook). Studies on fertiliser-induced N2O emissions havebeen revised by Bouwman (1994,1995), Cole et al. (1995), Mosier (1994) and Mosier etal. (1995a;b). Conversion factors used by Cole et al. (1995) and Mosier et al. (1995b) arerecommended. This recommendation is based on discussions conducted during the
preparation of the Cole et al. (1995) document and from Bouwman (1994) who
estimated that 0.0125 ± 0.01 of the applied nitrogen was directly emitted as N2O (seeTable 4-18). This range encompasses more than 90 per cent of the published fieldemission values summarised in Bouwman (1994). Note that most of the information in
Bouwman's summary is derived from field studies conducted in temperate regions of theworld since few annual flux measurements have been made in tropical agricultural
systems.
TABLE 4-18
DEFAULT EMISSION FACTORS FOR DIRECT EMISSIONS OF N2O
EF1 (fraction of N-input, kg N2O-N/kg N)

0.0125 (0.0025-0.0225)a

EF2 (kg N2O-N/ha/yr)

5 temperate and 10 tropical (2-15) aa Indicates range

Animal excreta nitrogen used as fertiliser
Although the amount of nitrogen used as fertiliser from animal excreta is more uncertain
than the amount of synthetic fertiliser used, estimates can be made, based on animal
population and agricultural practices, as shown in Section 4.5.3 of this Chapter (Table B-1,
Appendix B). To account for the loss of fertiliser from NH3 volatilisation and emission of
nitric oxide (NO) through nitrification after fertiliser is applied to fields, NH3
volatilisation and NO emission factors are needed. Even though climate, soil, fertiliser
placement and type, and other factors influence NH3 volatilisation and NOx emissions, adefault emission factor of 0.1 (kg NH3–N + NOx–N emitted/kg N applied) can be used
for synthetic fertilisers and 0.2 (kg NH3–N + NOx–N emitted/kg N applied) for animal
waste fertiliser (Table 4-19) (0.2 is used for animal waste because of the potentially larger
NH3 volatilisation; see Section 4.5.4). The amount of nitrogen from these sources
available for conversion to N2O is therefore equal to 90 per cent of the synthetic
fertiliser nitrogen applied and 80 per cent of the animal waste nitrogen applied (Schepers
and Mosier, 1991).
Biological nitrogen fixation
Although the amount of nitrogen fixed by biological nitrogen fixation in agricultural
systems can be estimated, the N2O conversion coefficient is even less certain. Biologicalnitrogen fixation (BNF) supplies globally some 90 to 140 Tg N/yr to agricultural systems(Peoples et al., 1995). Although more verification of these figures is necessary, allindications are that BNF contributes more nitrogen for plant growth than the total
amount of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers applied to crops each year (Danso, 1995). The
IPCC Guidelines (1995) mention equal rates. On average, BNF supplies 50-60 per cent ofRevised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.89

AGRICULTURE

the nitrogen harvested in grain legumes, 55-60 per cent of the nitrogen in nitrogen fixing
trees and 70-80 per cent of the nitrogen accumulated by pasture legumes (Danso, 1995).
Cultivation of grain legumes, however, often results in net soil nitrogen depletion.
In the tropics and subtropics, the use of Azolla (a genus of aquatic ferns which contains
an N2-fixing cyanobacterium) is widespread. Azolla fixes 20-25 kg N/ha (Kumarasingheand Eskew, 1991) which is released upon decomposition. This nitrogen serves to fertilise
an associated crop and eventually to stimulate N2O formation.
Galbally et al. (1992) and Bouwman and Sombroek (1990) indicate that legumes may
contribute to N2O emission in a number of ways. Atmospheric N2 fixed by legumes canbe nitrified and denitrified in the same way as fertiliser N, thus providing a source ofN2O. Additionally, symbiotically living Rhizobia in root nodules are able to denitrify andproduce N2O (O'Hara and Daniel, 1985). Galbally et al. (1992) suggest an emission rateof 4 kg N/ha/yr from improved pastures, and Duxbury et al. (1982) suggest that legumes
can increase N2O emissions from pastures by a factor of 2 or 3. More recently Carran
et al. (1995) found annual N2O emissions ranging from 0.5 to 5 kg N2O–N depending
upon the relative fertility of the sampling location. In old and young rye grass/clover
pastures Muller (personal communication) observed N2O emissions of 0.7 and 0.3 kg
N/ha/yr, respectively.
The absolute amount of nitrogen fixed by a crop is also very uncertain (Peoples et al.,1995.). Because of this uncertainty and the paucity of country data on N-fixing crops, it isdifficult to assign a conversion factor for N2O emissions derived from nitrogen fixation.
Total nitrogen input (FBN, Equation 1) is estimated by assuming that total crop biomass isabout twice the mass of edible crop (FAO, 1990b), and a certain nitrogen content of
nitrogen fixing crop (FracNCRBF, Table 4-19). A residue/crop ratio of 1 is assumed. For
specific crops, ratios can be obtained from Table 4-17. This crop production is defined in
FAO crop data bases as pulses and soybeans. The N-fixation contribution does notinclude N2O produced in legume pastures. This N2O production is at least partiallyaccounted for in emissions from pastures that are being grazed (Section 4.5.3). Australia
and New Zealand, for example, contain large areas of pasture land that includes legumes
as part of the pastoral system. Little data are available for other parts of the globe(Mosier et al., 1995b).
Crop residue and Sewage sludge application
There is only limited information concerning re-utilisation of nitrogen from crop residues
and nitrogen from sewage sludge applied to agricultural lands. Although the amount of
nitrogen that recycles into agricultural fields through these mechanisms may add 25-100
Tg of N/yr of additional nitrogen into agricultural soils (mainly from crop residues) theamount converted to N2O is not known. To account for the N2O in the inventory
budget the emission factor for fertilisers is used as default and the amount of nitrogen reentering cropped fields through crop residues is calculated from the FAO crop
production data. Because no appropriate estimates of sewage sludge nitrogen used as
fertiliser were found, this nitrogen input is not discussed further (FAO, 1978-1981).
Nitrous oxide emissions associated with crop residue decomposition are calculated hereby estimating the amount of nitrogen entering soils as crop residue (FCR). The amount of
nitrogen entering the crop residue pool is calculated from crop production data. Since
FAO data that can be used for this purpose only represent the edible portion of thecrop, these must be roughly doubled to estimate total crop biomass. We then canassume a nitrogen percentage (FracNCRBF and FracNCR0; Table 4-19) to convert from kg
dry biomass/yr to kg N/yr in crops. Some countries may have sufficient information todefine the nitrogen content of crop biomass more precisely. As a default we suggest
distinguishing between N-fixing crops (pulses and soybeans) and non-N-fixing crops.

4.90

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

Some of the crop residues is removed from the field as crop (approximately 45 per cent),and some may be burned (approximately 25 per cent of the remaining residue indeveloping countries), or fed to animals.

Glasshouse farming
N-fertiliser application to glasshouse-grown crops are typically high and nitrogen notrecovered in the crops is frequently low (Postma et al, 1994). The available data arelimited in scope, but three sets of studies indicate that N2O emissions from glasshousecrops may be relatively small. Postma et al. (1994) quantified NH3 and N2O emissions
from glasshouse cultivation of lettuce on a sandbed and found that NH3 emissions andN2O emitted directly or in drainage water totalled less than 0.01 kg N/kg of nitrogen
applied. Daum (personal communication, 1995) measured N2O emissions from soil-lessculture cucumbers and found that N-loss rates as N2O ranged between 0.004 and 0.009
kg N/kg of nitrogen input into the culture system. Pollaris (1994) measured N2Oemission in a glasshouse cultivation of tomato and lettuce and found respectively 0.007
and 0.014 kg of each kg of applied nitrogen emitted as N2O. The importance of anotherfactor, N2O emission during steam disinfection of glasshouse soils, is uncertain. Postma(personal communication, 1995) found that 2-25 kg N2O-N/ha were lost during 10-hours
following soil steaming. The extent of glasshouses to which this practice is applied is notknown. Overall, these data suggest that N2O emissions from glasshouse agriculture do
not need to be included separately in N2O emission inventories but should be included
only in the total fertiliser nitrogen consumed within each country. Emissions fromglasshouse agriculture is, therefore, not discussed further.

Cultivation of high organic content soils
Large N2O emissions occur as a result of cultivation of organic soils (Histosols) due toenhanced mineralisation of old, N-rich organic matter (Guthrie and Duxbury, 1978;
Klemedtsson, personal communication, 1995).
The rate of N-mineralisation isdetermined by the N-quality of the Histosol, management practices and climaticconditions. The range for enhanced emissions of N2O due to cultivation is estimated tobe 2-15 kg N2O-N/ha/yr of cultivated Histosol. Default emission values of 5 and 10 kg
N2O-N/ha/yr are suggested for temperate and boreal, and tropical regions, respectively(Table 4-18). If better country values are available they should be used.

Soil sink for N2O
Aerobic soils are typically sources for N2O, but small uptake rates have been observed inisolated instances in dry soils (Duxbury and Mosier, 1993) and in wet grass pastures(Ryden, 1981; 1983). In a seasonally burned “cerrado’ in Brazil, Nobre (1994) observed
occasional small but inconsistent consumption rates and concluded that this sink was verysmall in these soils. Anaerobic soils have a large potential for reducing N2O to N2(Erich et al., 1984), since the major product of denitrification in soils is usually N2 rather
than N2O. However, no large, constant N2O uptake has been reported, and flooded rice
fields (Parashar, 1991), for example, generally show very small emissions, depending upon
the time of cropping season (Minami and Fukushi, 1984). Apparently slow rates ofdissolution and transport of atmospheric N2O in wet or flooded soils prevent thisprocess from being a significant regulator of atmospheric N2O. Until additional
information is available to indicate that soil uptake, in aerobic or flooded soils, isimportant, soil uptake of atmospheric N2O will not be included in the N2O budget for
agricultural systems.

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.91

AGRICULTURE

METHODOLOGY FOR ESTIMATING DIRECT N2O
EMISSIONS FROM AGRICULTURAL FIELDS.
The Revised IPCC 1996 Methodology for assessing direct N2O emissions from agricultural
fields includes consideration of synthetic fertiliser (FSN), nitrogen from animal waste(FAW), enhanced N2O production due to biological N-fixation (FBN), nitrogen from crop
residue mineralisation (FCR) and soil nitrogen mineralisation due to cultivation ofHistosols (FOS). For futher information see: Bouwman (1994, 1995); Mosier (1994);
Mosier et al. (1995a;b).
In this estimate, the total direct annual N2O emission is:
EQUATION 1
N2ODIRECT = [(FSN + FAW + FBN + FCR) x EF1] + FOS x EF2
where:N2ODIRECT= direct N2O emissions from agricultural soils in country(kg N/yr);EF1= emission factor for direct soil emissions(kg N2O-N/kg N input) (see Table 4-18);

EF2= emission factor for organic soil mineralisation due tocultivation (kg N2O-N ha/yr) (see Table 4-18);

FOS
FAW

= area of cultivated organic soils within country(ha of histosols in FAO data base);= manure nitrogen used as fertiliser in country, corrected for NH3
and NOx emissions and excluding manure produced during grazing(kg N/yr);

FBN= N fixed by N-fixing crops in country (kg N/yr);

FCR= N in crop residues returned to soils in country (kg N/yr);

FSN= synthetic nitrogen applied in country (kg N/yr);

FSN= NFERT x (1-FracGASF);

FAW= (Nex x (1-(FracFUEL + FracGRAZ + FracGASM));FBN= 2 x CropBF x FracNCRBF;

FCR= 2 x [Crop0 x FracNCR0 + CropBF x FracNCRBF] x (1-FracR) x(I-FracBURN);

and
NFERT

4.92

= synthetic fertiliser use in country (kg N/yr);

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

FracGASF= fraction of synthetic fertiliser nitrogen applied to soils thatvolatilises as NH3 and NOx (kg NH3-N and NOx-N/kg of N
input) (see Table 4-19);

Nex= amount of nitrogen excreted by the livestock within a country (kgN/yr) (see Table 4-20);

FracFUEL= fraction of livestock nitrogen excretion contained in excrementsburned for fuel (kg N/kg N totally excreted)

FracGRAZ= fraction of livestock nitrogen excreted and deposited onto soil
during grazing (kg N/kg N excreted) country estimate;

FracGASM= fraction of livestock nitrogen excretion that volatilises as NH3 andNOx (kg NH3-N and NOx-N/kg of N excreted) (see Table 4-19);

CropBF= seed yield of pulses + soybeans in country (kg dry biomass/yr);

FracNCRBF= fraction of nitrogen in N-fixing crop (kg N/kg of dry biomass) (seeTable 4-19);

Crop0= production of all other (i.e., non-N fixing) crops in country (kgdry biomass/yr);

FracNCR0= fraction of nitrogen in non-N-fixing crop (kg N/kg of dry biomass)(see Table 4-19);

FracR= fraction of crop residue that is removed from the field as crop (kgN/kg crop-N) (see Table 4-19);

FracBURN= fraction of crop residue that is burned rather than left on field(see Table 4-19).

The input data needed for this methodology include synthetic fertiliser use (NFERT),
manure-N used as fertiliser (FAW), edible crop production of N-fixing crops (CropBF) andnon-N-fixing crops (Crop0), and area of cultivated organic soils (Histosols) in the country.
The data for synthetic fertiliser use are available on a country basis in the FAO data base(e.g., FAO, 1990a) and the amount of nitrogen in animal waste applied to agricultural
fields (FAW) is calculated from the number and type of animals within a country (seeSection 4.5.3) and an in-country estimate of the percentage of nitrogen excreted by farmanimals that is reapplied to the field. Both synthetic fertiliser and manure used as
fertiliser need to be corrected for the amount of NH3 volatilised and NOx emitted (10and 20 per cent of nitrogen applied, respectively) after the material is placed in or on thesoil so that the same nitrogen atom is not counted again in Section 4.5.4. The FAW dataalso need to be carefully evaluated for each country to be sure that animal waste used tofertilise crops and animal waste deposited on pastures while animals are grazing(accounted for in Section 4.5.3) are not double counted. Crop production data for pulses
and soybeans and non-N-fixing crops are listed in the FAO crop data base (FAO, 1990b).
Residue remaining on the field may not always total 55 per cent of total crop biomass. If
more appropriate biomass and N content numbers are available within a country theyshould be used. The area of histosol can be obtained from FAO Databases(e.g., FAO, 1991).

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.93

AGRICULTURE

TABLE 4-19
DEFAULT VALUES FOR PARAMETERS
FracBURN

0.25 in developing and 0.10 or less in developed countries(kg N/kg crop-N);

FracR

0.45 kg N/kg crop-N;

FracFUEL

0.0 kg N/kg N excreteda;

FracGASF

0.1 kg NH3-N + NOx-N/kg of synthetic fertiliser N applied;

FracGASM

0.2 kg NH3-N + NOx-N/kg of N excreted by livestock;

FracGRAZ

Table 4-21, Column Pasture range and Paddock a;

FracNCRBF

0.03 kg N/kg of dry biomass;

FracNCR0

0.015 kg N/kg of dry biomass.

a Countries are recommended to obtain country specific data.

4.5.3

Direct soil emissions of N2O from animal
production (including stable emissions to
be reported under Manure Management)

OVERVIEW OF SOURCES
Recent studies (e.g., Bouwman, 1995; Jarvis and Pain, 1994; Flessa et al., submitted; Mosier
et al., 1995a;b) indicate that emissions from animal wastes can be significant. There arethree potential sources in animal production, (a) animals themselves, (b) animal wastes
during storage and treatment, and (c) dung and urine deposited on the soil by grazing
animals. Although N2O emissions from animals are described, they are not accounted forhere as these are minor sources on a global scale and because such emissions are not asource of N2O emissions from soil. The second source includes possible losses during
spreading operations. Emissions from manure stored in animal waste management
systems (i.e., before it is added to soils), however, must be reported under Manure
Management (Section 4.2). The final source, from grazing animals, is included in the
agricultural soils because the dung and urine are considered as fertilisers.
A)

N2O from animals

Animals themselves may be very small sources of N2O. Animal fodders contain 10 to 40
g of nitrogen (N)/kg dry matter. The greater part of this nitrogen is organically bound,but as total nitrogen content increases so does the nitrate (NO-3) content, generally.
Nitrate contents in fodders generally range from 1-10 g/kg dry matter (Spoelstra, 1985).
Upon passage through the digestive track of the animal, nitrate is reduced via
dissimilatory nitrate reduction to NH3/NH4+. The nitrate reduction reaction may releasesmall amounts of N2O in the gut (Kaspar and Tiedje, 1981), which may escape to theatmosphere during rumination. Though this possible route of N2O formation has been
known for over 10 years, quantitative data in terms of N2O release are still lacking todate. The total amount of N2O released by cattle is probably very small, because the gut
is highly anoxic and this will favour the formation of NH3/NH4+ (Tiedje, 1988). Direct
losses from animals themselves are likely to be very small and are therefore not discussed
further.

4.94

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Reference Manual

4

AGRICULTURE

B)

N2O emissions from animal waste management systems

The proportion of total nitrogen intake that is excreted and partitioned between urine
and faeces is dependent on the type of animal, the intake of dry matter, and the nitrogenconcentration of the diet (Whitehead, 1970). The retention of nitrogen in animal
products, i.e., milk, meat, wool and eggs, ranges from about 5 to 20 per cent of the total
nitrogen intake, generally. The remainder is excreted via dung and urine. For sheep andcattle, faecal excretion is usually about 8g/N/kg dry matter consumed, regardless of thenitrogen content of the feed (Barrow and Lambourne, 1962). The remainder of thenitrogen is excreted in the urine and as the nitrogen content of the diet increases, sodoes the proportion of nitrogen in the urine. In animal production systems, where animal
intake of nitrogen is high, more than half of the nitrogen is excreted as urine. For
instance, sheep grazing grass/clover pastures in New Zealand have 70-75 per cent of
excreted nitrogen in the urine (Haynes and Williams, 1993), whereas dairy cows in the
Netherlands excrete 60-65 per cent of nitrogen in urine (Van Vuuren and Meijs, 1987).
There are small amounts of mineral nitrogen in faeces but the bulk of the nitrogen is inorganic form. About 20-25 per cent of faecal nitrogen is water soluble, 15-25 per cent isundigested dietary nitrogen and the remaining 50-65 per cent is present in bacterial cells(Haynes and Williams, 1993). The organically bound nitrogen in faeces must be
mineralised to NH3/NH4+, before it can be the substrate of nitrifiers and denitrifiers andhence, a source of N2O. Mineralisation of the water soluble organic nitrogen compounds
and parts of the organic nitrogen compounds from bacterial cells is rapid, generally,leading to an increase in the amount of NH3/NH4+ in animal wastes during storage.
The concentration of nitrogen in urine varies widely because of factors such as nitrogencontent in the diet and consumption of water. Typically over 70 per cent of the nitrogenin urine is present as urea and the rest consists of amino acids and peptides. Excretionsof poultry contains uric acid as dominant nitrogen compound. The hydrolysis of bothurea and uric acid in urine patches to NH3/NH4+ is very rapid, both in the pasture and inanimal housings. Fresh urine and dung contain no nitrate; all nitrogen in wastes is in
reduced forms.
Production of N2O during storage and treatment of animal wastes can occur via
combined nitrification-denitrification of ammoniacal nitrogen contained in the wastes.
The amount released depends on the system and duration of waste management. As
fresh dung and slurry is highly anoxic and well-buffered with near neutral pH, one would
expect N2O production to increase with increasing aeration. Aeration initiates thenitrification-denitrification reactions, and hence makes release of N2O possible.
Unfortunately, there is not enough quantitative data to derive a relationship between the
degree of aeration and N2O emission from slurry during storage and treatment.
Losses of N2O from cattle slurry during storing for up to 6 months, with two minutes ofgentle mixing twice a week, were below detection limit (10-4 kg N2O N/kg nitrogen inslurry during 6 months (Oenema and Velthof, 1993). N2O losses from a natural vented
cubicle housing with 60 dairy cows and a concrete floor with frequent removal of wastes
with a scarper system were also below the detection limit (2. 10-4 kg N per kg nitrogenexcreted) (Velthof et al., submitted a;b).
Heinemeyer (unpublished results) measured N2O losses from different housing systems
for pigs. He obtained the following preliminary, results from the various housing systems:
6 10-4 -11 10-4 kg N2O-N/kg nitrogen excreted for full and half slit floor, and reduced anddeep litter; 7.4 10-3 kg N2O-N/kg nitrogen excreted for deep litter combined withcompost; and 3.3 10-3 kg N2O-N/kg nitrogen excreted for manure piles. The slightly
larger losses from the deep litter/compost and manure pile could be due to the effects ofaeration. Groenestein et al. (1993) reported that more than 0.15 kg N/kg nitrogen in pig

Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Re fe r e n c e Manual

4.95