Management and implications of using nitrification inhibitors to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from urine patches on grazed pasture soils – A review

Livestock urine patches are the main source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in pastoral system, and nitrification inhibitors (NIs) have been widely investigated as a N2O mitigation strategy. This study reviews the current understanding of the effect of NIs use on N2O emissions from urine patches, including the factors that affect their efficacy, as well as the unintended consequences of NIs use. It brings together the fundamental aspects of targeted management of urine patches for reducing N2O emissions involving inhibitors. The available literature of 196 datasets indicates that dicyandiamide (DCD), 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine (nitrapyrin) reduced N2O emissions from urine patches by 44 ± 2%, 28 ± 38% and 28 ± 5%, (average ± s.e.), respectively. DCD also increased pasture dry matter and nitrogen (N) uptake by 13 ± 2% and 15 ± 3%, (average ± s.e.), respectively. The effect of DMPP and nitrapyrin on pasture dry matter and N uptake, assessed in only one study, was not significant. It also suggests that harmonizing the timing of inhibitor use with urine-N transformation increase the efficacy of NIs. No negative impacts on non-targeted soil and aquatic organisms have been reported with the recommended rate of DCD applied to urine and recommended applications of DMPP and nitrapyrin for treated mineral fertilisers and manures. However, there was evidence of the presence of small amounts of DCD residues in milk products as a result of its use on livestock grazed pasture. DMPP and nitrapyrin can also enter the food chain via grazing livestock. The study concludes that for the use of NIs in livestock grazed systems, research is needed to establish acceptable maximum residue level (MRL) of NIs in soil, plant, and animal products, and develop technologies that optimise physical mixing between NIs and urine patches. Source for the photograph of cattle grazing: Mike Joy, New Zealand. [Display omitted] •DCD, DMPP and nitrapyrin reduced N2O emissions from urine patches.•Efficacy of NIs was affected by soil organic C, clay, pH, and moisture.•Rainfall and temperature also influenced efficacy, but not NI application rate.•NIs were more efficient when application timing is close to urine deposition.•There is risk of NIs entry into food chain with the use of all NIs in urine patches.