Tree contributions to climate change adaptation through reduced cattle heat stress and benefits to milk and beef production.

Cattle heat stress causes billions of dollars' worth of losses to meat and milk production globally, and is projected to become more severe in the future due to climate change. Tree establishment in pastoral livestock systems holds potential to reduce cattle heat stress and thus provide nature-based adaptation. We developed a general model for the impact of trees on cattle heat stress, which can project milk and meat production under future climate scenarios at varying spatial scales.

Review and update of a Nutrient Transfer model used for estimating nitrous oxide emissions from complex grazed landscapes, and implications for nationwide accounting.

In New Zealand, nitrous oxide emissions from grazed hill pastures are estimated using different emission factors for urine and dung deposited on different slope classes. Allocation of urine and dung to each slope class needs to consider the distribution of slope classes within a landscape and animal behavior. The Nutrient Transfer (NT) model has recently been incorporated into the New Zealand Agricultural GHG Inventory Model to account for the allocation of excretal nitrogen (N) to each slope class.

Improving the accuracy of nitrous oxide emission factors estimated for hotspots within dairy-grazed farms.

Nitrous oxide (NO) emissions from dairy-grazing pastures can be dominated by large emissions from small areas ('hotspots') frequently used by grazing dairy cattle (i.e., water troughs and gateways).

Soil-derived Nature's Contributions to People and their contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Here, we combine this assessment and previously published relationships between NCP and delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to infer contributions of soils to the SDGs. We show that in addition to contributing positively to the delivery of all NCP, soils also have a role in underpinning all SDGs.

The role of soils in the regulation of air quality.

Soils play a key role in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this study, we review the contribution of soils to the regulation of air quality, which is one of 'Nature's Contributions to People' identified by the Intergovernmental-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This is particularly relevant for SDG3 (health and well-being) and 11 (sustainable cities and well-being) but also impacts other SDGs.

The proportion of deposited urine patch intercepted by a delayed inhibitor application.

Nitrification inhibitors can reduce nitrous oxide (NO) emissions and nitrate leaching losses from agricultural soils. Technologies have been developed to detect and target urine patches for inhibitor application, thereby reducing the total amount of inhibitor used. However, in practice there will be a time delay between the urine deposition and inhibitor application, potentially leading to physical separation of the inhibitor and urine that could reduce the effectiveness of the inhibitor compared to when the inhibitor and urine are well mixed.

Ensemble modelling, uncertainty and robust predictions of organic carbon in long-term bare-fallow soils.

Simulation models represent soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in global carbon (C) cycle scenarios to support climate-change studies. It is imperative to increase confidence in long-term predictions of SOC dynamics by reducing the uncertainty in model estimates. We evaluated SOC simulated from an ensemble of 26 process-based C models by comparing simulations to experimental data from seven long-term bare-fallow (vegetation-free) plots at six sites: Denmark (two sites), France, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Global Research Alliance N O chamber methodology guidelines: Summary of modeling approaches.

Measurements of nitrous oxide (N O) emissions from agriculture are essential for understanding the complex soil-crop-climate processes, but there are practical and economic limits to the spatial and temporal extent over which measurements can be made. Therefore, N O models have an important role to play. As models are comparatively cheap to run, they can be used to extrapolate field measurements to regional or national scales, to simulate emissions over long time periods, or to run scenarios to compare mitigation practices.

Global Research Alliance N O chamber methodology guidelines: Statistical considerations, emission factor calculation, and data reporting.

Static chambers are often used for measuring nitrous oxide (N O) fluxes from soils, but statistical analysis of chamber data is challenged by the inherently heterogeneous nature of N O fluxes. Because N O chamber measurements are commonly used to assess N O mitigation strategies or to determine country-specific emission factors (EFs) for calculating national greenhouse gas inventories, it is important that statistical analysis of the data is sound and that EFs are robustly estimated. This paper is one of a series of articles that provide guidance on different aspects of N O chamber methodologies.

Implementation and evaluation of a novel real-time multiplex assay for SARS-CoV-2: in-field learnings from a clinical microbiology laboratory.

The unprecedented scale of testing required to effectively control the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated urgent implementation of rapid testing in clinical microbiology laboratories. To date, there are limited data available on the analytical performance of emerging commercially available assays for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and integration of these assays into laboratory workflows. Here, we performed a prospective validation study of a commercially available assay, the AusDiagnostics Coronavirus Typing (8-well) assay.

Acute growth inhibition & toxicity analysis of nano-polystyrene spheres on Raphidocelis subcapitata.

Micro/nano-plastics (MNPs) have been found within many environments and organisms including humans, making them a significant and growing concern. Initial research into the potential detrimental effects these MNPs both from acute and chronic exposure has been ongoing but still requires substantially more data to clarify. This research presents the response of nano-polystyrene (NPS) on Raphidocelis subcapitata, a freshwater alga, under an existing acute toxicity test along with additional analytical techniques to try identifying possible sources of toxicity.

Combining eddy covariance measurements with process-based modelling to enhance understanding of carbon exchange rates of dairy pastures.

Many temperate grasslands are used for dairying, and ongoing research aims to better understand these systems in order to increase animal production and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. However, it is difficult to fully understand management effects on SOC because most changes are slow and difficult to distinguish from natural variability, even if changes are important over years to decades. Eddy covariance (EC) measurements can overcome this problem by continuously measuring net carbon exchange from pastures, but net balances are very sensitive to even small systematic measurement errors.

Meta-analysis of New Zealand's nitrous oxide emission factors for ruminant excreta supports disaggregation based on excreta form, livestock type and slope class.

Globally, animal excreta (dung and urine) deposition onto grazed pastures represents more than half of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (NO) emissions. To account for these emissions, New Zealand currently employs urine and dung emission factor (EF) values of 1.0% and 0.

Crop yield and NO emission affected by long-term organic manure substitution fertilizer under winter wheat-summer maize cropping system.

Application of organic manure combined with synthetic fertilizer can maintain crop yield and improve soil fertility, but the long-term effects of substituting different proportions of synthetic fertilizers with organic manure on NO emission remain unclear. In this study, field experiments and DNDC model simulations were used to study the long-term effects of substituting synthetic fertilizers with organic manure on crop yield and NO emission. The field experiment was conducted at Guanzhong Plain, northern China, under a wheat-maize cropping system.

Health service impact of testing for respiratory pathogens using cartridge-based multiplex array versus molecular batch testing.

There is increasing demand for access to rapid microbiological testing, with a view to improving clinical outcomes. The possibility of rapid testing has been facilitated by development of cartridge-based random access molecular technologies that are now widely available. Whether the expense of cartridge-based assays is justified in terms of clinical or laboratory cost savings is controversial.

Upscaling NZ-DNDC using a regression based meta-model to estimate direct N2O emissions from New Zealand grazed pastures.

The availability of detailed input data frequently limits the application of process-based models at large scale. In this study, we produced simplified meta-models of the simulated nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors (EF) using NZ-DNDC. Monte Carlo simulations were performed and the results investigated using multiple regression analysis to produce simplified meta-models of EF.

Statistical analysis of nitrous oxide emission factors from pastoral agriculture field trials conducted in New Zealand.

Between 11 May 2000 and 31 January 2013, 185 field trials were conducted across New Zealand to measure the direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors (EF) from nitrogen (N) sources applied to pastoral soils. The log(EF) data were analysed statistically using a restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method. To estimate mean EF values for each N source, best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) were calculated.

Investigating a method for estimating direct nitrous oxide emissions from grazed pasture soils in New Zealand using NZ-DNDC.

In this study, we developed emission factor (EF) look-up tables for calculating the direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from grazed pasture soils in New Zealand. Look-up tables of long-term average direct emission factors (and their associated uncertainties) were generated using multiple simulations of the NZ-DNDC model over a representative range of major soil, climate and management conditions occurring in New Zealand using 20 years of climate data. These EFs were then combined with national activity data maps to estimate direct N2O emissions from grazed pasture in New Zealand using 2010 activity data.

Quantifying the climate-change consequences of shifting land use between forest and agriculture.

Land-use change between forestry and agriculture can cause large net emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), and the respective land uses associated with forest and pasture lead to different on-going emission rates of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and different surface albedo. Here, we quantify the overall net radiative forcing and consequent temperature change from specified land-use changes. These different radiative agents cause radiative forcing of different magnitudes and with different time profiles.

Denitrification and N2O:N2 production in temperate grasslands: processes, measurements, modelling and mitigating negative impacts.

In this review we explore the biotic transformations of nitrogenous compounds that occur during denitrification, and the factors that influence denitrifier populations and enzyme activities, and hence, affect the production of nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2) in soils. Characteristics of the genes related to denitrification are also presented. Denitrification is discussed with particular emphasis on nitrogen (N) inputs and dynamics within grasslands, and their impacts on the key soil variables and processes regulating denitrification and related gaseous N2O and N2 emissions.

Comparison of APSIM and DNDC simulations of nitrogen transformations and N2O emissions.

Various models have been developed to better understand nitrogen (N) cycling in soils, which is governed by a complex interaction of physical, chemical and biological factors. Two process-based models, the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) and DeNitrification DeComposition (DNDC), were used to simulate nitrification, denitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils following N input from either fertiliser or excreta deposition. The effect of environmental conditions on N transformations as simulated by the two different models was compared.

Quantification of reductions in ammonia emissions from fertiliser urea and animal urine in grazed pastures with urease inhibitors for agriculture inventory: New Zealand as a case study.

Urea is the key nitrogen (N) fertiliser for grazed pastures, and is also present in excreted animal urine. In soil, urea hydrolyses rapidly to ammonium (NH4(+)) and may be lost as ammonia (NH3) gas. Unlike nitrous oxide (N2O), however, NH3 is not a greenhouse gas although it can act as a secondary source of N2O, and hence contribute indirectly to global warming and stratospheric ozone depletion.

Monitoring land-use change effects on soil carbon in New Zealand: quantifying baseline soil carbon stocks.

We designed a soil carbon monitoring system for New Zealand using country-specific land use and soil carbon information. The system pre-stratifies the country by soil type, climate, and land use. Soils were placed in six IPCC soil categories; Podzols were added as they are widespread throughout New Zealand.