• What we do
  • The People
  • About Us
  • Why Innovation Africa
  • Contact Us
Innovation AfricaCreating the Future Today
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • UEA research reveals how farmers could mitigate nitrous oxide emissions

    November 20, 2013 Editor 0

    Farmers may be able to help reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) by incorporating copper into crop fertilisation processes – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

    Global agricultural emissions of the gas have increased by 20 per cent in the last century as a result of widespread use of nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizers.

    But new research into the processes of nutrient cycling published today reveals how farmers could mitigate the effects of this harmful gas by boosting copper levels in fields.

    Lead researcher Prof David Richardson, from UEA’s school of Biological Sciences, said: “The increase in nitrous oxide in the atmosphere is largely the result of changing agricultural practices to more intensive, large scale production systems. Rapid population growth and the constant need for greater crop yields have fuelled the change.

    “Agricultural N2O emissions have increased significantly and continue to rise. It is a big problem because it is a potent greenhouse gas. Molecule for molecule its potential to cause global warming is 300 times more than carbon dioxide. And it is behind almost one tenth of global radiative forcing by greenhouse gasses. But how to regulate these emissions has been poorly understood until now.”

    The research team investigated a process called denitrification – a series of chemical reactions in bacteria that happen in conditions where oxygen levels are low and quantities of nitrate are high.

    “Farmed soil is a prime example of such a condition, and what happens is that bacteria respire nitrate as a substitute for oxygen. We found that the gene in nitrate-utilising soil bacteria, responsible for the destruction of nitrous oxide, can be regulated when copper is added.

    “So farmers could control N2O emissions by judicious use of copper in fertilizer regimes. Copper fertilizer is already used in areas where soil is copper deficient so it is already on the market.

    “The next stage of research will be to compare N2O emissions from soil that is naturally high in copper, with that which is naturally low. We will also look at quantity and frequency of application.”

    The next stage of the project will be part of a recently announced five million euro study into nitrous oxide production and consumption in bacteria. The Nitrous Oxide Research Alliance (NORA) is a trans-European group, of which UEA is a member.

    Related Posts

    • Pushing back against fertilizer use myth in northern TanzaniaPushing back against fertilizer use myth in northern Tanzania
    • Harnessing a peptide holds promise for increasing crop yields without more fertilizerHarnessing a peptide holds promise for increasing crop yields without more fertilizer
    • Agricultural revolution in Africa could increase global carbon emissionsAgricultural revolution in Africa could increase global carbon emissions
    • Africa: Nitrogen Fixation Helps Double Some African Farm YieldsAfrica: Nitrogen Fixation Helps Double Some African Farm Yields
    • Open Innovation vs. Dead ZonesOpen Innovation vs. Dead Zones
    • From the laboratory to the field: How Bio-Innovate supported consortium 2 project activities is creating a sustainable potato seed delivery system in RwandaFrom the laboratory to the field: How Bio-Innovate supported consortium 2 project activities is creating a sustainable potato seed delivery system in Rwanda
    Sovrn
    Share

    Categories: Agriculture

    Tags: Denitrification, fertilizer, greenhouse gas, Industrial hygiene, N2O, Nitrogen metabolism

    Podcast: the Internet of Things should work like the Internet Solar-powered battery woven into fabric overcomes hurdle for ‘wearable electronics’

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to our stories


 

Recent Posts

  • SL Crowd Green Solutions September 21, 2020
  • Digital transformation in the banking sector: surveys exploration and analytics August 3, 2020
  • Why Let Others Disrupt You? Take the Smart Self-Disruption Journey! August 3, 2020
  • 5 Tips for Crowdfunding During the Pandemic August 3, 2020
  • innovation + africa; +639 new citations August 3, 2020

Categories

Archives

Popular Post-All time

  • A review on biomass-based... 0.9k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt ge... 697 views
  • Prize-winning projects pr... 692 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Y... 610 views
  • Test Your Value Propositi... 537 views

Recent Posts

  • SL Crowd Green Solutions
  • Digital transformation in the banking sector: surveys exploration and analytics
  • Why Let Others Disrupt You? Take the Smart Self-Disruption Journey!
  • 5 Tips for Crowdfunding During the Pandemic
  • innovation + africa; +639 new citations
  • SME Innovation: 10 Priorities for Support Post-COVID-19 
  • Africa RISING Annual Progress Report 2018 – 2019 now available
  • Fodder beet feed supplementation delivers dairy success for Ethiopian farmers
  • Using theory of change for outcome-oriented research
  • Africa RISING partners publish soil fertility management guidebook

Tag Cloud

    africa African Agriculture Business Business model Business_Finance Company Crowdsourcing data Development East Africa economics Education Entrepreneur entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship ethiopia ghana Health_Medical_Pharma ict Information technology Innovation kenya knowledge Knowledge Management Leadership marketing mobile Mobile phone nigeria Open innovation Organization Research rwanda science Science and technology studies social enterprise social entrepreneurship south africa Strategic management strategy tanzania Technology Technology_Internet uganda

Categories

Archives

  • A review on biomass-based hydrogen production for renewable energy supply 0.9k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt gender inequality? 697 views
  • Prize-winning projects promote healthier eating, smarter crop investments 692 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Your Big Data Innovations in Agriculture 610 views
  • Test Your Value Proposition: Supercharge Lean Startup and CustDev Principles 537 views

Copyright © 2005-2020 Innovation Africa Theme created by PWT. Powered by WordPress.org