Emissions of Nitrous Oxide from Agriculture: Responses to Management and Climate Change

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and its emissions are of great concern worldwide. This Chapter reviews the production and importance of nitrous oxide from agricultural soils and provides examples of management practices that may affect the extent of emissions from both grasslands and cereal systems. In addition, the use of geochemical models to estimate the present and future emissions of nitrous oxide is shown using DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) and DayCent (Daily Century) models as working examples.