Improving nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions accounting in Kenya: Insights and measurement results relating to fertilizer practices, environmental drivers, and N isotopic composition

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research institute
cg.contributor.affiliationETH Zurich, Switzerland
cg.contributor.affiliationSustainable Agroecosystems Group, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
cg.contributor.affiliationDepartment of Soil Science, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Livestock Research Institute
cg.contributor.affiliationInstitute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences
cg.contributor.affiliationClimate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
cg.contributor.crpClimate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
cg.contributor.initiativeLivestock and Climate
cg.contributor.programAcceleratorClimate Action
cg.contributor.programAcceleratorSustainable Farming
cg.coverage.countryKenya
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2KE
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.creator.identifierAbigael Otinga: 0000-0003-1624-2648
cg.creator.identifierSonja Leitner: 0000-0002-1276-8071
cg.creator.identifierYuhao Zhu: 0000-0003-1759-6878
cg.creator.identifierjohan six: 0000-0001-9336-4185
cg.howPublishedFormally Published
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-452
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.subject.actionAreaSystems Transformation
cg.subject.impactAreaEnvironmental health and biodiversity
cg.subject.impactPlatformEnvironmental Health and Biodiversity
cg.subject.sdgSDG 13 - Climate action
cg.subject.sdgSDG 15 - Life on land
dc.contributor.authorOuma, T.
dc.contributor.authorAgredazywczuk, P.
dc.contributor.authorBarthel, M.
dc.contributor.authorOtinga, A.
dc.contributor.authorNjoroge, R.
dc.contributor.authorLeitner, Sonja
dc.contributor.authorYuhao Zhu
dc.contributor.authorOduor, Collins
dc.contributor.authorOluoch, K. C.
dc.contributor.authorObozinski, G.
dc.contributor.authorSix, Johan
dc.contributor.authorHarris, E.
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-20T11:35:29Z
dc.date.available2025-06-20T11:35:29Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/175214
dc.titleImproving nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions accounting in Kenya: Insights and measurement results relating to fertilizer practices, environmental drivers, and N isotopic compositionen
dcterms.abstractThe use of mineral fertilizers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is crucial for enhancing agricultural productivity but also raises concerns about emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas. Despite their importance for agriculture, N₂O emissions remain poorly understood in SSA, limiting the development of accurate emissions inventories and the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. In the N2O-SSA project, we quantified N₂O emissions from maize and potato cropping systems under nitrogen application rates of 50 kg N/ha and 100 kg N/ha, compared to control plots, using automated static chamber methods. Fertilizer treatments included urea and triple superphosphate (TSP), and control plots received no nitrogen. Preliminary results showed significant temporal and treatment-specific variability in N₂O emissions, with peaks following fertilizer applications and rainfall events, highlighting the interaction between nitrogen availability and soil moisture. Cumulative annual N₂O emissions were found to vary widely depending on nitrogen application rates and crop types, with fertilizer treatments driving the majority of emissions. Emission factors (EFs) were within ranges consistent with previous studies, highlighting differences between crops such as maize and potatoes. Control plots consistently showed negligible emissions, underlining the critical role of nitrogen inputs in driving N₂O fluxes. These findings underline the importance of crop-specific nitrogen dynamics in shaping N₂O emissions, and the need for tailored nitrogen management strategies to balance agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability. In the next phase of the project, we will analyze soil samples for N₂O isotopic composition, measuring δ¹⁵N-NH₄ and δ¹⁵N-NO₃, in addition to analyzing gas samples to provide further insights into the sources of N₂O emissions. This will inform more efficient nitrogen management practices for sustainable agricultural systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceAcademics
dcterms.audienceCGIAR
dcterms.audienceDevelopment Practitioners
dcterms.bibliographicCitationOuma, T., Agredazywczuk, P., Barthel, M., Otinga, A., Njoroge, R., Leitner, S., Yuhao Zhu, Oduor, C., Oluoch, K.C., Obozinski, G., Six, J. and Harris, E. 2025. Improving nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions accounting in Kenya: Insights and measurement results relating to fertilizer practices, environmental drivers, and N isotopic composition. EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-452. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-452, 2025.
dcterms.issued2025-05-08
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherInternational Livestock Research Institute
dcterms.subjectnitrous oxide
dcterms.subjectnitrogen
dcterms.subjectgreenhouse gas emissions
dcterms.subjectclimate change
dcterms.subjectmitigation
dcterms.subjectagriculture
dcterms.subjectsoils
dcterms.typeAbstract

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