News Agriculture

Fertilizer produces far more greenhouse gas than expected

Farmers’ overuse of nitrogenous additives may explain puzzling emissions

ENRICHED EMISSIONS  Extra nitrogen-based fertilizer on crops such as corn could lead to more emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, than scientists have estimated.

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By Beth Mole

With an overload of fertilizer, soil microbes on farms may belch unexpectedly high levels of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with 300 times as much heat-trapping power as carbon dioxide. The finding may help explain why agricultural nitrous oxide emissions are much higher than some scientists had predicted and could give clues for how to curb farm pollution.