NUTGRANJA 2.0: a simple mass balance model to explore the effects of different management strategies on nitrogen and greenhouse gases losses and soil phosphorus changes in dairy farms

• Published in: Mitigation and adaptation strategies for global change 2016-10, Vol.21 (7), p.1145-1164
• Main Authors: del Prado, A., Corré, W. J., Gallejones, P., Pardo, G., Pinto, M., del Hierro, O., Oenema, O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural industry; Agricultural management; Ammonia volatilisation; Atmospheric Sciences; Bos taurus; Climate change; Climate Change Management and Policy; cows; Dairy cattle; Dairy farm; dairy farm management; Dairy farms; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Emissions; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Environmental performance; Farm buildings; Farm management; Farming systems; farms; fertilizer rates; Genetics; GHG; global change; Grasslands; Greenhouse effect; greenhouse gas emissions; Greenhouse gases; issues and policy; Leaching; Manures; Mass balance models; Milk; milk yield; Nitrates; Nitrogen; Nitrogen dioxide; nutrient management; Nutrients; Original Article; Phosphorus; R&D; Research & development; Simulation; Soil types; Strategic management; Sustainable agriculture; sward; Trifolium
• ISSN: 1381-2386; 1573-1596
• DOI: 10.1007/s11027-014-9598-8

Farm nutrient management has been identified as one of the most important factors determining the economic and environmental performance of dairy cattle ( Bos taurus ) farming systems. Given the environmental problems associated with dairy farms, such as emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), and the complex interaction between farm management, environment and genetics, there is a need to develop robust tools which enable scientists and policy makers to study all these interactions. This paper describes the development of a simple model called NUTGRANJA 2.0 to evaluate GHG emissions and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from dairy farms. NUTGRANJA 2.0 is an empirical mass-balance model developed in order to simulate the main transfers and flows of N and P through the different stages of the dairy farm management. A model sensitivity test was carried out to explore some of the sensitivities of the model in relation to the simulation of GHG and N emissions. This test indicated that both management (e.g. milk yield per cow, annual fertiliser N rate) and site-specific factors (e.g. % clover ( Trifolium ) in the sward, soil type, and % land slope) had a large effect on most of the model state variables studied (e.g. GHG and N losses).