| Nitrate Busters: Researchers at Lincoln University in Canterbury are trying to reduce the effects of agriculture on the environment. Led by Keith Cameron, Professor of Soil Science, and his colleague Professor Hong J. Di, the team is studying the leaching of nitrates into groundwater. Contrary to popular belief, the leading culprit isn't fertiliser that produces the pollution problem, but cow urine.
In order to measure the leaching loss of nitrate from soil, they collect one-tonne soil cores, called lysimeters, from dairy farms and install them in their underground lab. The pasture on each lysimeter is level with the pasture in the rest of the paddock. Within the lab, they can measure how much nitrate is leaching out of the soil cores under typical dairy farm management conditions. They are also able to measure the emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. To do so, they cover the lysimeters for a brief period each day and collect the gas that accumulates, which they measure in the lab.
One result of their research has been the development of a bio-degradable nitrification inhibitor technology. This fine particle spray treats the nitrosomonas bacteria in the soil that keeps more nitrogen in the soil for pasture growth and slows down the leaching of nitrates into groundwater or rivers.
Also included in the video is an explanation of the research team's robotic cow hoof designed to simulate the impact of cows grazing in a paddock. |
