Search Results (35)

Growing concerns over food security and greenhouse gas emissions present a dual challenge, as mitigation strategies for one often intensify the other. Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) have emerged as a promising approach to simultaneously reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions and enhance crop productivity. However, their effectiveness is highly dependent on environmental conditions. To systematically evaluate the environmental controls and the economic trade-offs associated with NI application, this study presents a systematic data synthesis of 196 peer-reviewed articles, assessing the performance of three widely used NIs: dicyandiamide (DCD), 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and nitrapyrin. The analysis quantifies the influence of key environmental factors (e.g., temperature, soil pH, soil moisture, and soil organic carbon) on NI biodegradability, nitrogen dynamics, and N₂O emissions. The results indicate that soil organic carbon has a limited effect on NI performance, whereas temperature emerges as the dominant controlling factor. Among the NIs evaluated, DCD and DMPP demonstrate the highest mitigation efficiencies, achieving N₂O emission rates as low as 10⁻⁶ and 10⁻⁵ kg ha⁻¹ d⁻¹, respectively. An integrated economic analysis further evaluates the cost-effectiveness of NI application across major cropping systems, including corn, rice, and wheat. The findings show that DMPP and nitrapyrin applications yield the highest net economic returns in corn and rice systems (up to 860 USD and 880 USD, respectively), while wheat systems without NI application remain less profitable (approximately 330 USD). Ultimately, this study demonstrates that the practical viability of NIs depends heavily on balancing input costs with crop-specific yield gains, rather than environmental benefits alone. While NIs offer substantial greenhouse gas mitigation potential, their widespread adoption requires careful, site-specific economic evaluation to ensure that yield improvements sufficiently offset the added application costs to achieve truly sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

In livestock-grazed pastures, urine patches are a major contributor of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, and the use of nitrification inhibitors (NIs) has the potential to reduce N losses from urine patches using New Zealand (NZ)-devised Spikey^®—a ground-based machine that measures the change in soil conductivity from the deposited urine patches. Our ongoing research suggests that the efficacy of on-farm targeted NIs treatment requires suitable inhibitor concentrations within urine patches to be achieved to reduce N₂O emissions. This study evaluates the effect of varying NI rates and volumes on reducing N₂O emissions. The application rates for NIs were 1.6 g and 3.2 g dicyanamide (DCD) patch-1 and 0.96 g and 1.92 g of 3, 4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) patch⁻¹, using 100, 150, and 200 mL inhibitor solutions. These rates were higher than those used in previous studies to ensure an adequate supply of inhibitors above the threshold concentration within the urine patch and to enhance the inhibitor efficacy in reducing N₂O emissions. This study points to two important aspects: Determine the optimum inhibitor concentration required to eliminate, minimise/reduce N₂O emissions and ensure that at the optimised amounts of inhibitor application rates, inhibitor residues are below their maximum residue level (MRL) in the food chain and environment, and eliminate their potential harm to human health. Full article

Tea plantations are a hot-spot source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions in the agricultural system. Using nitrification inhibitors (NIs) is a promising way to mitigate agricultural N₂O emissions and has been widely tested in many croplands. However, the efficiency of different NIs and whether there are soil-specific effects are still unclear in tea plantations with typical acidic soil conditions. This study evaluated the effects of three widely used NIs, i.e., dicyandiamide (DCD), 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine (Nitrapyrin), through a lab incubation trial, on the nitrification suppression, N₂O emissions, and ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities in two tea plantation soils with contrasting physicochemical properties (pH and texture). During the 50-day incubation, the soil with a higher pH and coarse texture (TA) exhibited a four-times-higher apparent nitrification ratio (ANR) than the more acidic and clay soil (HZ). Nitrification inhibitor addition resulted in about a 60% and 80% reduction in the ANR in HZ and TA soils, respectively. During the entire incubation, ammonium sulfate (N) addition without NIs emitted N₂O at 64.1 ± 1.2 and 61.5 ± 0.4 μg N kg⁻¹ (mean ± standard deviation, and the same in the following text) in the HZ and TA soils, respectively. Compared with the N alone, the N₂O mitigation efficiency of DCD, DMPP, and Nitrapyrin was 38.3% ± 0.4% (standard deviation), 33.8% ± 0.99%, and 36.5% ± 0.59% in the HZ soil and 94.1% ± 0.39%, 52.8% ± 1.05%, and 95.6% ± 0.65% in the TA soil, respectively. Nitrapyrin more effectively suppressed both ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacterial (AOB) abundance, particularly in the acidic soil (HZ), where ammonia-oxidizing archaea dominate nitrification. These results revealed the pivotal role of soil properties in controlling NI efficiency and highlighted Nitrapyrin as a potential superior nitrification inhibitor for N₂O mitigation under the tested conditions in this study. Full article

Rice is a major dietary component for more than half of the world’s population, and its cultivation requires a careful balance of nutrients to ensure high yields and sustainable practices. Soil-derived N₂O fluxes represent a major environmental challenge with global implications. While agriculture is a necessary activity to feed a growing population, it must evolve to minimize its ecological footprint. This review provides an update on the effects of nitrogen fertilizer application, such as ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), urea (CO(NH₂)₂), ammonium sulfate ((NH₄)₂SO₄), and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN), on N₂O emissions from rice cultivation. The role of various nitrification inhibitors (e.g., dicyandiamide (DCD), 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine (nitrapyrin) and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP)) in minimizing the release of N₂O from soils to the atmosphere was also discussed. Here, we described N₂O production by nitrification and denitrification processes in the paddy rice field, and then summarized the strategies, such as optimized fertilizer use, improved drainage and water management, and the use of organic amendments, that can enhance crop productivity while promoting sustainable reductions in N₂O emissions. Full article

Conservation tillage can improve soil health and carbon sequestration and is helpful for sustainable agricultural development. However, its effect on crop yields and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions is still controversial. In this study, a two-year field experiment of spring maize was conducted from 2019 to 2020 in the Phaeozems region of Northeast China, involving two tillage practices (strip tillage and conventional tillage) and two nitrogen inhibitors (N-butylthiophosphorotriamine, NBPT and 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate, DMPP). The WHCNS (Soil Water Heat Carbon Nitrogen Simulator) model was calibrated and validated with field observations, and the effects of different tillage practices and nitrification inhibitors on spring maize yield, N₂O emissions, water use efficiency (WUE), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) were simulated using the WHCNS model. Precipitation scenarios were set up to simulate and analyze the changes in patterns of crop yield and N₂O emissions under long-term conservation tillage for 30 years (1991–2020). The results showed that concerning maize yield, under conservation tillage, the type of straw and nitrogen fertilizer inhibitor could explain 72.1% and 7.1%, respectively, of the total variance in maize yield, while precipitation explained only 14.1% of the total variance, with a 28.5% increase in crop yield in a humid year compared to a dry year. N₂O emissions were principally influenced by precipitation, which could explain 46.4% of the total variance in N₂O emissions. Furthermore, N₂O emissions were 385% higher in humid years than in dry years. Straw under conservation tillage and inhibitor type explained 8.1% and 19.4% of the total variance in N₂O emissions, respectively. Conservation tillage with nitrification inhibitors is recommended to increase crop yields, improve soil quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Phaeozems region of Northeast China, thus ensuring sustainable agricultural development in the region. Full article

The addition of alkaline amendments is considered an important strategy to alleviate soil acidification, with profound impacts on soil nitrogen (N) transformations such as nitrification as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) have been widely recognized to effectively mitigate N₂O emissions by depressing the nitrification process. However, the effectiveness of NIs on N₂O emissions reduction under different alkaline amendments remains largely unknown, hindering our knowledge of the optimal soil acidification mitigation strategies. In this study, the effects of NIs in combination with different alkaline amendments on N₂O emissions were assessed on typical acid soils collected from four sites during a 28-day aerobic incubation experiment. Treatments included four alkaline amendments (quicklime, chicken manure, cow dung, biochar) and no amendment control, designated as CaO, CM, CD, BC, and CK, combined with a typical NI (3,4 dimethylpyrazole phosphate, DMPP) applied at 2 mg soil kg⁻¹ or non-NI applied, respectively. Both individual amendments and their combination with DMPP significantly elevated the soil pH by 4.9–64.2% compared with the CK treatment, with the effectiveness ranking as CaO > CM ≈ CD > BC. Cumulative N₂O emissions were stimulated by the individual application of CaO, CM, and CD but were reduced by BC application compared with the CK treatment. Changes in N₂O emissions were positively correlated with the responses of the net N mineralization and nitrification rates to individual amendments, which were regulated by changes in the soil pH. The suppressive effects of NI combined with individual amendments on N₂O emissions were significant in the CaO treatment with a reduction ranging from 3.3% to 60.2%, which was attributed to decreased abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Therefore, we concluded that the combined application of CaO and DMPP could be considered as a suitable mitigation strategy for addressing soil acidification through optimized N management. Additionally, BC can serve as a supplementary practice to simultaneously improve soil fertility. These insights are crucial for developing integrated fertilization management strategies to mitigate soil acidification with low N loss risks. Full article

3,4-dimethylpyrazole (DMPZ), when used as a nitrification inhibitor, exhibits volatility, poor thermal stability, high production costs, and limited functionality restricted to nitrogen fixation. To address these limitations and introduce novel phosphorus-solubilizing and soil-loosening abilities, herein, a poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)-encapsulated NI (P(AA-co-AM)-e-NI) is synthesized by incorporating linear P(AM-co-AA) macromolecular structures into NI systems. The P(AA-co-AM)-e-NI demonstrates an obvious phase transition from a glassy state to a rubbery state, with a glass transition temperature of ~150 °C. Only 5 wt% of the weight loss occurs at 220 °C, meeting the temperature requirements of the high-tower melt granulation process (≥165 °C). The DMPZ content in P(AA-co-AM)-e-NI is 1.067 wt%, representing a 120% increase compared to our previous products (0.484 wt%). P(AA-co-AM)-e-NI can effectively reduce the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and prolong the duration during which nitrogen fertilizers exist in the form of ammonium nitrogen. It can also cooperatively enhance the conversion of insoluble phosphorus into soluble phosphorus in the presence of ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N). In addition, upon adding P(AA-co-AM)-e-NI into soils, soil bulk density and hardness decrease by 9.2% and 10.5%, respectively, and soil permeability increases by 10.5%, showing that it has a good soil-loosening ability and capacity to regulate the soil environment. Full article

It has been reported that applying silicon (Si) to agricultural soils can reduce N₂O emissions. But, we do not fully understand how this might work in forest ecosystems, especially in Phyllostachys edulis plantations. This study set out to determine how exogenous Si impacts soil nitrification and denitrification. Also, it aimed to assess their separate contributions to N₂O emissions. A pot incubation experiment that lasted 28 days was carried out under controlled conditions. The soil used was collected from a bamboo plantation that is intensively managed. The treatments included adding silicon. Also, 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) and acetylene (C₂H₂) were applied to specifically hold back nitrification and denitrification. We measured the rates of soil N₂O emissions, the cumulative fluxes, and the concentrations of NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N, and NO₂⁻-N. A positive correlation that was significant (p < 0.05) was found between N₂O emissions and the levels of soil NO₃⁻-N. Adding Si continued to reduce both the emission rate and the cumulative flux in all of the treatment groups. Also worth mentioning is that the relative contribution of denitrification to N₂O emissions dropped from 38.2% to 11.4%. Meanwhile, nitrification’s contribution went up from 61.8% to 88.6%. These findings show that adding Si mainly suppresses denitrification. And, by doing so, it lessens N₂O emissions in bamboo plantations. This study underlines the potential of Si amendments. They could be used as an effective management strategy to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in forest soils. It also provides a scientific basis for making Phyllostachys edulis ecosystems more sustainable. Full article

The application of nitrification inhibitors (NIs) is an effective way to reduce soil nitrogen (N) losses and increase crop N uptake. Yet, the efficacy of NIs commonly varies with dosages, crop systems and soil environmental conditions. Hence, clarifying the suitable type and dosage of NIs is extremely important for structuring the best N management regime at a regional scale. Here, based on microcosm experiments, we evaluated the influence of three widely used NIs [Dicyandiamide, DCD; 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate, DMPP; 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine, Nitrapyrin] on the nitrification activity of an intensively cultivated greenhouse soil. The results showed that both DCD and DMPP imposed a transient inhibition on nitrification (less than five days) regardless of the dosages applied, and, on the contrary, Nitrapyrin presented a persistent suppression, with a longer duration of the inhibition action by a higher dosage. Accordingly, the incorporation of Nitrapyrin at 2% of the applied N rate (w/w) is a recommendable dosage for local intensive greenhouse production. Further, we assessed the influence of various dosages of Nitrapyrin incorporation (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 2% and 5%) on the abundance and community of three groups of soil ammonia oxidizers [i.e., ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and completely ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (Comammox Nitrospira)] by qPCR and high-throughput amplicon sequencing. Nitrapyrin incorporation strongly lowered both the AOB and Comammox Nitrospira abundances and their community richness even at the lowest dosage. Nitrapyrin incorporation also significantly altered the community structure of all of the tested ammonia oxidizers, and the average relative abundance of some major community members (i.e., the Nitrososphaerales Clade Nitrososphaera, Nitrososphaerales Clade A, Nitrosospira briensis Clade, Nitrosospira multiformis Clade, Comammox Nitrospira Clade A.2 and Comammox Nitrospira Clade A-associated) obviously responded to Nitrapyrin incorporation. Overall, our findings indicated that AOB and Comammox Nitrospira were more sensitive to Nitrapyrin incorporation as compared with AOA. The results obtained here highlight the importance of optimizing the type and dosage of NIs for N fertilization management in intensive greenhouse vegetable production. Nitrapyrin incorporation inhibits soil nitrification probably by suppressing the Nitrosospira multiformis Clade in the AOB community at the level tested herein. Full article

Agricultural soils are major anthropogenic sources of N₂O emissions. The application of nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) has been proved to be an effective management measure to mitigate N₂O emissions. However, the influence mechanism of DMPP on the mitigation of soil N₂O emissions under different irrigation regimes remains unclear. Therefore, a lysimeter experiment was conducted to study the effects of irrigation level (lower irrigation limits of 75%, 65%, and 55% of field capacity (FC), signed as WH, WM, and WL) and DMPP addition (0% and 1% of N application, signed as D0 and D1) on N₂O emissions, soil environmental factors such as ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N), water-filled pore space (WFPS), soil temperature, and the abundances of N₂O-related genes (AOA amoA, AOB amoA, nirS, and nirK). The results showed that soil N₂O emissions increased with the increasing of irrigation level. The efficiency of DMPP mitigating N₂O emissions varies depending on irrigation regime. Compared to D0, D1 strongly decreased cumulative N₂O emissions by 11.27%, 18.96%, and 15.05% in the WL, WM, and WH conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, D1 caused an obvious reduction in the AOB amoA gene by 29.73%, 47.02%, and 22.41%, respectively, but there was no significant effect on the AOA amoA gene. D1 was effective in decreasing nirS and nirK genes except in the WL condition; the percentages of reduction were 48.45%, 40.84% and 37.18%, 44.97% in the WM and WH conditions, respectively. In addition, D1 caused an increase in NH₄⁺-N content and a decrease in NO₃⁻-N content, WFPS, and soil temperature in all irrigation regimes. A higher significant correlation was observed between N₂O emissions and NH₄⁺-N and AOB amoA in the WL and WM conditions, while a significant correlation was observed between N₂O emissions and NO₃⁻-N, nirK, and nirS in the WH condition. It was revealed that with the increase in irrigation level, the main source of N₂O emissions might change from nitrification to denitrification. Overall, our study indicated that in the WL and WM conditions, the mitigation of N₂O emissions by DMPP was primarily attributable to the inhibition of the AOB amoA gene, whereas the inhibition of nirS and nirK genes was likely the dominant mechanism in the WH condition. The findings of this study will provide a theoretical basis for the application of a nitrification inhibitor for drip-irrigated winter wheat fields in the North China Plain. Full article

In order to increase nutrient input and alleviate the poor growth of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in neutral soil with strong nitrification, the application of nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) as an enhanced efficiency fertilizer is a strategy to reduce nitrogen (N) loss and improve N supply. However, few studies have systematically investigated the effect of DMPP application on blueberry and its soil condition in detail so far. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to elucidate the effect of DMPP at four gradient levels including 0.5% (w/w applied-N) DMPP (DL), 1% DMPP (DM), 2% DMPP (DH), and no DMPP (CK) on the dynamics of soil mineral N (NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N), soil chemical properties, as well as the agronomic characteristics and physiological indexes of blueberry plants in the neutral soil–blueberry system. The addition of DMPP significantly increased the retention of soil ammonium nitrogen and the content of total mineral nitrogen. qPCR analysis showed that DMPP inhibited the ammoxidation process mainly by reducing the abundance of the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) amoA gene rather than the ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) amoA gene. No significant inhibitory effect of DMPP was observed for the nitrite dehydrogenase gene nxrA and nitrite reductase gene nirS. Soil NH₄⁺-N and available phosphorus content were both enhanced with the DMPP application rates both in bulk and rhizosphere soil. Applying 1% DMPP to the neutral soil for blueberry was sufficient to safely inhibit soil nitrification, not only increasing ammonium nitrogen content by 10.42% and 26.79%, but also enhancing available phosphorus content by 9.19% and 22.41% compared with CK in bulk and rhizosphere soil, respectively. Moreover, 1% DMPP addition increased the nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of blueberry leaves by 12.17% and 26.42%, respectively, compared with CK. The total branch length and the dry weight of blueberry plant were also increased by 16.8% and 33.1%, respectively. These results provide valuable agronomic information for the application of DMPP in blueberry cultivation. Fertilization applied with 1% DMPP has great economic potential to improve both nitrogen and phosphorus absorption of blueberry so as to promote the vegetative growth of blueberry. Full article

Nitrification inhibitors like 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) are crucial in agriculture to reduce nitrogen losses. However, the efficacy of DMPP varies in different soils. This microcosm incubation study with six soils was conducted to elucidate how soil abiotic factors (physicochemical properties) and biotic factors (nitrogen-cycling microbial abundance and diversity) influence the performance of DMPP. The DMPP efficacy was evaluated through the ammonium-N retention rate (NH₄⁺_RA), inhibition rate of net nitrification rate (NNR_IR), and reduction rate of N₂O emissions (N₂O_ERR). The results showed that DMPP had significantly different effects on mineral nitrogen conversion and N₂O emissions from different soils. NH₄⁺_RA, NNR_IR, and N₂O_ERR ranged from −71.15% to 65.37%, 18.77% to 70.23%, and 7.93% to 82.51%, respectively. Correlation analyses and random forest revealed abiotic factors, particularly soil EC and SOC, as the primary determinants of DMPP efficiency compared to microbial diversity. This study sheds new light on the complex interactions between DMPP efficacy and soil environments. The identification of soil EC and SOC as the dominant factors influencing DMPP efficacy provides valuable insights for optimizing its application strategies in agricultural systems. Future research could explore the mechanisms underlying these interactions and develop tailored DMPP formulations that are responsive to specific soil conditions. Full article

As global efforts to combat climate change intensify, agricultural emissions are increasingly scrutinized. Biogas slurry (BS), a by-product of agricultural waste, not only provides essential nutrients for crops but can also elevate soil nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. This study investigates the immediate and long-term impacts of BS application on N₂O emissions, taking into account the frequency of application and evaluating the effectiveness of nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole-phosphate (DMPP) in reducing emissions. Through a microcosm incubation experiment with a 108 h robotized incubation-monitoring system, it was found that N₂O emissions spiked immediately following a single BS application, with emissions decreasing within 30 days. Repeated BS applications yielded lower cumulative emissions. Elevated N₂O emissions were linked to higher soil pH and ammonium (NH₄⁺) levels, along with reduced nitrate (NO₃⁻) concentrations after a single BS application. The combined application of BS and DMPP proved most effective in inhibiting nitrification and cumulative N₂O emissions, achieving reductions of 63.0% and 94.6%, respectively. High soil pH, NH₄⁺, and low NO₃⁻ were identified as pivotal factors in this effect. These findings highlight the need for mitigation strategies such as dilution or splitting applications to reduce emissions. Integrating BS with DMPP offers a sustainable approach to achieving both agricultural and environmental goals. Full article

Nitrification inhibitor is essential for increasing the nitrogen utilization efficiency of agricultural plants, thus reducing environmental pollution and increasing crop yield. However, the easy volatilization and limited functional property is still the bottleneck of nitrification inhibitors. Herein, a novel water-soluble polymeric nitrification inhibitor was synthesized through the copolymerization of acrylamide and bio-based acrylic acid, which was synthesized from biomass-derived furfural, and the complexation of carboxyl groups and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole. The results showed that the nitrification inhibitor was an amorphous polymer product with a glass transition temperature of 146 °C and a thermal decomposition temperature of 176 °C, and the content of 3,4-dimethylpyrazole reached 2.81 wt%, which was 115% higher than our earlier product (1.31 wt%). The polymeric nitrification inhibitor can inhibit the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria effectively, thus inhibiting the conversion of ammonium nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen and converting the insoluble phosphate into soluble and absorbable phosphate. By introducing a copolymer structure with a strong flocculation capacity, the polymeric nitrification inhibitor is further endowed with a soil-loosening function, which can increase the porosity of soil to improve the soil environment. Therefore, the nitrification inhibitor can be used in water-soluble and liquid fertilizers, as well as in high tower melting granulated compound fertilizers. Full article

Cattle slurry is an important nitrogen source for maize on dairy farms. Slurry injection is an effective measure to reduce ammonia emissions after field application, but with higher risk of nitrous oxide emission than surface application. This study compared soil mineral nitrogen dynamics and nitrous oxide emissions with two ways of application. First, traditional injection at 25 cm spacing between rows followed by ploughing (called “non-placed slurry”), and second, injection using a new so-called goosefoot slurry injector that placed the slurry in ploughed soil as a 30 cm broad band at 10 cm depth below maize crop rows with 75 cm spacing (named “placed slurry”). Furthermore, the effect of treating slurry with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) in Vizura^® was tested with both application methods. The field experiment was conducted on a sandy loam soil in a temperate climate. Both nitrous oxide emissions, and the dynamics of soil mineral nitrogen, were monitored for eight weeks after slurry application and seeding of maize using static chambers. The level of nitrous oxide emissions was higher with non-placed compared to placed slurry (p < 0.01), mainly due to higher emissions during the first four weeks. This might be due to higher rates of nitrification and in turn stimulation of denitrification. In both placed and non-placed slurry treatments, Vizura^® caused higher soil ammonium concentrations and lower nitrate concentrations (p < 0.001), particularly from 3 to 8 weeks after slurry application. The final level of soil nitrate was similar with and without the nitrification inhibitor, but higher with placed compared to non-placed slurry. Adding Vizura^® to non-placed slurry reduced nitrous oxide emissions by 70% when compared to untreated slurry. Surprisingly, there was a non-significant trend towards higher cumulative emissions from placed slurry with the nitrification inhibitor compared to untreated slurry, which was due to higher emissions in the last part of the monitoring period (5–7 weeks after slurry application). Possibly, degradation of the nitrification inhibitor and nitrification activity inside the slurry band as the soil dried promoted nitrous oxide emissions by this time. In summary, placement of untreated slurry in a broad band under maize seeds reduced nitrous oxide emissions compared to non-placed slurry with more soil contact. A comparable reduction was achieved by adding a nitrification inhibitor to non-placed slurry. The pattern of nitrous oxide emissions from placed slurry treated with the inhibitor was complex and requires more investigation. The emission of nitrous oxide was highest when nitrate accumulated in soil around decomposing cattle slurry, and mitigation strategies should aim to prevent this. This study demonstrated a potential for mitigation of nitrous oxide emission by placement of cattle slurry, which may be an alternative to the use of a nitrification inhibitor. Full article