Research shows soil management can reduce greenhouse gas levels

Farmers can reduce greenhouse gas production through soil management, according to research published jointly by Teagasc and Scotland’s Rural College.

The research shows how effectively a newly- discovered group of soil microbes breaks down nitrous oxide, a major contributor to global warming and a gas blamed for depleting the ozone layer. It suggests that if their growth can be encouraged, soils could make a greater contribution to addressing climate change.

The college’s soil ecologist, Professor Bryan Griffiths, said: “Compared with what we know about carbon dioxide and methane, we don’t understand enough how different soil microorganisms create nitrous oxide or break it down.