Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) research team installed eight LI-COR chambers on Field 2W on the Smart Farm during the 2023 growing season to monitor nitrous oxide emissions (N2O). N2O is a greenhouse gas, and the research team is using the chambers to measure emissions from the soil.
The technology will help OCCI collect high quality and high resolution data on how 4R (right rate, right time, right source, right place) nutrient stewardship practices impact N2O emissions — a highly relevant topic for the ag industry. This data, combined with all data layers the Smart Farm collects throughout the growing season, will be used to develop and validate models that will predict the impact of practice changes on the carbon footprint of crop production.
The chambers are on a continuous automated cycle where one chamber seals for two minutes and the captured gases are moved into an analyzer. The cycle continues where the next chamber then closes for the collection of gases. The trace gas analyzer is in the field — powered by a solar panel — to measure nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour (H2O).
Funders/Partners: TELUS Agriculture, NSERC
The data collected will continue to be analyzed for detection of other patterns and compared to weather station information to identify how emissions are linked to different environmental changes.