FARMING, FERTILIZERS AND THE GREENHOUSE-EFFECT

The atmospheric concentration of the greenhouse gas methane has more t han doubled in the past 100 years as a result of increases in methane sources such as paddy cultivation, ruminant husbandry and fossil fuel combustion. Research at IACR-Rothamsted over the last three years has highlighted the importance of aerobic soils as a sink for methane. Our work has shown how land management and agricultural practices can be key to determining the soil sink strength for methane. This article de scribes the results and reasons for the interactions of farming, ferti lizers and the greenhouse effect.