According to a recent research study published in the latest edition of the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports, Cow urine may also contribute to global warming.
Recent Study:
That cattle and livestock are a significant source of methane, a greenhouse gas, and therefore a contributor to global warming, is well-known. However, the role of cow urine is less understood.
In this background, The International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia conducted a study in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago on the linkages between cow urine and global warming.
Key findings:
Cow urine may also contribute to global warming as it is a source of nitrous oxide emissions (N2O), a gas that is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
Most times, when cow urine is used in degraded pastures, which are also seen in vast tracts of land in India, N2O emissions are tripled.
Degraded grasslands emitted more N2O than healthy pastures because the vegetation in the latter took up some of the reactive nitrogen compounds and only the leftovers were emitted.
Implications for India:
Dung and urine are commonly mixed together for manure in Indian fields.
Since, India also hosts the world’s largest livestock population, as well as significant tracts of degraded land, the findings may have a bearing on nitrogen emissions from Indian fields.
Studies like these are probably needed and useful for Indian livestock emission studies as India has very limited research on this.
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