Several types of activity data are required to estimate direct N₂O emissions from agricultural soils. Although many Parties have difficulty collecting annual data for all nitrogen sources, they should be making efforts to enable them to do so in future inventory submissions.  For non significant sources of emissions activity, data from international organizations could be used.

The IPCC method requires the following data:

• Synthetic fertilizers:
  • Total amount of nitrogen applied as fertilizer, and the fraction that volatilizes (FRAC_GASF)
• Animal manure:
  • Total amount of nitrogen in manure produced, estimated from livestock numbers and nitrogen excretion rates
  • Destination of nitrogen in manure: 1) treated in animal waste management system (which is reported as N₂O emissions from manure management), 2) manure deposited into soil from grazing animals (reported as N₂O emissions from animal production), 3) manure used as fuel, and 4) manure used as animal food (emissions from these 2 classes are not reported here)
  • Fraction that is volatilized
• Nitrogen fixing crops:
  • Production of nitrogen fixing crops (pulses) and nitrogen fixing forage crops (such as alfalfa)
  • Dry matter content and nitrogen content in crop residues (Frac_NCRBF)
• Crop residues:
  • Production of crops producing residues
  • Residue/crop ratios and residue percentage which is applied to soils (estimated by subtraction of the fraction that is removed from the field as product, burned, used in construction or as fodder)
  • Dry matter content and nitrogen content in crop residues (Frac_NCR0 for N-fixing and Frac_NCRBF)
• Sewage sludge and others
  • Amount of sewage sludge applied to soils
  • Nitrogen content in sewage sludge
• Histosols:
• Area of cultivated histosols

You should also check the consistency of the partitioning fractions which are needed to estimate direct N₂O emissions from agricultural soils: FRAC_GASF, FRAC_GASM, FRAC_PRP, FRAC_SEWSLUDGE, FRAC_FUEL-AM, FRAC_FEED-AM, FRAC_CONST-AM, FRAC_NCRBF, FRAC_DM, FRAC_NCRO, FRAC_BURN, FRAC_FUEL-CR.

Activity data on animal manure should be consistent with the Party’s livestock characterization and appropriate nitrogen excretion ratios. You should check that:

-  the nitrogen quantity and emissions from animal manure produced by grazing animals have been excluded from the managed animal manure source category;

-  total nitrogen produced from livestock subtracted from the nitrogen reported in animal production and volatilization loses is consistent with the nitrogen added to soil as fertilizer;

-  the Frac_GASMis consistent with the total production of nitrogen and FAM.