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Publications

Thumbnail Smartfield Ploughingandsowing 2.23.1

Published: 2026
Title: Tractor-induced soil compaction drives nitrous oxide emissions

The publication is published in Soil and Tillage Research and in it you can read:

  • Machinery traffic increased cumulative N₂O emissions approximately 4.8-fold in wheel-compacted areas.
  • Micro-CT imaging revealed substantial deterioration of topsoil macropore architecture following repeated traffic.
  • Accounting for wheel-track emissions increased field-scale N₂O estimates by approximately 36%.
  • Traffic-induced spatial heterogeneity should be considered to improve field-scale N₂O budget estimation.

 

Read the publication here
Smartfield 2

Published: 30 April 2026
Title: “Nitrogen science for sustainable food systems and climate change mitigation”

In an editorial, Diego Abalos, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl and Jørgen Eivind Olesen — who are all part of SmartField — bring together insights from 13 studies examining nitrogen across multiple perspectives and scales, from field processes to national budgets and global assessments.


- Together, the studies show that improving nitrogen management requires better measurements, stronger models, more robust inventories and closer links between science and decision-making. This is closely aligned with the ambition of SmartField to improve monitoring, reporting and mitigation of agricultural N2O emissions, Diego Abalos explains.

The studies cover topics such as:

  • Agricultural nitrogen flows in Denmark and Sweden
  • National nitrogen budgets for Austria and Sweden
  • European nitrogen accounting methods
  • Groundwater denitrification in Denmark
  • Advances in modelling denitrification and N2O emissions

The editorial is published in Environmental Research Letters

Read the editorial here
Smartfield Still

Published: 4 November 2025
Publication title: “From field measurements to national inventories and smart incentives — the SmartField approach for agricultural soil N₂O fluxes.”

The paper is published in Iopscience and in it you can read: 

  • SmartField is pioneering a field-to-national approach to reduce agricultural N₂O emissions by 20–30% by 2030.
  • Holistic measurement: Supersites and mobile systems provide high-resolution data on N₂O, nitrogen, and carbon fluxes, capturing key emission events and hotspots.
  • Advanced modeling: Integrates IPCC factors, machine learning and biogeochemical models to accurately scale results and assess mitigation impacts.
  • Stakeholder engagement: Collaborates with farmers, policymakers and industry to develop practical solutions and robust emissions tracking.
  • Global impact: Sets a benchmark for N₂O emissions reduction and sustainable nitrogen management.
Read the publication here