Diversified strawberry farms showed smaller nitrous-oxide pulses after irrigation

A California Central Coast farm comparison points to a measurable emissions contrast, not yet an isolated causal practice.

Wild Lands Ecological Intelligence Editor
Wild Lands Institute · 3 November 2026

Evidence: Peer-reviewed
Geography: Organic strawberry farms, California Central Coast, USA
System: Working-land horticulture; nitrous oxide; irrigation

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

Across 34 organic strawberry farms and 48 plots, investigators measured nitrous oxide flux after an irrigation event over two field seasons. Diversified systems had lower post-irrigation pulses in the sampled comparison than less-diversified farms, with other management variables differing as well.

WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ

For working-land monitoring, compare emissions around irrigation and fertilizer events using repeated plots and matched management records. Track N2O as an observed flux rather than assume diversification itself causes a reduction.

CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY

Observational farms; irrigation timing, season, soils, fertility management and diversification were not randomized. Single-event pulse patterns should not be substituted for whole-year greenhouse-gas budgets.

SOURCE

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems (3 Nov 2026)
View original evidence ↗