Ploughing timing shapes N₂O emissions from peatlands

Drained peat grasslands emit high nitrous oxide (N2O), and soil disturbance during renewal makes them a major climate challenge. Summer ploughing as an intervention Grassland renewal through ploughing is essential for maintaining forage yield and quality, but the timing strongly influences soil processes and N₂O emissions. The traditional boreal practice, autumn ploughing (AP) followed by spring reseeding leaves soil bare over winter, a period with no plant nutrient uptake. In contrast, summer ploughing (SP) with immediate reseeding maintains continuous plant cover during the growing season, improving nutrient uptake and reducing microbial N₂O production. AP can also degrade soil structure, reduce nutrient availability, increase soil moisture, and remove vegetation cover, all of which enhance N₂O emissions. Therefore, performing tillage in summer is a more effective management option to lower N₂O emissions without altering land use. Main findings include (i) AP caused much higher and longer N₂O emissions, while SP produced only brief peaks that dropped quickly after grass reestablishment