Abstract. Dryland cereal production systems of south-eastern Australia require viable options for reducing nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions without compromising productivity and profitability. A 4-year rotational experiment with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-canola (Brassica napus L.)-grain legumes-wheat in sequence was established at Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia, in a semiarid Mediterranean-type environment where long-term average annual rainfall is 541 mm and the incidence of summer rainfall is episodic and unreliable. The objectives of the experiment were to investigate whether (i) tillage increases N 2 O emissions and (ii) nitrogen (N) application can improve productivity without increasing N 2 O emissions. The base experimental design for each crop phase was a split-plot design with tillage treatment (tilled versus no-till) as the whole plot, and N fertiliser rate (0, 25, 50 and 100 kg N/ha) as the subplot, replicated three times. This paper reports high resolution N 2 O emission data under a canola crop. The daily N 2 O emission rate averaged 0.55 g N 2 O-N/ha. day, ranging between -0.81 and 6.71 g N 2 O-N/ha.day. The annual cumulative N 2 O-N emitted was 175.6 and 224.3 g N 2 O-N/ha under 0 and 100 kg N/ha treatments respectively. There was no evidence to support the first hypothesis that tillage increases N 2 O emissions, a result which may give farmers more confidence to use tillage strategically to manage weeds and diseases where necessary. However, increasing N fertiliser rate tended to increase N 2 O emissions, but did not increase crop production at this site.