Humus, nitrogen and energy balances, and greenhouse gas emissions in a long-term field experiment with compost compared with mineral fertilisation

Compost fertilisation is one way to close material cycles for organic matter and plant nutrients and to increase soil organic matter content. In this study, humus, nitrogen (N) and energy balances, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were calculated for a 14-year field experiment using the model software REPRO. Humus balances showed that compost fertilisation at a rate of 8 t/ha.year resulted in a positive balance of 115 kg carbon (C)/ha.year. With 14 and 20 t/ha.year of compost, respectively, humus accumulated at rates of 558 and 1021 kg C/ha.year. With mineral fertilisation at rates of 29–62 kg N/ha.year, balances were moderately negative (–169 to –227 kg C/ha.year), and a clear humus deficit of –457 kg C/ha.year showed in the unfertilised control. Compared with measured soil organic C (SOC) data, REPRO predicted SOC contents fairly well with the exception of the treatments with high compost rates, where SOC contents were overestimated by REPRO. GHG balances calculated with soil C sequestration on the basis of humus balances, and on the basis of soil analyses, indicated negative GHG emissions with medium and high compost rates. Mineral fertilisation yielded net GHG emissions of ~2000 kg CO2-eq/ha.year. The findings underline that compost fertilisation holds potential for C sequestration and for the reduction of GHG emissions, even though this potential is bound to level off with increasing soil C saturation.

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Management effects on the dynamics and storage rates of organic matter in long-term crop rotations

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s03-022 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 84 (1) ◽

pp. 49-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

E. A. Paul ◽

H. P. Collins ◽

K. Paustian ◽

E. T. Elliott ◽

S. Frey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Organic C ◽

Soil C ◽

Site Analysis ◽

Laboratory Incubation ◽

C And N ◽

A Site ◽

Management Effects

Factors controlling soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics in soil C sequestration and N fertility were determined from multi-site analysis of long-term, crop rotation experiments in Western Canada. Analyses included bulk density, organic and inorganic C and N, particulate organic C (POM-C) and N (POM -N), and CO2-C evolved during laboratory incubation. The POM-C and POM-N contents varied with soil type. Differences in POM-C contents between treatments at a site (δPOM-C) were related (r2= 0.68) to treatment differences in soil C (δSOC). The CO2-C, evolved during laboratory incubation, was the most sensitive indicator of management effects. The Gray Luvisol (Breton, AB) cultivated plots had a fivefold difference in CO2-C release relative to a twofold difference in soil organic carbon (SOC). Soils from cropped, Black Chernozems (Melfort and Indian Head, SK) and Dark Brown Chernozems (Lethbridge, AB) released 50 to 60% as much CO2-C as grassland soils. Differences in CO2 evolution from the treatment with the lowest SOM on a site and that of other treatments (δCO2-C) in the early stages of the incubation were correlated to δPOM-C and this pool reflects short-term SOC storage. Management for soil fertility, such as N release, may differ from management for C sequestration. Key words: Multi-site analysis, soil management, soil C and N, POM-C and N, CO2 evolution

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A comparison between vegetable intercropping systems and monocultures in greenhouse gas emissions under organic management

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-13415 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Virginia Sánchez-Navarro ◽

Mariano Marcos-Pérez ◽

Raúl Zornoza

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Experimental Period ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Organic Management ◽

Soil C ◽

Dynamic Chamber ◽

Cucumis Melo L

Legume crops have been proposed as a way of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because both, their rhizosphere behaviour and their ability to fix atmospheric N reducing the need of external N fertilizer. Moreover, the establishment of organic agriculture has been proposed as a sustainable strategy to enhance the delivery of ecosystem services, including mitigation of climate change by decreases in GHG emissions and increases in soil C sequestration. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the association between cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) and melon (Cucumis melo L.) growing in different intercropping patterns on soil CO2 and N2O emissions compared to cowpea and melon monocultures under organic management as a possible strategy for climate change mitigation. Soil CO2 and N2O emissions were weekly measured in melon and cowpea rows using the dynamic chamber method during one cropping cycle in 2019. Results indicated that melon growing as monoculture was related to increases in O cumulative emissions (0.431 g m-2) compared to the average of the rest of treatments (0.036 g m-2). Cowpea growing as monoculture was related to decreases in CO2 cumulative emissions (390 g m-2) compared with the other treatments (512 g m-2 average). However, N2O and CO2 emission patterns did not directly follow soil moisture patterns in the experimental period, with no significant correlations. Finally there were no significant differences among intercropping treatments with regard to NO2 and CO2 emissions. Further measurements are needed to monitor the evolution of GHG emissions under these cropping systems and confirm the trend observed.

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Managing pasture for animals and soil carbon

Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association ◽

10.33584/jnzg.2009.71.2775 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 77-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A.J. Parsons ◽

J.S. Rowarth ◽

P.C.D. Newton

Keyword(s):

Soil Carbon ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Kyoto Protocol ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Grazing Management ◽

Soil C ◽

National Trends

There has been growing interest in including soil carbon (C) sequestration, as an offset to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, within New Zealand's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, even though national trends report soil C concentrations in many areas is declining. There are different schools of thought as to what drives changes in soil C (e.g. grazing management, fertiliser inputs, species) and so in our capacity to increase the rate of sequestration of C since 1990 to gain C credits.

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions as Affected by Fertilization Type (Pig Slurry vs. Mineral) and Soil Management in Mediterranean Rice Systems

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10040493 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 493

Author(s):

Beatriz Moreno-García ◽

Mónica Guillén ◽

Dolores Quílez

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Great Increase ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Matter Content ◽

Pig Slurry ◽

Mineral N

The great increase in livestock production in some European areas makes it necessary to recycle organic slurries and manures and to integrate them in crop production. In Northeast Spain, the application of pig slurry (PS) is being extended to alternative crops such as rice due to the great increase in pig production. However, there is a lack of information of the effect of substitution of synthetic fertilizers with pig slurry on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rice crop, and this information is key for the sustainability of these agricultural systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the substitution of mineral fertilizers by PS on GHG emissions in Mediterranean flooded rice cultivation conditions under optimal nitrogen (N) fertilization. Two field experiments were carried out in two different (contrasting) soil types with different land management. Site 1 had been cultivated for rice in the previous three years with no puddling practices. Site 2 had been cultivated for rice for more than 15 years with puddling tillage practices and had higher organic matter content than site 1. The cumulative nitrous oxide emissions during the crop season were negative at both sites, corroborating that under flooded conditions, methane is the main contributor to global warming potential rather than nitrous oxide. The substitution of mineral fertilizer with PS before seeding at the same N rate did not increase emissions in both sites. However, at site 1 (soil with lower organic matter content), the higher PS rate applied before seeding (170 kg N ha−1) increased methane emissions compared to the treatments with lower PS rate and mineral fertilizer before seeding (120 kg N ha−1) and complemented with topdressing mineral N. Thus, a sustainable strategy for inclusion of PS in rice fertilization is the application of moderate PS rates before seeding (≈120 kg N ha−1) complemented with mineral N topdressing.

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Restoring organic matter in a cultivated, semiarid soil using crested wheatgrass

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s00-001 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 80 (3) ◽

pp. 429-435 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

D. Curtin ◽

F. Selles ◽

H. Wang ◽

R. P. Zentner ◽

C. A. Campbell

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Organic C ◽

Crested Wheatgrass ◽

Soil C ◽

Sequestration Potential ◽

C Stocks

Planting of cultivated land with perennial forages may increase C sequestration in soil organic matter and contribute to atmospheric CO2 mitigation strategies. However, little is known of the effectiveness of introduced grasses in restoring organic C in cultivated soils of the Canadian prairies. Our objective was to evaluate the C sequestration potential of crested wheatgrass (CWG) (Agropyron cristatum L. Gaertn.), a widely introduced, early-season grass. In 1995 and 1996, we measured soil CO2 fluxes, C inputs in plant material and total soil C under CWG and a fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-wheat rotation (F-W-W). These were two of the treatments in a replicated crop rotation experiment initiated in 1987 in southwestern Saskatchewan on a medium-textured soil that had previously been under long-term wheat production. Average to above-average growing season (1 May to 31 July) precipitation in 1995–1996 resulted in annual inputs of C in wheat residues of 3000–4500 kg ha−1. Growth of CWG, which was hayed and removed, was relatively poor in both years, but especially in 1995 when dry matter yield was only 1300 kg ha−1. For the 1988–1996 period, there was a strong correlation (R2 = 0.81; P < 0.001) between CWG yield and precipitation received in May, showing the importance of early spring rains determining CWG yield and C inputs to the soil. Carbon inputs under CWG (1200 kg ha−1 in 1995 and 2400 kg ha−1 in 1996) were less than under wheat but CO2-C emissions were similar under CWG and wheat. Soil C measurements in fall 1996 confirmed that CWG did not gain C relative to the F-W-W rotation. Although failure of CWG soil to store more C than cultivated soil may be partly because weather conditions during the experiment were more favourable for wheat than CWG, our results cast doubt on the ability of CWG to restore C stocks in prairie soils degraded by long-term cropping. Key words: Carbon sequestation, carbon dioxide emissions, wheat, crested wheatgrass, fallow

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Modelling the influence of soil carbon on net greenhouse gas emissions from grazed pastures

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an15508 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 585 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rachelle Meyer ◽

Brendan R. Cullen ◽

Richard J. Eckard

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Annual Variation ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

C Sequestration ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Soil C ◽

High Rainfall ◽

Sequestration Potential ◽

Ch4 And N2o

Sequestering carbon (C) in soil organic matter in grassland systems is often cited as a major opportunity to offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, these systems are typically grazed by ruminants, leading to uncertainties in the net GHG balance that may be achieved. We used a pasture model to investigate the net balance between methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and soil C in sheep-grazed pasture systems with two starting amounts of soil C. The net emissions were calculated for four soil types in two rainfall zones over three periods of 19 years. Because of greater pasture productivity, and consequent higher sheep stocking rates, high-rainfall sites were associated with greater GHG emissions that could not be offset by C sequestration. On these high-rainfall sites, the higher rate of soil organic carbon (SOC) increase on low-SOC soils offset an average of 45% of the livestock GHG emissions on the modelled chromosol and 32% on the modelled vertosol. The slow rate of SOC increase on the high-SOC soils only offset 2–4% of CH4 and N2O emissions on these high-rainfall sites. On low-rainfall sites, C sequestration in low-SOC soils more than offset livestock GHG emissions, whereas the modelled high-C soils offset 75–86% of CH4 and N2O emissions. Greater net emissions on high-C soils were due primarily to reduced sequestration potential and greater N2O emissions from nitrogen mineralisation and livestock urine. Annual variation in CH4 and N2O emissions was low, whereas annual SOC change showed high annual variation, which was more strongly correlated with weather variables on the low-rainfall sites compared with the high-rainfall sites. At low-soil C concentrations, with high sequestration potential, there is an initial mitigation benefit that can in some instances offset enteric CH4 and direct and indirect N2O emissions. However, as soil organic matter increases there is a trade-off between diminishing GHG offsets and increasing ecosystem services, including mineralisation and productivity benefits.

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Greenhouse gas balance related to conventional and sustainable fruit production systems in the Highlands region of Pasto, Colombia

Agronomía Colombiana ◽

10.15446/agron.colomb.v34n2.55417 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 277-284

Author(s):

Hernando Criollo E. ◽

Amanda Silva P. ◽

Hernando Delgado H.

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Production Systems ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Production Cycle ◽

Greenhouse Gas Balance ◽

Soil C ◽

Sequestration Potential ◽

Gas Balance

This research focused on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and potential sinks associated with conventional and sustainable fruit production systems in the Highlands region of Pasto, Nariño, Colombia. Based on the IPCC (2006) methodologies, the annual emission balance for a 6-year production cycle included agricultural sources and gasoline consumption related to the main agricultural activities and the potential for soil C accumulation and biomass C fixation in all of the studied systems. The multivariate analysis showed that positive GHG balance emissions would be achieved in all sustainable fruit production systems, as compared to conventional fruit production systems with greater impact on (SS1): Rubusglaucus Benth. associated with Acacia decurrens trees and live coverage of kikuyu Pen-nisetum clandestinum grass. According to the results of this study, (SS1) showed the beneficial total GHG balance emission accounting for -21,079 kg of atmospheric CO2eq ha-1 yr-1 divided into -4,587 kg CO2eq ha-1 yr-1 and -17,102 kg CO2eq ha-1 yr-1 due an annual soil and biomass C sequestration potential that could help offset its emissions (610 kg CO2eq ha-1 yr-1).

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Emissions of CO2, N2O and CH4 From Cultivated and Set Aside Drained Peatland in Central Sweden

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.630721 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Örjan Berglund ◽

Thomas Kätterer ◽

Katharina H. E. Meurer

Keyword(s):

Gross Primary Production ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Minor Importance ◽

Anthropogenic Influences ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Organic C ◽

Soil C ◽

Uptake Rates ◽

Northern Peatlands

Northern peatlands are important carbon (C) reservoirs, storing about one-third of the global terrestrial soil C pool. Anthropogenic influences, such as drainage for agriculture and forestry, lower the originally high groundwater level, leading to peat aeration and decomposition. This is particularly reflected in significant losses of CO2, while fluxes of N2O and CH4 are generally considered of minor importance for the overall greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of cultivated peatlands in Scandinavia. Setting land aside from agricultural production has been proposed as a strategy to reduce GHG emissions from drained peatland, restore natural habitats, and increase C sequestration. However, the evidence for this is rather scarce unless drainage is terminated. In this study, we measured respiration using dark automatic chambers, and CO2, N2O, and CH4 fluxes using manual static chambers, on: 1) cultivated peatland and 2) adjacent set-aside peatland in Central Sweden. The set-aside site was found to be a greater source of respiration than the cultivated site, while higher N2O fluxes and lower CH4 uptake rates were observed for the cultivated site. However, to compare the full GHG balance and assess the abandonment of drained cultivated peatland, additional measures, such as gross primary production (GPP) but also dissolved organic C losses would have to be taken into account.

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Manipulation of rhizosphere organisms to enhance glomalin production and C sequestration: Pitfalls and promises

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps2013-146 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 94 (6) ◽

pp. 1025-1032 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

F. L. Walley ◽

A. W. Gillespie ◽

Adekunbi B. Adetona ◽

J. J. Germida ◽

R. E. Farrell

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Ionization Mass ◽

Edge Structure ◽

Organic C ◽

Soil C ◽

N Storage ◽

C And N

Walley, F. L., Gillespie, A. W., Adetona, A. B., Germida, J. J. and Farrell, R. E. 2014. Manipulation of rhizosphere organisms to enhance glomalin production and C-sequestration: Pitfalls and promises. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1025–1032. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) reportedly produce glomalin, a glycoprotein that has the potential to increase soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage. We hypothesized that interactions between rhizosphere microorganisms, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and AMF, would influence glomalin production. Our objectives were to determine the effects of AMF/PGPR interactions on plant growth and glomalin production in the rhizosphere of pea (Pisum sativum L.) with the goal of enhancing C and N storage in the rhizosphere. One component of the study focussed on the molecular characterization of glomalin and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) using complementary synchrotron-based N and C X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, pyrolysis field ionization mass spectrometry (Py-FIMS), and proteomics techniques to characterize specific organic C and N fractions associated with glomalin production. Our research ultimately led us to conclude that the proteinaceous material extracted, and characterized in the literature, as GRSP is not exclusively of AMF origin. Our research supports the established concept that GRSP is important to soil quality, and C and N storage, irrespective of origin. However, efforts to manipulate this important soil C pool will remain compromised until we more clearly elucidate the chemical nature and origin of this resource.

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Potential soil carbon sequestration of agricultural land around the world

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-3083 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sylvia Vetter ◽

Michael Martin ◽

Pete Smith

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Management Practices ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Organic Soils ◽

Soil C ◽

Sequestration Potential ◽

The World ◽

Soil C Sequestration

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in to the atmosphere to limit global warming is the big challenge of the coming decades. The focus lies on negative emission technologies to remove GHGs from the atmosphere from different sectors. Agriculture produces around a quarter of all the anthropogenic GHGs globally (including land use change and afforestation). Reducing these net emissions can be achieved through techniques that increase the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. These techniques include improved management practices in agriculture and grassland systems, which increase the organic carbon (C) input or reduce soil disturbances. The C sequestration potential differs among soils depending on climate, soil properties and management, with the highest potential for poor soils (SOC stock farthest from saturation).Modelling can be used to estimate the technical potential to sequester C of agricultural land under different mitigation practices for the next decades under different climate scenarios. The ECOSSE model was developed to simulate soil C dynamics and GHG emissions in mineral and organic soils. A spatial version of the model (GlobalECOSSE) was adapted to simulate agricultural soils around the world to calculate the SOC change under changing management and climate.Practices like different tillage management, crop rotations and residue incorporation showed regional differences and the importance of adapting mitigation practices under an increased changing climate. A fast adoption of practices that increase SOC has its own challenges, as the potential to sequester C is high until the soil reached a new C equilibrium. Therefore, the potential to use soil C sequestration to reduce overall GHG emissions is limited. The results showed a high potential to sequester C until 2050 but much lower rates in the second half of the century, highlighting the importance of using soil C sequestration in the coming decades to reach net zero by 2050.

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