Carbon Balance under Organic Amendments in the Wheat-Maize Cropping Systems of Sloppy Upland Soil

With an increasing interest in closing the nutrient loop in agroecosystems, organic amendments are highly recommended as a reliable resource for soil nutrient recycling. However, from a carbon sequestration perspective, not much has been reported on the contribution of different organic amendments to soil organic carbon (SOC), crop carbon (C) uptake, and soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in wheat-maize cropping systems of sloppy upland soil. To fill the knowledge gap, a two-year lysimeter-field plots experiment was conducted in a sloppy upland purplish soil under wheat-maize cropping systems. The experiments were arranged in a complete random block design with five treatment plots, namely; fresh pig slurry as organic manure (OM), crop residues (CR), conventional mineral fertilizers (NPK) as the control, organic manure plus mineral fertilizers (OMNPK), and crop residues plus mineral fertilizers (CRNPK). Our results showed the leaf photosynthesis rate was not significantly increased by organic amendment application treatments compared to NPK treatment, and was within a range of 4.8 to 45.3 µmol m−2 s−1 for the wheat season and −20.1 to 40.4 µmol m−2 s−1 for the maize season across the five treatments and the measured growth stages. The soil CO2 emissions for the maize season (in the range of 203 to 362 g C m−2) were higher than for the wheat season (in the range of 118 to 252 g C m−2) on average across the different experimental treatments over the two-year experiment. The organic amendment application increased annual cumulative CO2 emissions from 30% to 51% compared to NPK treatment. Over the two years, the average crop C uptake ranged from 174 to 378 g C m−2 and from 287 to 488 g C m−2 for the wheat and maize seasons, respectively, and the organic amendment application increased the crop C uptake by 4% to 23% compared to NPK treatment. In the organic amendment treatments, the C balance ranged from −160 to 460 g C m−2 and from −301 to 334 g C m−2 for the wheat and the maize seasons, respectively, which were greater than those in the NPK treatment. Overall, the present study results suggest incorporation of organic amendments could be an effective strategy for increasing C sequestration and sustaining crop productivity in sloppy upland soil.

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Characterizing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Warming Potential of Wheat-Maize Cropping Systems in Response to Organic Amendments in Eutric Regosols, China

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11060614 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 614

Author(s):

Hamidou Bah ◽

Xiao Ren ◽

Yanqiang Wang ◽

Jialiang Tang ◽

Bo Zhu

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Global Warming Potential ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Inorganic Nitrogen ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

Pig Slurry

Characterizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming potential (GWP) has become a key step in the estimation of atmospheric GHG concentrations and their potential mitigation by cropland management. However, the impacts of organic amendments on GHG, GWP, and yield-scaled GWP on cropland have not been well documented. Here, we investigate four amendment treatments (no amendment, mineral fertilizers, and pig slurry or crop residue combined with mineral fertilizers) during a two-year field experiment in rain-fed wheat-maize cropping systems. The results show that the average annual cumulative methane (CH4) flux ranged from −2.60 to −2.97 kg·C·ha−1 while nitrous oxide (N2O) flux ranged from 0.44 to 4.58 kg·N·ha−1 across all four treatments. N2O emissions were significantly correlated with soil inorganic nitrogen (i.e., NH4+-N and NO3−-N), and soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during both the winter wheat and summer maize seasons. On average, organic amendments combined with mineral fertilizers increased the annual GWP by 26–74% and yield-scaled GWP by 19–71% compared to those under only mineral fertilizers application. This study indicates that the fertilization strategy for Eutric Regosols can shift from only mineral fertilizers to organic amendments combined with mineral fertilizers, which can help mitigate GHG emissions and GWP while maintaining crop yields.

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Water Efficient Cropping Systems for Semi-Arid Regions in Pakistan

Cercetari Agronomice in Moldova ◽

10.1515/cerce-2015-0048 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 13-20

Author(s):

A. Ahmad ◽

Z.I. Ahmed ◽

M. Shehzad ◽

I. Aziz ◽

K.S. Khan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Food Production ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Poultry Manure ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Dry Land ◽

Cropping Patterns ◽

Food Needs

Abstract Water scarcity and land degradation are emerging threats to global food production. The dry land regions of world are affected by climate change to a greater extent and facing food insecurity. The current pattern of food production has been estimated to be inadequate to meet demands of growing population and required around 38% increase to meet world`s food demands by 2025. Food insecurity in erosion hit dry land regions of Pakistan also demands development of resource-efficient cropping systems to meet the food needs of population growing. The research studies involved different cropping patterns such as fallow-wheat, mungbean-wheat, sorghum-wheat, fallow-lentil, mungbean-lentil, sorghum-lentil, fallow-barley, mungbean-barley and sorghum-barley. The organic amendments involved farmyard manure, NPK, poultry manure, compost and inoculation by phosphorus solubilizing microbes. The effect of cropping systems and soil amendments were evaluated at field scale in terms of water use efficiency measured in terms of economic terms. The results of the studies revealed that double cropping (mungbean-lentil and mungbean-barley) was feasible option in the dryland regions of Pakistan if integrated with the use of poultry manure as alternate environmental-friendly strategy to cut down the use of mineral fertilizers and eliminate summer fallowing.

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Long-term C-CO2 emissions and carbon crop residue mineralization in an oxisol under different tillage and crop rotation systems

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/s0100-06832011000300017 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 819-832 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Ben-Hur Costa de Campos ◽

Telmo Jorge Carneiro Amado ◽

Carlos Gustavo Tornquist ◽

Rodrigo da Silveira Nicoloso ◽

Jackson Ernani Fiorin

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emissions ◽

Crop Rotation ◽

Crop Residue ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Co2 Efflux ◽

C Mineralization ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Soil C

Soil C-CO2 emissions are sensitive indicators of management system impacts on soil organic matter (SOM). The main soil C-CO2 sources at the soil-plant interface are the decomposition of crop residues, SOM turnover, and respiration of roots and soil biota. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impacts of tillage and cropping systems on long-term soil C-CO2 emissions and their relationship with carbon (C) mineralization of crop residues. A long-term experiment was conducted in a Red Oxisol in Cruz Alta, RS, Brazil, with subtropical climate Cfa (Köppen classification), mean annual precipitation of 1,774 mm and mean annual temperature of 19.2 ºC. Treatments consisted of two tillage systems: (a) conventional tillage (CT) and (b) no tillage (NT) in combination with three cropping systems: (a) R0- monoculture system (soybean/wheat), (b) R1- winter crop rotation (soybean/wheat/soybean/black oat), and (c) R2- intensive crop rotation (soybean/ black oat/soybean/black oat + common vetch/maize/oilseed radish/wheat). The soil C-CO2 efflux was measured every 14 days for two years (48 measurements), by trapping the CO2 in an alkaline solution. The soil gravimetric moisture in the 0-0.05 m layer was determined concomitantly with the C-CO2 efflux measurements. The crop residue C mineralization was evaluated with the mesh-bag method, with sampling 14, 28, 56, 84, 112, and 140 days after the beginning of the evaluation period for C measurements. Four C conservation indexes were used to assess the relation between C-CO2 efflux and soil C stock and its compartments. The crop residue C mineralization fit an exponential model in time. For black oat, wheat and maize residues, C mineralization was higher in CT than NT, while for soybean it was similar. Soil moisture was higher in NT than CT, mainly in the second year of evaluation. There was no difference in tillage systems for annual average C-CO2 emissions, but in some individual evaluations, differences between tillage systems were noticed for C-CO2 evolution. Soil C-CO2 effluxes followed a bi-modal pattern, with peaks in October/November and February/March. The highest emission was recorded in the summer and the lowest in the winter. The C-CO2 effluxes were weakly correlated to air temperature and not correlated to soil moisture. Based on the soil C conservation indexes investigated, NT associated to intensive crop rotation was more C conserving than CT with monoculture.

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Steering microbiomes by organic amendments towards climate-smart agricultural soils

Biology and Fertility of Soils ◽

10.1007/s00374-021-01599-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kristof Brenzinger ◽

Ohana Y. A. Costa ◽

Adrian Ho ◽

Guusje Koorneef ◽

Bjorn Robroek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Crop Growth ◽

Soil Microbiome ◽

Mineral Fertilizers

AbstractWe steered the soil microbiome via applications of organic residues (mix of cover crop residues, sewage sludge + compost, and digestate + compost) to enhance multiple ecosystem services in line with climate-smart agriculture. Our result highlights the potential to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from agricultural soils by the application of specific organic amendments (especially digestate + compost). Unexpectedly, also the addition of mineral fertilizer in our mesocosms led to similar combined GHG emissions than one of the specific organic amendments. However, the application of organic amendments has the potential to increase soil C, which is not the case when using mineral fertilizer. While GHG emissions from cover crop residues were significantly higher compared to mineral fertilizer and the other organic amendments, crop growth was promoted. Furthermore, all organic amendments induced a shift in the diversity and abundances of key microbial groups. We show that organic amendments have the potential to not only lower GHG emissions by modifying the microbial community abundance and composition, but also favour crop growth-promoting microorganisms. This modulation of the microbial community by organic amendments bears the potential to turn soils into more climate-smart soils in comparison to the more conventional use of mineral fertilizers.

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Effects of conversion to organic agricultural practices on soil biota

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300003192 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 24-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Matthew R. Werner ◽

Daniel L. Dindal

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Organic Manure ◽

Conventional System ◽

Undisturbed Soil ◽

Soil Microarthropods ◽

Earthworm Species ◽

Agricultural Conversion

AbstractIn the fifth year of an agricultural conversion experiment in Pennsylvania, we studied the soil biological community under three treatment regimes planted with corn: organic-manure, organic-legume, and a conventional system. The organic treatments consisted of complex crop rotations, cultivations, and organic matter inputs to control pests and maintain soil fertility. The conventional system consisted of a simple corn/soybean rotation with synthetic fertilizer and pesticide inputs. High rates of CO2 evolution (a measure of potential microbial activity) in the organic plots corresponded with high levels of organic matter input. Soil nematodes were most abundant in organic plots, although seasonal patterns differed between the two organic treatments. Soil microarthropods were dominated by fungivorous Prostigmata mites, which reached peak abundance in organic plots two to five months after organic matter incorporation. Oribatid mites, which were rare throughout the study, followed the same pattern of abundance in each treatment and were probably most influenced by tillage disturbances. Predatory Mesostigmata were generally more abundant in organic plots. Surface-dwelling Collembola were abundant briefly in the spring, but soil-dwelling species dominated numerically throughout the cropping season. Spring tillage appeared to have a strong negative effect on earthworm populations in all plots. Small earthworm species became abundant in organic-manure plots during the summer. Larger earthworm species were abundant in organic-legume and conventional plots after the autumn harvest, when crop residues covered the undisturbed soil The systems-level nature of the Conversion Project experiment makes it difficult to identify cause-effect relationships. The data do suggest that organic amendments tend to enhance soil biological activity, while tillage disturbances tend to disrupt the biotic community.

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CONTINUOUS APPLICATION OF ORGANIC AMENDMENTS ENHANCES SOIL HEALTH, PRODUCE QUALITY AND SYSTEM PRODUCTIVITY OF VEGETABLE-BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS IN SUBTROPICAL EASTERN HIMALAYAS

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479714000167 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 85-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

D. P. PATEL ◽

ANUP DAS ◽

MANOJ KUMAR ◽

G. C. MUNDA ◽

S. V. NGACHAN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Organic Amendment ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Soil Health ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

French Bean ◽

Total System ◽

Subtropical Climate ◽

System Productivity ◽

Continuous Application

SUMMARYThe hill ecosystem of Northeastern Himalayas is suitable for organic farming due to negligible use of fertilizer (<12 kg ha−1) and agrochemicals, abundance of organic manure, especially plant biomass, and favourable climatic conditions for diverse crops. For successful organic farming, efficient cropping systems and organic amendments are to be identified to sustain soil health on one hand and productivity and enhanced income on the other. The efficacy of three organic amendments, namely, farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost (VC) and integrated nutrient source (INS; 50% recommended dose of nitrogen (N) through FYM + 50% N through VC) on performance of three-vegetable-based cropping systems, namely, maize + soybean (2:2 intercropping)–tomato, maize + soybean–potato and maize + soybean–French bean was evaluated for five consecutive years (2005–06 to 2009–10) under subtropical climate at Umiam, Meghalaya, India (950 m above sea level). All the organic amendments were applied on N equivalent basis and phosphorus (P) requirement was compensated through rock phosphate. The results revealed that the yield of vegetables, except root vegetables, was maximum with FYM as soil amendment. Total system productivity in terms of maize equivalent yield (MEY) was significantly higher under FYM followed by INS. Pooled analysis revealed that MEY was enhanced by 200 and 191% with continuous application of FYM and INS, respectively, over control (no manure). Maize + soybean–tomato system recorded the highest MEY (28.78 Mg ha−1; Mg – megagram) followed by maize + soybean–French bean (24.37 Mg ha−1). INS as organic amendment resulted in maximum improvement in soil organic carbon (SOC), available P and potassium (K), soil microbial biomass carbon and water holding capacity and was similar to those under FYM. The SOC concentration under INS (23.6 g kg−1), FYM (23.3 g kg−1) and VC (22.3 g kg−1) after five years of organic farming were 31.0, 29.4 and 23.8% higher than the initial and 26.2, 24.6 and 19.3% higher than those under control, respectively. The quality traits of tomato such as total soluble solids (5%), ascorbic acid (28.6 mg 100 g−1) and lycopene content (19.35 mg 100 g−1) were higher under FYM application than other amendments. The study indicated that FYM and INS are equally good as organic amendment and their continuous application not only improves soil health but also crop productivity. FYM application was also found to be cost effective as it resulted in a higher benefit: cost ratio (4.4:1) compared to other amendments irrespective of cropping sequences during transition to organic farming.

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Production and Characterization of Crop Residues Derived Biochars for Soil Amendment and Carbon Sequestration

Journal of Agricultural Studies ◽

10.5296/jas.v9i1.17890 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 130

Author(s):

Désiré Jean-Pascal Lompo ◽

Lambiénou Yé ◽

Souleymane Ouédraogo ◽

Siélé Ibrahima Sori ◽

Hassan Bismark Nacro

Keyword(s):

Soil Amendment ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Organic Amendment ◽

International Standards ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Metal Contents ◽

Local Cone ◽

Interesting Alternative

This study focused on the production and characterization of biochars from three types of crop residues comprising cotton stems, corn cobs and sorghum stems. The reactor used was a local cone kiln made from a 200-liter drum. The production parameters measured included the duration of pyrolysis, the amount of biochar produced and the production yield. The chemical characteristics of the biochars were determined using the usual analytical methods used for organic amendment analyses. According to the study, pyrolysis time, biochar quantities and production yields depended on the type of crop residues. The three types of biochar obtained showed high C/N values indicating that their use as soil amendment must be combined with mineral fertilizers to ensure good plant development and crop yield. The heavy metal contents of the three biochar types complied with the international standards recommended for biochars by the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) and by the European Biochar Certificate (EBC). The production and the use of Biochar from crop residues is an interesting alternative for sustainable soil fertility management in the Sahelian countries.

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Agronomic Evaluation of Biochar, Compost and Biochar-Blended Compost across Different Cropping Systems: Perspective from the European Project FERTIPLUS

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9050225 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 225 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Miguel A. Sánchez-Monedero ◽

María L. Cayuela ◽

María Sánchez-García ◽

Bart Vandecasteele ◽

Tommy D’Hose ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Cycling ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Microbial Activity ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Field Trials ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Organic C

This paper reports the results on the agronomic performance of organic amendments in the EU 7th FP project “FERTIPLUS—reducing mineral fertilizers and agro-chemicals by recycling treated organic waste as compost and bio-char”. Four case studies on field-scale application of biochar, compost and biochar-blended compost were established and studied for three consecutive years in four distinct cropping systems and under different agro-climatic conditions in Europe. These included the following sites: olive groves in Murcia (Spain), greenhouse grown tomatoes in Almeria (Spain), an arable crop rotation in Oost-Vlaanderen (Merelbeke, Belgium), and three vineyards in Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy). A slow pyrolysis oak biochar was applied, either alone or in combination with organic residues: compost from olive wastes in Murcia (Spain), sheep manure in Almeria (Spain), and compost from biowaste and green waste in Belgium and Italy. The agronomical benefits were evaluated based on different aspects of soil fertility (soil total organic carbon (TOC), pH, nutrient cycling and microbial activity) and crop nutritional status and productivity. All amendments were effective in increasing soil organic C in all the field trials. On average, the increase with respect to the control was about 11% for compost, 20% for biochar-blended compost, and 36% for biochar. The amendments also raised the pH by 0.15–0.50 units in acidic soils. Only biochar had a negligible fertilization effect. On the contrary, compost and biochar-blended compost were effective in enhancing soil fertility by increasing nutrient cycling (25% mean increase in extractable organic C and 44% increase in extractable N), element availability (26% increase in available K), and soil microbial activity (26% increase in soil respiration and 2–4 fold enhancement of denitrifying activity). In general, the tested amendments did not show any negative effect on crop yield and quality. Furthermore, in vineyards and greenhouse grown tomatoes cropping systems, compost and biochar-blended compost were also effective in enhancing key crop quality parameters (9% increase in grape must acidity and 16% increase in weight, 9% increase in diameter and 8% increase in hardness of tomato fruits) important for the quality and marketability of the crops. The overall results of the project suggest that the application of a mixture of biochar and compost can benefit crops. Therefore, biochar-blended compost can support and maintain soil fertility.

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Ammonia volatilization and soil nitrogen dynamics following fall application of pig slurry on canola crop residues

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s00-044 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 515-523 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Philippe Rochette ◽

Martin H Chantigny ◽

Denis A Angers ◽

Normand Bertrand ◽

Denis Côté

Keyword(s):

Ammonia Volatilization ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Land Application ◽

Wind Tunnels ◽

Relative Reduction ◽

Pig Slurry ◽

Mineral N

Land application of liquid manures is a major source of atmospheric ammonia. The presence of crop residues on the soil surface usually increases emissions by retarding slurry infiltration, whereas incorporation of slurry into soil reduces emissions. Our objective was to quantify the relative reduction in NH3 volatilization resulting from the soil incorporation of pig slurry (PS) applied on canola (Brassica napus) residues under fall conditions in Quebec, Canada. Pig slurry was applied at 7.4 L m–2 on six plots covered by canola crop residues. Slurry and residues were incorporated in the top 5 cm of soil (INCORP) in half of the plots, while the other half were left untouched (SURF). Ammonia volatilization was measured following application for 10 d using wind tunnels. Soil NH4+ and NO3− contents, pH, moisture and temperature were also monitored to explain variations in NH3 fluxes. Soil NH4+-N in the surface soil was lower than expected shortly after slurry application, maybe as a result of fixation by clays or interception by crop residues. The volatilization of NH3 was higher (P < 0.05) on SURF plots than on INCORP plots in 20 of the 26 measuring periods, with total NH3 losses being five times greater in the former. Cumulated emissions during the first 11 h accounted for the 60 and 53% of total NH3 emissions for the SURF and INCORP plots, respectively. Our results confirm that a large fraction of the NH3 volatilization from slurry application on canola residues can be greatly reduced if the slurry and crop residues are incorporated into the soil immediately after slurry application. Despite significant reduction (80%) of NH3 volatilization in INCORP compared with SURF plots, no difference was found in soil mineral N between treatments, suggesting that other processes such as N mineralization or denitrification were more active in INCORP plots. Key Words: Ammonium, nitrate, nitrogen cycle, organic amendments

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Effect of Organic Amendment Addition on Soil Properties, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Grape Yield in Semi-Arid Vineyard Agroecosystems

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11081477 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1477

Author(s):

Antonio Marín-Martínez ◽

Alberto Sanz-Cobeña ◽

Mª Angeles Bustamante ◽

Enrique Agulló ◽

Concepción Paredes

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Organic N ◽

N2o Emissions ◽

The Impact ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Grape Yield

In semi-arid vineyard agroecosystems, highly vulnerable in the context of climate change, the soil organic matter (OM) content is crucial to the improvement of soil fertility and grape productivity. The impact of OM, from compost and animal manure, on soil properties (e.g., pH, oxidisable organic C, organic N, NH4+-N and NO3−-N), grape yield and direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in vineyards was assessed. For this purpose, two wine grape varieties were chosen and managed differently: with a rain-fed non-trellising vineyard of Monastrell, a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard of Monastrell and a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon. The studied fertiliser treatments were without organic amendments (C), sheep/goat manure (SGM) and distillery organic waste compost (DC). The SGM and DC treatments were applied at a rate of 4600 kg ha−1 (fresh weight, FW) and 5000 kg ha−1 FW, respectively. The use of organic amendments improved soil fertility and grape yield, especially in the drip-irrigated trellising vineyards. Increased CO2 emissions were coincident with higher grape yields and manure application (maximum CO2 emissions = 1518 mg C-CO2 m−2 d−1). In contrast, N2O emissions, mainly produced through nitrification, were decreased in the plots showing higher grape production (minimum N2O emissions = −0.090 mg N2O-N m−2 d−1). In all plots, the CH4 fluxes were negative during most of the experiment (−1.073−0.403 mg CH4-C m−2 d−1), indicating that these ecosystems can represent a significant sink for atmospheric CH4. According to our results, the optimal vineyard management, considering soil properties, yield and GHG mitigation together, was the use of compost in a drip-irrigated trellising vineyard with the grape variety Monastrell.

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