scholarly journals Soil Carbon Storage Potential of Tropical Grasses: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bezaye Gorfu Tessema ◽  
Heiko Daniel ◽  
Zenebe Adimassu ◽  
Brian Wilson

Environmental degradation and climate change are key current threats to world agriculture and food security and human–induced changes have been significant driving forces of this global environmental change. An important component is land degradation which results in a diminished soil organic carbon (SOC) stock with concomitant loss of soil condition and function. Land management to improve soil organic matter content, condition and productivity is therefore a key strategy to safeguard agricultural production, food supply and environmental quality. Soil organic carbon sequestration through the use of plant species with high photosynthetic efficiency, deep roots and high biomass production is one important strategy to achieve this. Tropical pastures, which are adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions have particular potential in this regard and have been used extensively for land rehabilitation. Tropical pastures also have advantages over trees for biomass and carbon accumulation due to their rapid establishment, suitability for annual harvest, continual and rapid growth rates. In addition, tropical pastures have the potential for SOC storage in subsoil horizons due to their deep root systems and can be used as biomass energy crops, which could further promote their use as a climate change mitigation option. Here we aimed to review current knowledge regarding the SOC storage potential of tropical grasses worldwide and identified knowledge gaps and current research needs for the use of tropical grasses in agricultural production system.

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 390
Author(s):  
Paweł Wiśniewski ◽  
Michael Märker

Soil erosion is one of the major processes degrading the natural environment but also agricultural production areas. Soil erosion may lead to soil organic carbon (SOC) loss, especially from sloping agricultural terrain units. The use of phytomelioration in environmental management, particularly long-term, permanent forest vegetation, is widely recognized as a possible measure for soil erosion protection and mitigation of climate change through carbon sequestration. The aim of this study was to compare of the topsoil organic carbon stocks on the slopes under soil-protecting forests in relation to the adjacent agricultural slopes. The research was conducted in the young glacial landscape of North-Central Poland. The study indicated the significant role of forest management on the increase of soil organic matter content and SOC stock. The results show that land use and slope gradients are important factors controlling soil organic carbon pools in topsoil in young glacial areas. This topic is extremely important particularly as the effects of climate change become more and more visible, and society faces new challenges in preventing these changes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Padarian ◽  
Budiman Minasny ◽  
Alex B. McBratney ◽  
Pete Smith

Abstract. Soil organic carbon sequestration (SOCseq) is considered the most attractive carbon capture technology to partially mitigate climate change. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the potential of SOCseq. The additional storage potential on existing global cropland is missing. SOCseq is region-specific and conditioned by management but most global estimates use fixed accumulation rates or time frames. Here, we show how the SOC storage potential and its steady state varies globally depending on climate, land use and soil. Using 83,416 soil observations, we developed a quantile regression neural network that quantifies the SOC variation within soils with similar characteristics. This allows us to identify similar areas that present higher SOC with the difference representing an additional storage potential. The estimated additional SOC storage potential of 29 to 67 Pg C in the topsoil of global croplands equates to only 2 to 5 years of emissions offsetting and 32 % of agriculture's 92 Pg historical carbon debt estimate due to conversion from natural ecosystems. Since SOC is temperature-dependent, this potential is likely to reduce by 18 % by 2040 due to climate change.


1992 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Yadav ◽  
S. R. Prasad

SummaryIn two field experiments conducted over five successive sugarcane crops (including four ratoon crops), yield decline was associated with a decrease in the organic carbon content of the soil. Reduction in cane yield was minimized by the combined application of farmyard manure and urea, which resulted in an increase in soil organic carbon of 0.023% over the initial status within five years. Incorporation of farm waste materials such as cane trash, rice straw and legume husk into the soil before cane planting also increased the soil organic carbon content. Maximum benefits, however, were produced by the incorporation of legume husk with 150 kg N ha−1. A judicious mixture of chemical fertilizer and organic manures is therefore suggested as a means of sustaining the productivity of sugarcane.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Rolinski ◽  
Alexander V. Prishchepov ◽  
Georg Guggenberger ◽  
Norbert Bischoff ◽  
Irina Kurganova ◽  
...  

AbstractChanges in land use and climate are the main drivers of change in soil organic matter contents. We investigated the impact of the largest policy-induced land conversion to arable land, the Virgin Lands Campaign (VLC), from 1954 to 1963, of the massive cropland abandonment after 1990 and of climate change on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan. We simulated carbon budgets from the pre-VLC period (1900) until 2100 using a dynamic vegetation model to assess the impacts of observed land-use change as well as future climate and land-use change scenarios. The simulations suggest for the entire VLC region (266 million hectares) that the historic cropland expansion resulted in emissions of 1.6⋅ 1015 g (= 1.6 Pg) carbon between 1950 and 1965 compared to 0.6 Pg in a scenario without the expansion. From 1990 to 2100, climate change alone is projected to cause emissions of about 1.8 (± 1.1) Pg carbon. Hypothetical recultivation of the cropland that has been abandoned after the fall of the Soviet Union until 2050 may cause emissions of 3.5 (± 0.9) Pg carbon until 2100, whereas the abandonment of all cropland until 2050 would lead to sequestration of 1.8 (± 1.2) Pg carbon. For the climate scenarios based on SRES (Special Report on Emission Scenarios) emission pathways, SOC declined only moderately for constant land use but substantially with further cropland expansion. The variation of SOC in response to the climate scenarios was smaller than that in response to the land-use scenarios. This suggests that the effects of land-use change on SOC dynamics may become as relevant as those of future climate change in the Eurasian steppes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Antón ◽  
Francisco Javier Arricibita ◽  
Alberto Ruiz-Sagaseta ◽  
Alberto Enrique ◽  
Isabel de Soto ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Ziwei Xiao ◽  
Xuehui Bai ◽  
Mingzhu Zhao ◽  
Kai Luo ◽  
Hua Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Shaded coffee systems can mitigate climate change by fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in soil. Understanding soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and the factors influencing SOC in coffee plantations are necessary for the development of sound land management practices to prevent land degradation and minimize SOC losses. This study was conducted in the main coffee-growing regions of Yunnan; SOC concentrations and storage of shaded and unshaded coffee systems were assessed in the top 40 cm of soil. Relationships between SOC concentration and factors affecting SOC were analysed using multiple linear regression based on the forward and backward stepwise regression method. Factors analysed were soil bulk density (ρb), soil pH, total nitrogen of soil (N), mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual moisture (MAM), mean annual precipitation (MAP) and elevations (E). Akaike's information criterion (AIC), coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE) and residual sum of squares (RSS) were used to describe the accuracy of multiple linear regression models. Results showed that mean SOC concentration and storage decreased significantly with depth under unshaded coffee systems. Mean SOC concentration and storage were higher in shaded than unshaded coffee systems at 20–40 cm depth. The correlations between SOC concentration and ρb, pH and N were significant. Evidence from the multiple linear regression model showed that soil bulk density (ρb), soil pH, total nitrogen of soil (N) and climatic variables had the greatest impact on soil carbon storage in the coffee system.


2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.D.v.L. Maas ◽  
R. Lal ◽  
K. Coleman ◽  
A. Montenegro ◽  
W.A. Dick

Revista CERES ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudinei Alberto Cardin ◽  
Carlos Henrique dos Santos ◽  
Marcos Antonio Escarmínio

ABSTRACT Soils of tropical regions are more weathered and in need of conservation managements to maintain and improve the quality of its components. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of K, the organic matter content and the stock of total carbon of an Argisol after vinasse application and manual and mechanized harvesting of burnt and raw sugarcane, in western São Paulo.The data collection was done in the 2012/2013 harvest, in a bioenergy company in Presidente Prudente/SP. The research was arranged out following a split-plot scheme in a 5x5 factorial design, characterized by four management systems: without vinasse application and harvest without burning; with vinasse application and harvest without burning; with vinasse application and harvest after burning; without vinasse application and harvest after burning; plus native forest, and five soil sampling depths (0-10 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50 cm), with four replications. In each treatment, the K content in the soil and accumulated in the remaining dry biomass in the area, the levels of organic matter, organic carbon and soil carbon stock were determined. The mean values were compared by Tukey test. The vinasse application associated with the harvest without burning increased the K content in soil layers up to 40 cm deep. The managements without vinasse application and manual harvest after burning, and without vinasse application with mechanical harvesting without burning did not increase the levels of organic matter, organic carbon and stock of total soil organic carbon, while the vinasse application and harvest after burning and without burning increased the levels of these attributes in the depth of 0-10 cm.


Geoderma ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 406 ◽  
pp. 115529
Author(s):  
Thomas Guillaume ◽  
David Makowski ◽  
Zamir Libohova ◽  
Luca Bragazza ◽  
Fatbardh Sallaku ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
K.K. Vikrant ◽  
D.S. Chauhan ◽  
R.H. Rizvi

Climate change is one of the impending problems that have affected the productivity of agroecosystems which calls for urgent action. Carbon sequestration through agroforestry along altitude in mountainous regions is one of the options to contribute to global climate change mitigation. Three altitudes viz. lower (286-1200m), middle (1200-2000m), and upper (2000-2800m) have been selected in Tehri district. Ten Quadrates (10m × 10 m) were randomly selected from each altitude in agrisilviculture system. At every sampling point, one composite soil sample was taken at 30 cm soil depth for soil organic carbon analysis. For the purpose of woody biomass, Non destructive method and for crop biomass assessment destructive method was employed. Finally, aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass carbon (BGB), Total tree Biomass (TTB), Crop biomass (CB), Total Biomass (TB), Total biomass carbon (TBC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total carbon stock (TC) status were estimated and variables were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).The result indicated that AGB, BGB, TTB, CB , TB, TBC, SOC, and TC varied significantly (p < 0.05) across the altitudes. Results showed that total carbon stock followed the order upper altitude ˃ middle altitudes ˃ lower altitude. The upper altitude (2000-2800 m) AGB, BGB,TTB, TBC,SOC, and TC stock was estimated as 2.11 Mg ha-1 , 0.52 Mg ha-1, 2.63 Mg ha-1, 2.633 Mg ha-1, 1.18 Mg ha-1 , 26.53 Mg ha-1, 38.48 Mg ha-1 respectively, and significantly higher than the other altitudes. It was concluded that agrisilviculture system hold a high potential for carbon storage at temperate zones. Quercus lucotrichophora, Grewia oppositifolia and Melia azadirach contributed maximum carbon storage which may greatly contribute to the climate resilient green economy strategy and their conservation should be promoted.


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