• Authors:
    • Spokas, K. A.
    • Burger, M.
    • Venterea, R. T.
  • Source: Journal of Environmental Quality
  • Volume: 34
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: Comprehensive assessment of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) budget of reduced tillage agricultural systems must consider emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), each of which have higher global warming potentials than carbon dioxide (CO2). Tillage intensity may also impact nitric oxide (NO) emissions, which can have various environmental and agronomic impacts. In 2003 and 2004, we used chambers to measure N2O, CH4, and NO fluxes from plots that had been managed under differing tillage intensity since 1991. The effect of tillage on non-CO2 GHG emissions varied, in both magnitude and direction, depending on fertilizer practices. Emissions of N2O following broadcast urea (BU) application were higher under no till (NT) and conservation tillage (CsT) compared to conventional tillage (CT). In contrast, following anhydrous ammonia (AA) injection, N2O emissions were higher under CT and CsT compared to NT. Emissions following surface urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) application did not vary with tillage. Total growing season non-CO2 GHG emissions were equivalent to CO2 emissions of 0.15 to 1.9 Mg CO2 ha-1 yr-1 or 0.04 to 0.53 Mg soil-C ha-1 yr-1. Emissions of N2O from AA-amended plots were two to four times greater than UAN- and BU-amended plots. Total NO + N2O losses in the UAN treatment were approximately 50% lower than AA and BU. This study demonstrates that N2O emissions can represent a substantial component of the total GHG budget of reduced tillage systems, and that interactions between fertilizer and tillage practices can be important in controlling non-CO2 GHG emissions.
  • Authors:
    • Lal, R.
    • Jacinthe, P. -A.
  • Source: Soil & Tillage Research
  • Volume: 80
  • Issue: 1-2
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: Methane (CH4) oxidation potential of soils decreases with cultivation, but limited information is available regarding the restoration of that capacity with implementation of reduced tillage practices. A study was conducted to assess the impact of tillage intensity on CH4 oxidation and several C-cycling indices including total and active microbial biomass C (t-MBC, a-MBC), mineralizable C (Cmin) and N (Nmin), and aggregate-protected C. Intact cores and disturbed soil samples (0-5 and 5-15 cm) were collected from a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) rotation under moldboard-plow (MP), chisel-plow (CP) and no-till (NT) for 8 years. An adjacent pasture (60 years) soils were also sampled as references. At all sites, soil was a Kokomo silty clay loam (mesic Typic Argiaquolls). Significant tillage effects on t-MBC and protected C were found in the 0-5 cm depth. Protected C, a measure of C retained within macro-aggregates and defined as the difference in Cmin (CO2 evolved in a 56 days incubation) between intact and sieved (<2 mm) soil samples, amounted to 516, 162 and 121 mg C kg-1 soil in the 0-5 cm layer of the forest, pasture and NT soils, respectively. Protected C was negligible in the CP and MP soils. Methane uptake rate ([mu]g CH4-C kg-1 soil per day, under ambient CH4) was higher in forest (2.70) than in pasture (1.22) and cropland (0.61) soils. No significant tillage effect on CH4 oxidation rate was detected (MP: 0.82; CP: 0.41; NT: 0.61). These results underscore the slow recovery of the CH4 uptake capacity of soils and suggest that, to have an impact, tillage reduction may need to be implemented for several decades.
  • Authors:
    • Dell, C. J.
    • Venterea, R. T.
    • Sauer, T. J.
    • Allmaras, R. R.
    • Reicosky, D. C.
    • Johnson, J. M. F
  • Source: Soil & Tillage Research
  • Volume: 83
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: The central USA contains some of the most productive agricultural land of the world. Due to the high proportion of land area committed to crops and pasture in this region, the carbon (C) stored and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission due to agriculture represent a large percentage of the total for the USA. Our objective was to summarize potential soil organic C (SOC) sequestration and GHG emission from this region and identify how tillage and cropping system interact to modify these processes. Conservation tillage (CST), including no-tillage (NT), has become more widespread in the region abating erosion and loss of organic rich topsoil and sequestering SOC. The rate of SOC storage in NT compared to conventional tillage (CT) has been significant, but variable, averaging 0.40 ± 0.61 Mg C ha-1 year-1 (44 treatment pairs). Conversion of previous cropland to grass with the conservation reserve program increased SOC sequestration by 0.56 ± 0.60 Mg C ha-1 year-1 (five treatment pairs). The relatively few data on GHG emission from cropland and managed grazing land in the central USA suggests a need for more research to better understand the interactions of tillage, cropping system and fertilization on SOC sequestration and GHG emission.
  • Authors:
    • Kurkalova, L. A.
  • Source: Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue Canadienne D'Agroeconomie
  • Volume: 53
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: The study presents a conceptual model of an aggregator who selectively pays farmers for altering farming practices in exchange for carbon offsets that the change in practices generates. Under the assumption that the offsets are stochastic and that the aggregator maximizes the sum of the offsets from the purchase that he/she can rightfully claim with a specified level of confidence subject to a budget constraint, we investigate the optimal discounting of expected carbon offsets. We use the model to empirically estimate of the optimal discounting levels and costs for a hypothetical carbon purchasing project in the Upper Iowa River basin.
  • Authors:
    • Frank, A. B.
    • Hanson, J. D.
    • Johnson, H. A.
    • Liebig, M. A.
  • Source: Biomass & Bioenergy
  • Volume: 28
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is considered to be a valuable bioenergy crop with significant potential to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC). A study was conducted to evaluate soil carbon stocks within established switchgrass stands and nearby cultivated cropland on farms throughout the northern Great Plains and northern Cornbelt. Soil from 42 paired switchgrass/cropland sites throughout MN, ND, and SD was sampled to a depth of 120 cm and analyzed for soil carbon in depth increments of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-60, 60-90, and 90-120 cm. SOC was greater (P < 0.1) in switchgrass stands than cultivated cropland at 0-5, 30-60, and 60-90 cm. Differences in SOC between switchgrass stands and cultivated cropland were especially pronounced at deeper soil depths, where treatment differences were 7.74 and 4.35 Mg ha(-1) for the 30-60 and 60-90 cm depths, respectively. Greater root biomass below 30 cm in switchgrass likely contributed to trends in SOC between switchgrass stands and cultivated cropland. Switchgrass appears to be effective at storing SOC not just near the soil surface, but also at depths below 30 cm where carbon is less susceptible to mineralization and loss. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
  • Authors:
    • Schuman, G. E.
    • Gollany, H. T.
    • Ellert, B. H.
    • Reeder, J. D.
    • Morgan, J. A.
    • Liebig, M. A.
  • Source: Soil & Tillage Research
  • Volume: 83
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: Concern over human impact on the global environment has generated increased interest in quantifying agricultural contributions to greenhouse gas fluxes. As part of a research effort called GRACEnet (Greenhouse Gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement Network), this paper summarizes available information concerning management effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) and carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) fluxes in cropland and rangeland in northwestern USA and western Canada, a region characterized by its inherently productive soils and highly variable climate. Continuous cropping under no-tillage in the region increased SOC by 0.27 ± 0.19 Mg C ha-1 yr-1, which is similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimate for net annual change in C stocks from improved cropland management. Soil organic C sequestration potential for rangelands was highly variable due to the diversity of plant communities, soils, and landscapes, underscoring the need for additional long-term C cycling research on rangeland. Despite high variability, grazing increased SOC by 0.16 ± 0.12 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 and converting cropland or reclaimed mineland to grass increased SOC by 0.94 ± 0.86 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. Although there was generally poor geographical coverage throughout the region with respect to estimates of N2O and CH4 flux, emission of N2O was greatest in irrigated cropland, followed by non-irrigated cropland, and rangeland. Rangeland and non-irrigated cropland appeared to be a sink for atmospheric CH4, but the size of this sink was difficult to determine given the few studies conducted. Researchers in the region are challenged to fill the large voids of knowledge regarding CO2, N2O, and CH4 flux from cropland and rangeland in the northwestern USA and western Canada, as well as integrate such data to determine the net effect of agricultural management on radiative forcing of the atmosphere.
  • Authors:
    • Martin, R. C.
    • Patterson, G.
    • Fredeen, A.
    • Cohen, R. D. H.
    • Lynch, D. H.
  • Source: Canadian Journal of Soil Science
  • Volume: 85
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: The GrassGro model (a computer simulation of management-induced changes in range and pasture forage and livestock productivity) was combined with spreadsheet analyses to estimate the influence of improved grazing practices on soil organic carbon (SOC), and farm profitability, across native rangelands and tame pastures of the southern Canadian Prairies. Improved practices included complementary grazing (CG) and reduced stocking density (RSD) on rangeland; and N fertilization (FERT), seeded grass/legumes grazed continuously (GLGC) or rotationally (GLGR), and RSD on tame pastures. The analysis was stratified into three ecoregions on the basis of similarities in climate and soil type. Averaged over 30 yr and ecoregions, SOC rates of gain through improved management were 5 (RSD) to 26 (CG) kg C ha(-1) yr(-1) for rangelands, and 86 (RSD), 75 (GLGC), 62 (GLGR) and 222 (FERT) kg C ha(-1) yr(-1) for tame pastures. Gains with FERT were considered largely negated by associated energy (C) costs, N2O emissions, and shifts in grassland species. The CG system alone improved net returns to the producer. The estimated potential combined SOC gain on prairie grazinglands (11.5 Mha) was 1.63 MMT CO2 yr(-1) (or 0.465 MMT C yr(-1)), slightly less than the 1.70 MMT CO2 yr(-1) currently emitted from agricultural soils in Canada.
  • Authors:
    • Johnson, D. W.
    • Moeltner, K.
    • van Kooten, G. C.
    • Manley, J.
  • Source: Climatic Change
  • Volume: 68
  • Issue: 1-2
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: Carbon terrestrial sinks are often seen as a low-cost alternative to fuel switching and reduced fossil fuel use for lowering atmospheric CO2. To determine whether this is true for agriculture, one meta-regression analysis (52 studies, 536 observations) examines the costs of switching from conventional tillage to no-till, while another (51 studies, 374 observations) compares carbon accumulation under the two practices. Costs per ton of carbon uptake are determined by combining the two results. The viability of agricultural carbon sinks is found to vary by region and crop, with no-till representing a low-cost option in some regions (costs of less than $10 per tC), but a high-cost option in others (costs of $100-$400 per tC). A particularly important finding is that no-till cultivation may store no carbon at all if measurements are taken at sufficient depth. In some circumstances no-till cultivation may yield a triple dividend of carbon storage, increased returns and reduced soil erosion, but in many others creating carbon offset credits in agricultural soils is not cost effective because reduced tillage practices store little or no carbon.
  • Authors:
    • Robertson, G. P.
    • McSwiney, C. P.
  • Source: Global Change Biology
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue: 10
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: The relationship between nitrous oxide (N2O) flux and N availability in agricultural ecosystems is usually assumed to be linear, with the same proportion of nitrogen lost as N2O regardless of input level. We conducted a 3-year, high-resolution N fertilizer response study in southwest Michigan USA to test the hypothesis that N2O fluxes increase mainly in response to N additions that exceed crop N needs. We added urea ammonium nitrate or granular urea at nine levels (0-292 kg N ha-1) to four replicate plots of continuous maize. We measured N2O fluxes and available soil N biweekly following fertilization and grain yields at the end of the growing season. From 2001 to 2003 N2O fluxes were moderately low (ca. 20 g N2O-N ha-1 day-1) at levels of N addition to 101 kg N ha-1, where grain yields were maximized, after which fluxes more than doubled (to >50 g N2O-N ha-1 day-1). This threshold N2O response to N fertilization suggests that agricultural N2O fluxes could be reduced with no or little yield penalty by reducing N fertilizer inputs to levels that just satisfy crop needs.
  • Authors:
    • Milbrandt, A.
  • Source: Technical Report
  • Year: 2005