• Authors:
    • Giardini, L.
    • Berti, A.
    • Lugato, E.
  • Source: Geoderma
  • Volume: 135
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Crop residue incorporation is recognised as a simple way to increase C input into the soil, with positive effects on C sequestration from the atmosphere. However, in some long-term experiments, a lack of response to soil C input levels has been observed as a consequence of saturation phenomena and/or interactions between C input and fertilisation. This paper analyses the outcomes of a long-term experiment in north-eastern Italy that started in 1966 and is still ongoing, where residue incorporation is compared with residue removal, over a range of mineral N fertilisations. A general decrease of SOC content was observed in the first 10 years of the experiment, followed by an approach to a steady state. However, SOC content differed markedly according to residue management and, in plots with residue incorporation, to N fertilisation. Considering 20 years as a compromise period for reaching a new equilibrium after a land-use change, the sequestration rate of residue incorporation in comparison with removal resulted as 0.17 t ha-1 of C per year. The measured data were then simulated with Century, a model based on first-order decomposition kinetic, to evaluate if the data could be interpreted by this kind of decomposition process. Model performances were good in most cases, but overestimated SOC decomposition in the more limiting situations for C and N inputs. A possible explanation is given for this behaviour, involving a feed-back effect of the microbial community.
  • Authors:
    • Wander, M.
    • Marriott, E. E.
  • Source: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
  • Volume: 38
  • Issue: 7
  • Year: 2006
  • Authors:
    • Wander, M. M.
    • Marriott, E. E.
  • Source: Soil Science Society of America Journal
  • Volume: 70
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Even though organic management practices are intended to enhance soil performance by altering the quantity or quality of soil organic matter (SOM), there is no consensus on how to measure or manage SOM status. We investigated the veracity of common perceptions about SOM quantity in organically and conventionally managed soils by evaluating the relative responsiveness to organic management of particulate organic matter (POM) and the Illinois Soil N Test (IL-N), which has been proposed as a direct measure of labile N. Soil samples were obtained from nine farming systems trials in the USA. Soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), POM-C, POM-N, and IL-N were compared among manure + legume-based organic, legume-based organic, and conventional farming systems. The organic systems had higher SOC and TN concentrations than conventional systems whether or not manure was applied. The POM-C, POM-N, and IL-N concentrations did not differ between manure + legume- and legume-based organic systems. The amount of N recovered in POM and IL-N was similar. Organic management enriched soil POM-C and -N by 30 to 40% relative to the conventional control and this level of enrichment was two to four times greater than that in any other fraction. The IL-N fraction was not a good measure of labile N as it was less enriched than POM and included recalcitrant components. This is evidenced by the strong correlation between IL-N and SOC, TN, climate and textural characteristics. Particulate organic matter provided clearer evidence of SOM and labile N accrual under organic management. Direct links between POM status and soil N supply and physical condition are being pursued to help farmers manage biologically based fertility.
  • Authors:
    • McLauchlan, K.
  • Source: Ecosystems
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue: 8
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Since the domestication of plant and animal species around 10,000 years ago, cultivation and animal husbandry have been major components of global change. Agricultural activities such as tillage, fertilization, and biomass alteration lead to fundamental changes in the pools and fluxes of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) that originally existed in native ecosystems. Land is often taken out of agricultural production for economic, social, or biological reasons, and the ability to predict the biogeochemical trajectory of this land is important to our understanding of ecosystem development and our projections of food security for the future. Tillage generally decreases soil organic matter (SOM) due to erosion and disruption of the physical, biochemical, and chemical mechanisms of SOM stabilization, but SOM can generally reaccumulate after the cessation of cultivation. The use of organic amendments causes increases in SOM on agricultural fields that can last for centuries to millennia after the termination of applications, although the locations that provide the organic amendments are concurrently depleted. The legacy of agriculture is therefore highly variable on decadal to millennial time scales and depends on the specific management practices that are followed during the agricultural period. State factors such as climate and parent material (particularly clay content and mineralogy) modify ecosystem processes such that they may be useful predictors of rates of postagricultural biogeochemical change. In addition to accurate biogeochemical budgets of postagricultural systems, ecosystem models that more explicitly incorporate mechanisms of SOM loss and formation with agricultural practices will be helpful. Developing this predictive capacity will aid in ecological restoration efforts and improve the management of modern agroecosystems as demands on agriculture become more pressing.
  • Authors:
    • Young, G.
    • Stuth, J.
    • Rauzi, S.
    • Peterson, T.
    • Pawar, R.
    • Kobos, P.
    • Mankin, C.
    • Leppin, D.
    • Lee, R.
    • Kim, E.
    • Hughes, R.
    • Guthrie, G.
    • Cappa, J.
    • Brown, J.
    • Biediger, B.
    • Allis, R.
    • McPherson, B.
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: The Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration completed its Phase I program in December 2005. The main objective of the Southwest Partnership Phase I project was to evaluate and demonstrate the means for achieving an 18% reduction in carbon intensity by 2012. Many other goals were accomplished on the way to this objective, including (1) analysis of CO2 storage options in the region, including characterization of storage capacities and transportation options, (2) analysis and summary of CO2 sources, (3) analysis and summary of CO2 separation and capture technologies employed in the region, (4) evaluation and ranking of the most appropriate sequestration technologies for capture and storage of CO2 in the Southwest Region, (5) dissemination of existing regulatory/permitting requirements, and (6) assessing and initiating public knowledge and acceptance of possible sequestration approaches. Results of the Southwest Partnership's Phase I evaluation suggested that the most convenient and practical "first opportunities" for sequestration would lie along existing CO2 pipelines in the region. Action plans for six Phase II validation tests in the region were developed, with a portfolio that includes four geologic pilot tests distributed among Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. The Partnership will also conduct a regional terrestrial sequestration pilot program focusing on improved terrestrial MMV methods and reporting approaches specific for the Southwest region. The sixth and final validation test consists of a local-scale terrestrial pilot involving restoration of riparian lands for sequestration purposes. The validation test will use desalinated waters produced from one of the geologic pilot tests. The Southwest Regional Partnership comprises a large, diverse group of expert organizations and individuals specializing in carbon sequestration science and engineering, as well as public policy and outreach. These partners include 21 state government agencies and universities, five major electric utility companies, seven oil, gas and coal companies, three federal agencies, the Navajo Nation, several NGOs, and the Western Governors Association. This group is continuing its work in the Phase II Validation Program, slated to conclude in 2009.
  • Authors:
    • Bremer, D.
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: 1) Quantify the magnitude and patterns of nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes in turfgrass; and 2) determine how nitrogen (N)-fertilization rates, N-fertilizer types, and irrigation affect N2O fluxes.
  • Authors:
    • Frede, H. G.
    • Keller, T.
    • Huisman, J. A.
    • Breuer, L.
  • Source: Geoderma
  • Volume: 133
  • Issue: 1-2
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Land use change can lead to changes in a range of soil properties, including soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, bulk density and pH. Previous investigations on the effects of land use change have been biased towards the impact of forest clearing and afforestation in tropical environments. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the impact of a conversion from cropland to grassland on soil properties in two districts of the Lahn-Dill Highlands, Germany. We determined a land use history for the period 1945-2004 from aerial photographs and field surveys. This land use history was used to build a chronosequence of grassland sites with a different age since the conversion from cropland for both districts. Each chronosequence was sampled to determine bulk density, pH, coarse material fraction, C/N ratio and soil C and N content as a function of grassland age. Results showed that there was no clear dependency of soil properties on grassland age for both districts. It was concluded that observed differences within each district are much more related to differences in soil parent material or slope position, instead of land use. Interestingly, the reduction of the chronosequence analysis to a paired site survey led to an opposite conclusion for the Erda district because all investigated soil properties were significantly different for continuous grassland and cropland. This indicates that care is required when interpreting results from paired site surveys, especially when the equality of initial soil conditions is not (or cannot be) tested.
  • Authors:
    • Trettin, C. C.
    • Bliss, N. B.
    • Keller, J. K.
    • Megonigal, J. P.
    • Bridgham, S. D.
  • Source: Wetlands
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: We examine the carbon balance of North American wetlands by reviewing and synthesizing the published literature and soil databases. North American wetlands contain about 220 Pg C, most of which is in peat. They are a small to moderate carbon sink of about 49 Tg C yr(-1), although the uncertainty around this estimate is greater than 100%, with the largest unknown being the role of carbon sequestration by sedimentation in freshwater mineral-soil wetlands. We estimate that North American wetlands emit 9 Tg methane (CH4) yr(-1); however, the uncertainty of this estimate is also greater than 100%. With the exception of estuarine wetlands, CH4 emissions from wetlands may largely offset any positive benefits of carbon sequestration in soils and plants in terms of climate forcing. Historically, the destruction of wetlands through land-use changes has had the largest effects on the carbon fluxes and consequent radiative forcing of North American wetlands. The primary effects have been a reduction in their ability to sequester carbon (a small to moderate increase in radiative forcing), oxidation of their soil carbon reserves upon drainage (a small increase in radiative forcing), and reduction in CH4 emissions (a small to large decrease in radiative forcing). It is uncertain how global changes will affect the carbon pools and fluxes of North American wetlands. We will not be able to predict accurately the role of wetlands as potential positive or negative feedbacks to anthropogenic global change without knowing the integrative effects of changes in temperature, precipitation, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur on the carbon balance of North American wetlands.
  • Authors:
    • Amon, B.
    • Weiland, P.
    • Trimborn, M.
    • Clemens, J.
  • Source: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
  • Volume: 112
  • Issue: 2-3
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: Biogas treatment of animal manures is an upcoming technology because it is a way of producing renewable energy (biogas). However, little is known about effects of this management strategy on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during fermentation, storage, and field application of the substrates compared to untreated slurries. In this study, we compared cattle slurry and cattle slurry with potato starch as additive during the process of fermentation, during storage and after field application. The addition of potato starch strongly enhanced CH4 production from 4230 l CH4 m-3 to 8625 l CH4 m-3 in the fermenter at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 29 days. Extending the HRT to 56 days had only a small effect on the CH4 production.Methane emissions from stored slurry depended on storage temperature and were highest from unfermented slurry followed by the slurry/starch mixture. Gas emissions from untreated and fermented slurry during storage were further analyzed in a pilot-scale experiment with different levels of covering such as straw cover, a wooden lid and no cover. Emissions of greenhouse gases (CH4,N2O, NH3) were in the range of 14.3-17.1 kg CO2 eq. m-3 during winter (100 day storage period) and 40.5-90.5 kg CO2 eq. m-3 during summer (140 day storage period). A straw cover reduced NH3 losses, but not overall GHG emissions, whereas a solid cover reduced CH4 and NH3 emissions. After field application, there were no significant differences between slurry types in GHG emissions (4.15-8.12 kg CO2 eq. m-3a-1). GHG emissions from slurry stores were more important than emissions after field application. Co-digestion of slurry with additives such as starch has a large potential to substitute fossil energy by biogas. On a biogas plant, slurry stores should be covered gas-tight in order to eliminate GHG emissions and collect CH4 for electricity production.
  • Authors:
    • Nowicki, B. L.
    • Leonard, R.
    • Sherlock, R. R.
    • Bertram, J. E.
    • Clough, T. J.
  • Source: Global Change Biology
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: There is considerable uncertainty in the estimates of indirect N2O emissions as defined by the intergovernmental panel on climate change's (IPCC) methodology. Direct measurements of N2O yields and fluxes in aquatic river environments are sparse and more data are required to determine the role that rivers play in the global N2O budget. The objectives of this research were to measure the N2O fluxes from a spring-fed river, relate these fluxes to the dissolved N2O concentrations and NO3-N loading of the river, and to try and define the indirect emission factor (EF5-r) for the river. Gas bubble ebullition was observed at the river source with bubbles containing 7.9 lLN2OL-1. River NO3-N and dissolved N2O concentrations ranged from 2.5 to 5.3mg L-1 and 0.4 to 1.9 lgN2O-NL-1, respectively, with N2O saturation reaching 404%. Floating headspace chambers were used to sample N2O fluxes. N2O-N fluxes were significantly related to dissolved N2O-N concentrations (r2 = 530.6) but not to NO3-N concentrations. The N2O-N fluxes ranged from 38-501 microg m-2 h-1 , averaging 171 lgm-2 h-1( SD 85) overall. The measured N2O-N fluxes equated to an EF5-r of only 6.6% of that calculated using the IPCC methodology, and this itself was considered to be an overestimate because of the degassing of antecedent dissolved N2O present in the groundwater that fed the river.