Article
Environmental Sciences
Virginia Sanchez-Navarro, Vajihe Shahrokh, Silvia Martinez-Martinez, Jose A. Acosta, Maria Almagro, Maria Martinez-Mena, Carolina Boix-Fayos, Elvira Diaz-Pereira, Raul Zornoza
Summary: This research evaluated the short-term effects of alley cropping with reduced tillage on soil CO2 and N2O emissions and soil total organic carbon (TOC) in an almond orchard. The results showed that alley cropping can increase farm productivity and reduce CO2 emissions, but the growth of evergreen alley crops is essential for short-term increases in soil organic matter.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Valentina Quintarelli, Emanuele Radicetti, Enrica Allevato, Silvia Rita Stazi, Ghulam Haider, Zainul Abideen, Safia Bibi, Aftab Jamal, Roberto Mancinelli
Summary: Cover cropping is a promising and sustainable agronomic practice that improves soil health and crop performance by regulating ecosystem services. Careful selection of species, cultivation period, and termination method is crucial for achieving desired effects.
Article
Agronomy
Johan Nilsson, Fatima F. El Khosht, Goran Bergkvist, Ingrid Oborn, Pernilla Tidaker
Summary: Modern agriculture's heavy reliance on chemical inputs has led to high environmental impacts and potential vulnerability in food security. Diversifying crop rotations to include perennial leys can enhance ecosystem services and increase yields, while also mitigating global warming. However, there is a lack of long-term studies on the effects of short-term perennial leys under different conditions. This study used data from a long-term experiment in Sweden to assess the environmental and yield effects of including ley in crop rotations. The results showed that rotations with two-year mixed ley under low nitrogen regime had the lowest environmental impact, primarily due to reduced chemical fertiliser input.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Hanhua Zhu, Shuai Wang, Qihong Zhu, Daoyou Huang
Summary: Through a 20-year chronosequence study of perennial ramie cropping, it was found that the soil carbon sequestration rate increased over time due to the accumulation of organic carbon in the topsoil, particularly in the 20-40 cm soil layer. Ramie cropping led to a significant increase in organic input of residues and fine roots, enhancing soil nitrogen nutrition and microbial catabolic functions.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaoqiang Gong, Jinbiao Li, Scott X. Chang, Qian Wu, Zhengfeng An, Chengpeng Huang, Xiangyang Sun, Suyan Li, Hui Wang
Summary: The use of manure-derived biochar provides an alternative to prevent greenhouse gas emissions caused by direct manure application to soil. Soil fauna, especially earthworms, have a significant impact on carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil. This study investigated the effects of different levels of cattle manure biochar on CO2 and N2O emissions and changes in soil properties, as well as the presence of earthworm Aporrectodea turgida.
FRONTIERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Xiaolu Sun, Xiaohui Yang, Jinjin Hou, Bisheng Wang, Quanxiao Fang
Summary: This study evaluated the ability of the DNDC model to predict CO2, CH4, N2O emissions, and crop yields during the conversion of rice to vegetable cropping system. The simulated results showed higher greenhouse gas emissions for rice cropping systems compared to vegetable cropping systems, with increases in CO2 and N2O emissions with fertilization, and decreases in emissions for vegetable cropping systems without fertilization. Reasonable cropping systems and fertilization levels are recommended for the region.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Joannie D'Amours, David E. Pelster, Gilles Gagne, Julie Anne Wilkinson, Martin H. Chantigny, Denis A. Angers, Caroline Halde
Summary: Developing and implementing improved management practices are necessary to enhance the sustainability of organic cropping systems. This study examined the effects of different organic cropping systems on soil greenhouse gas emissions and crop yields. The results showed that the combination of chisel plough and fall-seeded green manure minimized nitrous oxide emissions without increasing yield-scaled emissions. However, a long-term assessment is still needed due to the short duration of the study and the recent conversion from conventional agriculture.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mary E. Foltz, Angela D. Kent, Sotiria Koloutsou-Vakakis, Julie L. Zilles
Summary: The study showed that cover cropping can significantly reduce field N2O emissions and late-winter N2O emission peaks are crucial. However, lab assays found that cover cropping increases the potential for denitrification and N2O production.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erin Swails, Kristell Hergoualc'h, Jia Deng, Steve Frolking, Nisa Novita
Summary: The study finds that current IPCC emission factors for oil palm on organic soil may overestimate CO2 emissions and underestimate N2O emissions from peat decomposition. It also suggests that temporal variation in emissions should be considered for further improvement of emission factors.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Keunbae Kim, Erin J. Daly, Monika Gorzelak, Guillermo Hernandez-Ramirez
Summary: Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change. Perennial grain cropping systems have shown potential in increasing soil organic matter through no-tillage management and extensive root growth. However, the addition of nitrogen fertilizer may diminish carbon sequestration in these systems.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Paul R. Adler
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the production data of Miscanthus on a commercial scale and characterize the spatial yield variation of production fields using satellite data. The results showed that fuel use during land preparation was the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, while N2O emissions and changes in soil carbon were the largest sources and sinks of greenhouse gas emissions associated with Miscanthus production. Over 90% of agricultural machinery fuel use was attributed to Miscanthus harvest, and Miscanthus yield had a significant impact on soil organic carbon content. In conclusion, the net greenhouse gas emissions from Miscanthus production were influenced by yield, and energy use and satellite imagery were good methods to assess spatial variability of commercial production fields.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sara Vicca, Daniel S. Goll, Mathilde Hagens, Jens Hartmann, Ivan A. Janssens, Anna Neubeck, Josep Penuelas, Silvia Poblador, Jet Rijnders, Jordi Sardans, Eric Struyf, Philipp Swoboda, Jan Willem van Groenigen, Arthur Vienne, Erik Verbruggen
Summary: Enhanced silicate weathering (ESW) has been proposed as a negative emission technology with significant climate change mitigation potential. However, differences between lab and real soil conditions, as well as the impact of biological processes on weathering rates, may influence the effectiveness of ESW in sequestering CO2 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is crucial to include biological factors in ESW research to fully understand its climate change mitigation effects.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Tatijana Kotus, Vladimir Simansky, Katarina Drgonova, Marek Illes, Elzbieta Wojcik-Gront, Eugene Balashov, Natalya Buchkina, Elena Aydin, Jan Horak
Summary: Biochar application and reapplication proved to be effective in increasing soil pH, organic carbon content, and reducing NH4+ levels in the soil. Combining biochar with higher levels of N-fertilizer showed more significant positive effects on N2O emissions reduction.
Article
Ecology
Balazs Grosz, Reinhard Well, Rene Dechow, Jan Reent Koester, Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, Simone Merl, Andreas Rode, Bianca Ziehmer, Amanda Matson, Hongxing He
Summary: This study evaluated different biogeochemical models in predicting nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems using new measurement techniques. The models underestimated fluxes in sandy soil and showed no clear trend in silt-loam soil. Current sub-modules are not able to consistently simulate denitrification and decomposition processes.
Article
Agronomy
Ibonne Geaneth Valenzuela-Balcazar, Efrain Francisco Visconti-Moreno, Angel Faz, Jose A. Acosta
Summary: After changes in tillage, it is important to assess the effects on soil organic carbon dynamics. This study found that the changes in irrigation and tillage in rice cultivation did not significantly affect the input and output of organic carbon in the soil. However, compared to agroforestry, the irrigation and tillage management systems in rice cultivation showed a negative difference between carbon inputs and outputs due to increased crop root respiration and microbial activity. Agroforestry was proven to be a carbon sink.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Johan Nilsson, Cecilia Sundberg, Pernilla Tidaker, Per-Anders Hansson
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tomas Ekvall, Marie Gottfridsson, Maja Nellstrom, Johan Nilsson, Maria Rydberg, Tomas Rydberg
Summary: When recycling is beneficial for the environment, life cycle assessments should incentivize recycling and the use of recycled materials. Currently, modeling approaches may create incorrect climate incentives, but this risk can be reduced by allocating the benefits of energy recovery to the lifecycle where the energy is used.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Johan Nilsson, Michael Martin
Summary: Animal husbandry contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through the methane emissions from ruminants. Recent studies have shown that adding seaweed feed can greatly reduce methane emissions. However, scaling up production remains a challenge. A life cycle assessment of a land-based seaweed production system was conducted, and the results showed that salt sourcing and thermal energy demand were the major contributors to environmental impact. It is suggested to explore alternative thermal energy sources and reduce reliance on excess heat from the petrochemical industry.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Johan Nilsson, Fatima F. El Khosht, Goran Bergkvist, Ingrid Oborn, Pernilla Tidaker
Summary: Modern agriculture's heavy reliance on chemical inputs has led to high environmental impacts and potential vulnerability in food security. Diversifying crop rotations to include perennial leys can enhance ecosystem services and increase yields, while also mitigating global warming. However, there is a lack of long-term studies on the effects of short-term perennial leys under different conditions. This study used data from a long-term experiment in Sweden to assess the environmental and yield effects of including ley in crop rotations. The results showed that rotations with two-year mixed ley under low nitrogen regime had the lowest environmental impact, primarily due to reduced chemical fertiliser input.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miguel Brandao, Tomas Ekvall, Sofia Poulikidou, Kristin Johansson, Johan Nilsson, Pavinee Nojpanya, Anna Wikstrom, Tomas Rydberg
Summary: Biofuel producers and commodity suppliers are affected by conflicting rules for life cycle assessment (LCA). Different methodologies and assumptions can lead to different outcomes, especially in waste management. Developing category rules for biofuels can help resolve the issue.
FRONTIERS IN CLIMATE
(2022)
