A <i>Miscanthus</i> plantation can be carbon neutral without increasing soil carbon stocks

Robertson, Andy; Whitaker, Jeanette; Morrison, Ross; Davies, Christian A.; Smith, Pete; McNamara, Niall P.

doi:10.1111/gcbb.12397

Cited by 36 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…Discussions with the landowners noted that the land use history of this field was arable cropping of C3 crops (specifically wheat, oil seed rape, barley or rye) for at least 30 years. More details about the soil and site management can be found in Robertson et al [7].…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…efficiency [9] and an average harvested yield of 10 t ha −1 yr −1 [10,11] (Eq. 3 [7]). While there are a number of models capable of accurately simulating yields for a wide range of conditions (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This climate change is primarily driven by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, and in particular carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions resulting from burning fossil fuels for energy generation [3]. Bioenergy crops like Miscanthus have the potential to displace some of our dependency on non-renewable fossil fuels [4,5] but the relative advantage of bioenergy is largely influenced by realised yields and carbon (C) sequestration in pools that remain after the aboveground biomass has been harvested [6,7]. Even a relatively modest 1 t C ha −1 yr −1 [8] increase in soil C stocks can improve the GHG footprint of Miscanthus by 314 g CO 2 -eq kWh −1 , assuming electricity generation in a steam-turbine power station averaging 30 % Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12155-016-9772-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has suggested that Miscanthus can sequester more than 2 t C ha −1 yr −1 in the top 30 cm of soil [15] but a site in Lincolnshire, UK, noted no change 7 years after the plantation was established [7]. Consequently, it is essential to better understand the reasons that explain why some soils, and plantations, show large increases in soil C stocks [15] and others show no significant change [8,16], or even decreases [13,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbon Inputs from Miscanthus Displace Older Soil Organic Carbon Without Inducing Priming

et al. 2016

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The carbon (C) dynamics of a bioenergy system are key to correctly defining its viability as a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuel energy sources. Recent studies have quantified the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of these bioenergy crops, often concluding that C sequestration in soils plays a primary role in offsetting emissions through energy generation. Miscanthus is a particularly promising bioenergy crop and research has shown that soil C stocks can increase by more than 2 t C ha −1 yr −1 . In this study, we use a stable isotope ( 13 C) technique to trace the inputs and outputs from soils below a commercial Miscanthus plantation in Lincolnshire, UK, over the first 7 years of growth after conversion from a conventional arable crop. Results suggest that an unchanging total topsoil (0-30 cm) C stock is caused by Miscanthus additions displacing older soil organic matter. Further, using a comparison between bare soil plots (no new Miscanthus inputs) and undisturbed Miscanthus controls, soil respiration was seen to be unaffected through priming by fresh inputs or rhizosphere. The temperature sensitivity of old soil C was also seen to be very similar with and without the presence of live root biomass. Total soil respiration from control plots was dominated by Miscanthus-derived emissions with autotrophic respiration alone accounting for ∼50 % of CO 2 . Although total soil C stocks did not change significantly over time, the Miscanthus-derived soil C accumulated at a rate of 860 kg C ha −1 yr −1 over the top 30 cm. Ultimately, the results from this study indicate that soil C stocks below Miscanthus plantations do not necessarily increase during the first 7 years.

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Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbon Inputs from Miscanthus Displace Older Soil Organic Carbon Without Inducing Priming

et al. 2016

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“…Significant input from Miscanthus leaves is unlikely, however [18], despite a potential input of up to 7 Mg C ha −1 year −1 [37][38][39]. Even for late-harvest Miscanthus, leaf fall remains largely undecomposed [22], partly because of its reduced quality arising from the translocation of N from senescing leaves to the rhizome at the end of the growing season [40]. This supports below-ground biomass as the primary source of SOC.…”

Section: Soc and Tn Under Bioenergy Cropsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Species and Genotype Effects of Bioenergy Crops on Root Production, Carbon and Nitrogen in Temperate Agricultural Soil

et al. 2018

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Bioenergy crops have a secondary benefit if they increase soil organic C (SOC) stocks through capture and allocation belowground. The effects of four genotypes of short-rotation coppice willow (Salix spp., 'Terra Nova' and 'Tora') and Miscanthus (M. × giganteus ('Giganteus') and M. sinensis ('Sinensis')) on roots, SOC and total nitrogen (TN) were quantified to test whether below-ground biomass controls SOC and TN dynamics. Soil cores were collected under ('plant') and between plants ('gap') in a field experiment on a temperate agricultural silty clay loam after 4 and 6 years' management. Root density was greater under Miscanthus for plant (up to 15.5 kg m −3 ) compared with gap (up to 2.7 kg m −3 ), whereas willow had lower densities (up to 3.7 kg m −3 ). Over 2 years, SOC increased below 0.2 m depth from 7.1 to 8.5 kg m −3 and was greatest under Sinensis at 0-0.1 m depth (24.8 kg m −3 ). Miscanthus-derived SOC, based on stable isotope analysis, was greater under plant (11.6 kg m −3 ) than gap (3.1 kg m −3 ) for Sinensis. Estimated SOC stock change rates over the 2-year period to 1-m depth were 6.4 for Terra Nova, 7.4 for Tora, 3.1 for Giganteus and 8.8 Mg ha −1 year −1 for Sinensis. Rates of change of TN were much less. That SOC matched root mass down the profile, particularly under Miscanthus, indicated that perennial root systems are an important contributor. Willow and Miscanthus offer both biomass production and C sequestration when planted in arable soil.

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Soil organic carbon stock change following perennialization: a meta-analysis

Siddique,

Grados,

Chen

et al. 2023

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Perennial crops replacing annual crops are drawing global attention because they harbor potential for sustainable biomass production and climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration. At present, it remains unclear how long perennial crops can sequester carbon in the soil and how soil carbon stock dynamics are influenced by climate, soil, and plant properties across the globe. This study presents a meta-analysis synthesizing 51 publications (351 observations at 77 sites) distributed over different pedo-climatic conditions to scrutinize the effect of perennialization on organic carbon accumulation in soil compared with two annual benchmark systems (i.e., monoculture and crop rotation). Results showed that perennial crops significantly increased soil organic carbon stock by 16.6% and 23.1% at 0–30 cm depth compared with monoculture and crop rotation, respectively. Shortly after establishment (< 5 years), perennial crops revealed a negative impact on soil organic carbon stock; however, long duration (> 10 years) of perennialization had a significant positive effect on soil organic carbon stock by 30% and 36.4% at 0–30 cm depth compared with monoculture and crop rotation, respectively. Compared with both annual systems, perennial crops significantly increased soil organic carbon stock regardless of their functional photosynthetic types (C3, C4, or C3-C4 intermediates) and vegetation type (woody or herbaceous). Among other factors, pH had a significant impact on soil organic carbon; however, the effect of soil textures showed no significant impact, possibly due to a lack of observations from each textural class and mixed pedoclimatic effects. Results also showed that time effect of perennialization revealed a sigmoidal increase of soil organic carbon stock until about 20 years; thereafter, the soil carbon stocks advanced towards a steady-state level. In conclusion, perennial crops increased soil organic carbon stock compared with annual systems; however, the time since conversion from annual to perennial system decisively impacted soil organic carbon stock changes.

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A Miscanthus plantation can be carbon neutral without increasing soil carbon stocks

Cited by 36 publications

References 105 publications

Carbon Inputs from Miscanthus Displace Older Soil Organic Carbon Without Inducing Priming

Carbon Inputs from Miscanthus Displace Older Soil Organic Carbon Without Inducing Priming

Species and Genotype Effects of Bioenergy Crops on Root Production, Carbon and Nitrogen in Temperate Agricultural Soil

Soil organic carbon stock change following perennialization: a meta-analysis

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