Evaluation of a simple model to describe carbon accumulation in a Brown Chernozem under varying fallow frequency

Campbell, C. A.; Zentner, R. P.; Selles, F.; Liang, Biqing; Blomert, B.

doi:10.4141/s00-082

Cited by 25 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…It demonstrates that over a short period, climatic variations can have almost as large an impact as management practices. We emphasize that these are model projections and that they must be interpreted with care, however, supportive field observations have been reported by Campbell et al (2001b).…”

Section: Impact Of Climatic Variationsmentioning

confidence: 86%

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Management Strategies to Sequester Carbon in Agricultural Soils and to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

et al. 2005

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Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils is frequently promoted as a practical solution for slowing down the rate of increase of CO 2 in the atmosphere. Consequently, there is a need to improve our understanding of how land management practices may affect the net removal of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the atmosphere. In this paper we examine the role of agriculture in influencing the GHG budget and briefly discuss the potential for carbon mitigation by agriculture. We also examine the opportunities that exist for increasing soil C sequestration using management practices such as reduced tillage, reduced frequency of summer fallowing, introduction of forage crops into crop rotations, conversion of cropland to grassland and nutrient addition via fertilization. In order to provide information on the impact of such management practices on the net GHG budget we ran simulations using CENTURY (a C model) and DNDC (a N model) for five locations across Canada, for a 30-yr time period. These simulations provide information on the potential trade-off between C sequestration and increased N 2 O emissions. Our model output suggests that conversion of cropland to grassland will result in the largest reduction in net GHG emissions, while nutrient additions via fertilizers will result in a small increase in GHG emissions. Simulations with the CENTURY model also indicated that favorable growing conditions during the last 15 yr could account for an increase of 6% in the soil C at a site in Lethbridge, Alberta.

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Section: Impact Of Climatic Variationsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Greater cropping intensity by reducing the frequency of bare fallow in crop rotations will increase crop production and thus increase C inputs to soil and increase SOC (Campbell et al, 2001b). This will also increase water use, keeping soils dryer longer and thus reduce soil decomposition.…”

Section: Reduction Of Bare Fallowmentioning

confidence: 96%

Management Strategies to Sequester Carbon in Agricultural Soils and to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

et al. 2005

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“…This reflects the reduced residue C inputs during fallow periods and increased mineralization of SOC due to higher soil moisture in fallow (Campbell et al 2001a). Campbell et al (2001b) estimated that the Brown and Dark Brown Chernozems of the Prairie Provinces store 7.5 and 16.5 g C m -2 yr -1 of SOC, respectively, due to reduction in summer fallow.…”

Section: Crop Management and C Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of agricultural management on soil organic carbon: A compendium and assessment of Canadian studies

VandenBygaart¹,

Gregorich²,

Angers³

2003

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

305

161

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. 2003. Influence of agricultural management on soil organic carbon: A compendium and assessment of Canadian studies. Can. J. Soil Sci. 83: 363-380. To fulfill commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada is required to provide verifiable estimates and uncertainties for soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, and for changes in those stocks over time. Estimates and uncertainties for agricultural soils can be derived from long-term studies that have measured differences in SOC between different management practices. We compiled published data from long-term studies in Canada to assess the effect of agricultural management on SOC. A total of 62 studies were compiled, in which the difference in SOC was determined for conversion from native land to cropland, and for different tillage, crop rotation and fertilizer management practices. There was a loss of 24 ± 6% of the SOC after native land was converted to agricultural land. No-till (NT) increased the storage of SOC in western Canada by 2.9 ± 1.3 Mg ha -1 ; however, in eastern Canada conversion to NT did not increase SOC. In general, the potential to store SOC when NT was adopted decreased with increasing background levels of SOC. Using no-tillage, reducing summer fallow, including hay in rotation with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), plowing green manures into the soil, and applying N and organic fertilizers were the practices that tended to show the most consistent increases in SOC storage. By relating treatment SOC levels to those in the control treatments, SOC stock change factors and their levels of uncertainty were derived for use in empirical models, such as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines model for C stock changes. However, we must be careful when attempting to extrapolate research plot data to farmers' fields since the history of soil and crop management has a significant influence on existing and future SOC stocks.

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“…Analysis of total N is described in detail elsewhere (Campbell et al 2001b). Two soil samples were taken at random within the central part of each plot.…”

Section: Monitoring Total N In Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cropping frequency effects on yield of grain, straw, plant N, N balance and annual production of spring wheat in the semiarid prairie

Campbell¹,

Zentner²,

Selles³

et al. 2004

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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. T. 2004. Cropping frequency effects on yields of grain, straw, plant N, N balance and annual production of spring wheat in the semiarid prairie. Can. J. Plant Sci. 84: 487-501. Producers in the semiarid Canadian prairies practice frequent summerfallow to conserve water and reduce the risk of crop failure, but this practice promotes soil degradation. In contrast, annual cropping enhances soil quality but results in greater economic risk. We need to know what is the most suitable cropping frequency for this region. In 1985, based on results of the first 18 yr of a long-term crop rotation experiment being conducted on a medium-textured, Orthic Brown Chernozem at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, we modified the experiment to allow comparison of four cropping frequencies over the period [1985][1986][1987][1988][1989][1990][1991][1992][1993][1994][1995][1996][1997][1998][1999][2000][2001][2002]. These were fallow-spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (F-W), F-W-W, F-W-W-W-W-W, and continuous wheat (Cont W). All systems received recommended rates of N and P fertilizer. Growing season precipitation during the 1985-2002 period was 10% above average so that grain yields were also above average for this region. We assessed yields of grain, straw and N in aboveground plant parts, N concentration in grain and straw, harvest index, nitrogen harvest index and water use efficiency, and the average annual production (on a rotation basis) of grain, straw and aboveground N yield, and related these characteristics to water deficit. Water deficit was the main factor responsible for annual variations in the characteristics assessed. Of these characteristics, cropping frequency influenced only the average annual productivity factors; it rarely influenced the characteristics when they were assessed on a rotation-phase basis. Assuming cropping frequency (x) for the 2-yr, 3-yr, 6-yr and Cont W rotations is 50%, 67%, 83%, and 100%, respectively, then average annual yields (y) in kg ha -1 yr -1 were related to frequency as follows: (1) for grain yield y = 768 + 10.7 x, r 2 = 0.99; (2) for straw yield y = 1159 + 18.9 x, r 2 = 0.99; and (3) for aboveground plant N yield y = 23.7 + 0.36 x, r 2 = 0.99. The regression between annual grain production and cropping frequency at Swift Current for 1985 to 2002 had a much higher slope than the relationship for the same experiment in the much drier 1967 to 1984 period. Further, the equations for Swift Current in 1985-2002 were similar to the relationships obtained for systems in the subhumid Black Chernozems, indicating such relationships are greatly influenced by weather conditions. These relationships may be useful for conducting economic analyses and for modeling N balance. We conducted an apparent N balance analysis which indicated that all four rotations have lost N from the system in inverse proportion to the frequency of cropping. However, changes in total N in the 0-to 0.3-m depth of soil suggest that they have not lost N and that Cont W gained N over the course of the study. We are not able to ex...

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Evaluation of a simple model to describe carbon accumulation in a Brown Chernozem under varying fallow frequency

Cited by 25 publications

References 23 publications

Management Strategies to Sequester Carbon in Agricultural Soils and to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Management Strategies to Sequester Carbon in Agricultural Soils and to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Influence of agricultural management on soil organic carbon: A compendium and assessment of Canadian studies

Cropping frequency effects on yield of grain, straw, plant N, N balance and annual production of spring wheat in the semiarid prairie

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