How does crop residue removal affect soil organic carbon and yield? A hierarchical analysis of management and environmental factors

Straw incorporation increases crop yield and soil organic carbon sequestration but varies under different natural conditions and farming practices in China: a system analysis

“…In China, the areas where triple cropping was adopted usually received adequate rainfall (MAP > 1000 mm, Table S1) supporting good rates of crop production (i.e. 13.5 Mg ha −1 yr −1 versus 9.2 and 4.9 Mg ha −1 yr −1 in double and single cropping, respectively, in our database); thus straw-induced soil water retention might contribute little benefit for crop production in the region (Raffa et al, 2015) compared with the drier 25 regions.…”

Biomass residues as twenty-first century bioenergy feedstock—a comparison of eight integrated assessment models

“…Second, biomass residues have low or no additional land requirements and associated GHG emissions or competition with food (Smith et al 2014;Creutzig et al 2015). Nevertheless, for residues to be a truly sustainable feedstock, it is critical that (enhanced) residue extraction does not lead to erosion or losses in soil fertility, biodiversity, or carbon stocks (Lal 2005;Janowiak and Webster 2010;Lemke et al 2010;Bouget et al 2012;Lamers et al 2013;Liska et al 2014;Raffa et al 2015;Poeplau et al 2015;Repo et al 2015). IAMs, as well as most studies on residue availability, include this ecological constraint via an unavailable residue fraction that is left on-site for ecological functions.…”

“…Growing food or lignocellulosic crops for bioenergy can lead to competition for land with agriculture or natural areas, thus potentially threatening food security (Hasegawa et al 2015) and biodiversity (Evans et al 2015), and can increase net GHG emissions as a result of deforestation, foregone sequestration, or fertiliser use (Elshout et al 2015;Creutzig et al 2015;Albanito et al 2016;Daioglou et al 2017). Agricultural and forestry residues, on the other hand, are widely considered a promising and inexpensive bioenergy source (Carriquiry et al 2011) with no or limited allocated land use and therefore generally low climate change, biodiversity, and other environmental impacts (Smith et al 2014;Creutzig et al 2015), if residue removal rates are low enough to sustain carbon stocks, soil fertility, and other ecological functions (Raffa et al 2015;Repo et al 2015). Hence, residue use as a bioenergy feedstock is commonly encouraged (e.g.…”

Carbon stock potential of scattered trees on farmland along an altitudinal gradient in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

“…Therefore, a low level of SOC in 1000-1500 m a.s.l affects crop productivity when we compare with the other altitudinal gradient class. Cultivated area management such as crop residue retention and crop rotation contribute to improving SOC stocks (Raffa et al 2015), and these strategies could be utilized in the 1000-1500 m a.s.l altitudinal areas to enhance crop productivity.…”