Soil and root carbon storage is key to climate benefits of bioenergy crops

Yang, Yi; Tilman, David

doi:10.18331/brj2020.7.2.2

Cited by 49 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Soil and vegetation carbon pools in forest ecosystem together contain approximately 1240 Pg of carbon (C) 1 , and soil organic carbon 2 accounts for 73% of terrestrial soil carbon worldwide 3 . Soil contains more carbon than the sum of atmosphere and terrestrial vegetation 4 , 5 , thus the impact of soil carbon and climate change cannot be overestimated 6 , 7 . Soil carbon is generally classified as active carbon, slow carbon, and passive carbon based on turnover time 8 , 9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interplay of labile organic carbon, enzyme activities and microbial communities of two forest soils across seasons

Hou

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Soil labile organic carbon (LOC) responds rapidly to environmental changes and plays an important role in carbon cycle. In this study, the seasonal fluctuations in LOC, the activities of carbon-cycle related enzymes, and the bacterial and fungal communities were analyzed for soils collected from two forests, namely Betula albosinensis (Ba) and Picea asperata Mast. (Pa), in the Qinling Mountains of China. Results revealed that the seasonal average contents of microbial biomass carbon (MBC), easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of Pa forest soil were 13.5%, 30.0% and 15.7% less than those in Ba soil. The seasonal average enzyme activities of β-1,4-glucosidase (βG), and β-1,4-xylosidase (βX) of Ba forest soils were 30.0% and 32.3% higher than those of Pa soil while the enzyme activity of cellobiohydrolase (CBH) was 19.7% lower. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Acidobacteria was significantly higher in summer than in winter, whereas the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was higher in winter. Regarding the fungal communities, the relative abundance of Basidiomycota was lowest in winter, whereas Ascomycota predominated in the same season. In addition, the soil LOC was significantly positively correlated with the CBH, βG and βX activities. Changes in LOC were significantly correlated with Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Basidiomycota. We conclude that the seasonal fluctuations in forest soil LOC fractions relied on carbon cycle-associated enzymatic activities and microorganisms, which in turn were affected by climatic conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interplay of labile organic carbon, enzyme activities and microbial communities of two forest soils across seasons

Hou

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…Lower oxidative enzyme activities in Pasture also indicated a slower rate of SOM decomposition in the peak growing season when temperature and precipitation favor microbial activity. In addition to greater microbial necromass accumulation ( 24 ), the combination of abundant, diverse root architecture, phenology, production, turnover, and exudation rates and compounds ( 44 , 45 ) may be conspiring to support soil C building under diverse, perennial grasslands than annual crops ( 46 ). Future research should focus on unraveling the plant–microbe–soil associations and associated changes in root architectures and soil microstructures related to enhanced SOC and MAOM-C accumulation in perennial grasslands under a range of grazing management.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent soil carbon enhanced in Mollisols by well-managed grasslands but not annual grain or dairy forage cropping systems

Rui

Jackson

Cotrufo

et al. 2022

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Intensive crop production on grassland-derived Mollisols has liberated massive amounts of carbon (C) to the atmosphere. Whether minimizing soil disturbance, diversifying crop rotations, or re-establishing perennial grasslands and integrating livestock can slow or reverse this trend remains highly uncertain. We investigated how these management practices affected soil organic carbon (SOC) accrual and distribution between particulate (POM) and mineral-associated (MAOM) organic matter in a 29-y-old field experiment in the North Central United States and assessed how soil microbial traits were related to these changes. Compared to conventional continuous maize monocropping with annual tillage, systems with reduced tillage, diversified crop rotations with cover crops and legumes, or manure addition did not increase total SOC storage or MAOM-C, whereas perennial pastures managed with rotational grazing accumulated more SOC and MAOM-C (18 to 29% higher) than all annual cropping systems after 29 y of management. These results align with a meta-analysis of data from published studies comparing the efficacy of soil health management practices in annual cropping systems on Mollisols worldwide. Incorporating legumes and manure into annual cropping systems enhanced POM-C, microbial biomass, and microbial C-use efficiency but did not significantly increase microbial necromass accumulation, MAOM-C, or total SOC storage. Diverse, rotationally grazed pasture management has the potential to increase persistent soil C on Mollisols, highlighting the key role of well-managed grasslands in climate-smart agriculture.

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“…Compared with the coal system, the combustion of just biomass pellets to generate 8,300 GWh of power can reduce global warming impacts by 7.9 million tons of CO 2 -eq, which is equivalent to an 85% reduction in GHG emissions, according to Wiloso et al 76 . It should also be remembered that energy crops store CO 2 in the soil and roots, which according to Yang and Tilman 77 is a more important determinant in the climate change mitigation potential of biofuels than the above-ground biomass. According to Heller et al 78 , power production from willow biomass is nearly GHG-neutral (40–50 kg CO 2 eq./MWh of electric power produced).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental impact of the cultivation of energy willow in Poland

Kowalczyk

Kwaśniewski

2021

Sci Rep

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The purpose of the work is to analyze the structure of the environmental impact of energy willow cultivation (Salix spp.) on plantations of various sizes, divided per materials and processes. The research covered 15 willow plantations, ranging from 0.31 ha to 12 ha, located in southern Poland. It was found, among others, that the so-called processes, i.e. the use of technical means of production, dominate the structure of the environmental impact (EI) related to the cultivation of energy willow, and that the cultivation of energy willow on larger plantations has a much lower environmental impact compared to cultivation on smaller plantations. Also, in the case of the environmental impact of processes, the largest environmental impact was recorded in the human health category, which is mainly associated with the consumption of fuel, i.e. diesel. It was determined, e.g., that the cultivation of energetic willow on larger plantations is characterized by a much lower environmental impact (as per the cultivation area), at approx. 108 Pt, compared to the cultivation on smaller plantations, where the value of the environmental impact is 168 Pt. A decisively dominant position in the structure of the environmental impact (EI), related to the cultivation of energy willow, is held by the so-called processes, i.e. the use of technical means of production. Their share in the total environmental impact decreases from 148.5 Pt in the group of the smallest plantations to 77.9 Pt in the group of the largest plantations.

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Soil and root carbon storage is key to climate benefits of bioenergy crops

Cited by 49 publications

References 26 publications

The interplay of labile organic carbon, enzyme activities and microbial communities of two forest soils across seasons

The interplay of labile organic carbon, enzyme activities and microbial communities of two forest soils across seasons

Persistent soil carbon enhanced in Mollisols by well-managed grasslands but not annual grain or dairy forage cropping systems

Environmental impact of the cultivation of energy willow in Poland

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