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The potential for soil carbon sequestration in three tropical dryland farming systems of Africa and Latin America: A modelling approach

Farage, P. K. ; Ardö, Jonas LU orcid ; Olsson, L. ; Rienzi, E. A. ; Ball, A. S. and Pretty, J. N. (2007) In Soil & Tillage Research 94(2). p.457-472
Abstract
Historically, agriculturally induced CO2 release from soils has contributed to rising levels in the atmosphere. However, by using appropriate management, soils can be turned into carbon sinks. Many of the dryland regions of the world are characterised by degraded soils, a high incidence of poverty and a low capacity to invest in agriculture. Two well-proven soil organic matter models (CENTURY 4.0 and RothC-26 3) were used two explore the effects of modifying agricultural practices to increase soil carbon stocks. The changes to land management were chosen to avoid any significant increase in energy input whilst using technologies that would be available without radically altering the current agricultural methodology. Case studies were... (More)
Historically, agriculturally induced CO2 release from soils has contributed to rising levels in the atmosphere. However, by using appropriate management, soils can be turned into carbon sinks. Many of the dryland regions of the world are characterised by degraded soils, a high incidence of poverty and a low capacity to invest in agriculture. Two well-proven soil organic matter models (CENTURY 4.0 and RothC-26 3) were used two explore the effects of modifying agricultural practices to increase soil carbon stocks. The changes to land management were chosen to avoid any significant increase in energy input whilst using technologies that would be available without radically altering the current agricultural methodology. Case studies were selected from dryland farming systems in Nigeria, Sudan and Argentina. Modelling showed that it would be possible to make alterations within the structure of the current farming systems to convert these soils from carbon sources to net sinks. Annual rates of carbon sequestration in the range 0.08-0.17 Mg ha(-1) year(-1) averaged over the next 50 years could be obtained. The most effective practices were those that maximised the input of organic matter, particularly farmyard manure (up to 0.09 Mg ha(-1) year(-1)), maintaining trees (up to 0.15 Mg ha(-1) year(-1)) and adopting zero tillage (up to 0.04 Mg ha(-1) year(-1)). Verification of these predictions will require experimental data collected from field studies. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
tropics, systems, farming, soil carbon, modelling, carbon sequestration, drylands, global warming
in
Soil & Tillage Research
volume
94
issue
2
pages
457 - 472
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000247230700020
  • scopus:34248226252
ISSN
0167-1987
DOI
10.1016/j.still.2006.09.006
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
936b51f2-b801-4001-a717-bbe17d451d6b (old id 648649)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:52:41
date last changed
2022-03-30 18:59:23
@article{936b51f2-b801-4001-a717-bbe17d451d6b,
  abstract     = {{Historically, agriculturally induced CO2 release from soils has contributed to rising levels in the atmosphere. However, by using appropriate management, soils can be turned into carbon sinks. Many of the dryland regions of the world are characterised by degraded soils, a high incidence of poverty and a low capacity to invest in agriculture. Two well-proven soil organic matter models (CENTURY 4.0 and RothC-26 3) were used two explore the effects of modifying agricultural practices to increase soil carbon stocks. The changes to land management were chosen to avoid any significant increase in energy input whilst using technologies that would be available without radically altering the current agricultural methodology. Case studies were selected from dryland farming systems in Nigeria, Sudan and Argentina. Modelling showed that it would be possible to make alterations within the structure of the current farming systems to convert these soils from carbon sources to net sinks. Annual rates of carbon sequestration in the range 0.08-0.17 Mg ha(-1) year(-1) averaged over the next 50 years could be obtained. The most effective practices were those that maximised the input of organic matter, particularly farmyard manure (up to 0.09 Mg ha(-1) year(-1)), maintaining trees (up to 0.15 Mg ha(-1) year(-1)) and adopting zero tillage (up to 0.04 Mg ha(-1) year(-1)). Verification of these predictions will require experimental data collected from field studies. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Farage, P. K. and Ardö, Jonas and Olsson, L. and Rienzi, E. A. and Ball, A. S. and Pretty, J. N.}},
  issn         = {{0167-1987}},
  keywords     = {{tropics; systems; farming; soil carbon; modelling; carbon sequestration; drylands; global warming}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{457--472}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Soil & Tillage Research}},
  title        = {{The potential for soil carbon sequestration in three tropical dryland farming systems of Africa and Latin America: A modelling approach}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2006.09.006}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.still.2006.09.006}},
  volume       = {{94}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}