Greenhouse gas emissions from natural ecosystems and agricultural lands in sub-Saharan Africa: synthesis of available data and suggestions for further research

Prescribed fires or wildfires are common in natural ecosystems. Biochar input during fires can impact soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Meadows are functionally important ecosystems due to their large carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks and potential to mitigate GHG emissions. The effects of biochar on meadow GHG emissions may be sensitive to whether it is derived from more than one type of vegetation, especially with N addition and warming. To further our understanding of how input of fire-derived biochar affects meadow soil GHG emissions, especially under the context of N deposition and warming, we conducted this study to examine potential non-additive effects of these factors. We collected soils from meadows dominated by Miscanthus sinensis and Arundinella hirta at Wugong Mountain (Jiangxi, China). Biochar was produced by pyrolyzing the aboveground vegetation of each of the two species at 450 °C for 1 h. Mixed biochar was produced by 1:1 ratio. Soil GHG emissions and N transformations were measured by incubating soils with biochar (control, M. sinensis biochar, A. hirta biochar, mixed biochar) and N addition (control vs. 6 g m−2) treatments at different temperatures (10, 15, 20, or 25 °C). Biochar input consistently increased both CH4 and N2O flux, but only A. hirta and mixed biochar decreased CO2 emission rates. Mixed biochar imposed non-additive effects on cumulative CH4 and CO2 emissions. Biochar decreased soil nitrification rates and increased the temperature sensitivity of soil N2O emission rates. The results indicated that biochar input during fires in meadows impacts soil GHG emissions and N transformations. Input of biochar into meadow soil following fire impacted GHG emissions, and mixing biochar derived from different species imposed non-additive effects on CH4 and CO2 emissions. The variable and non-additive biochar effects on soil GHG emissions showed that fire-induced alterations in meadow soil GHG emissions will depend on the species composition of the local plant community. The effects of biochar on meadow soil GHG emissions after fires should be considered in future budgets of meadow soil GHG emissions and prediction of prescribed fire impacts on meadow ecosystems under the context of N deposition and warming.

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Greenhouse gas emissions and affecting factors in forests with undrained and drained nutrient-rich organic soil. LSFRI “Silava” and Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, 2023. Butlers A., supervisor Dr. silv. A. Lazdiņš. The volume of thesis: 105 pages, 19 tables, 39 figures, 5 annexes, and 296 references. The doctoral thesis has been elaborated at the Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava” and Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Forest Faculty, Department of forestry from 2019 to 2023. The topicality of this study is determined by the Paris Agreement and related international regulatory acts, which stipulate that after 2050, the land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector must compensate for Latvia's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Organic forest soils, particularly peat and peaty soils in Latvia, are a significant source of GHG emissions in the country, and one of the most effective climate change mitigation measures in the LULUCF sector is related to their management. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge on the potential contribution of forests with different nutrient availability organic soil management scenarios to mitigating climate change. In the national GHG inventory, a single carbon dioxide (CO2) emission factor (EF) obtained from national studies is applied to calculate the CO2 emissions from drained organic soil, regardless of its nutrient availability. For the calculation of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, unverified EFs developed in studies in a temperate climate zone are used in the national inventory. This study aims to develop GHG EFs for drained and undrained nutrient-rich organic forest soils and to estimate the net GHG emissions of the forest ecosystem with such soils. The acquired knowledge can be used to improve the national GHG inventory methodology and to plan climate change mitigation measures. Empirical material for characterizing soil GHG emissions and soil C input was collected during a 12-month monitoring period in 31 forest compartments with clearcuts and forest stands in various stages of development. Measurements of soil CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions, as well as soil C input by foliar litter, were carried out in five replicates in each plot with an interval of four weeks. Simultaneously with the GHG measurements, soil and air temperature, as well as groundwater level, were also determined. Soil C input by ground vegetation and fine roots of trees was estimated by biomass measurements at the end of the growing season. Changes in soil C stock were calculated by summing the estimated annual cumulative soil CO2-C emissions and C input. The evaluated relationships between soil GHG emissions, C input, and affecting factors were used to quantify the dynamics of the ecosystem’s annual net GHG emissions in managed forests, by taking into account also the annual C sequestration in living biomass and deadwood, harvested wood products, and the biofuel replacement effect. The estimated annual gross soil CO2 emissions in clearcuts (7.70 ± 0.53 t C ha–1 year–1) are significantly higher than in forest stands (6.14 ± 0.15 t C ha–1 year–1). During the forest management cycle, the annual net CO2 sequestration by nutrient-rich drained and undrained forest soils is on average 0.28 ± 0.66 t C ha–1 year–1 and 0.42 ± 0.43 t C ha–1 year–1, respectively. In forest stands, the main sources of soil C input are ground vegetation and foliar litter, providing an average of 41 ± 8 % and 43 ± 6 % of the total soil C input estimated in the study, respectively. Managed forests with undrained and drained nutrient-rich soil sequester an average of 0.2 ± 9.7 and 2.9 ± 14.4 t CO2 eq year–1, respectively.

In-field measurements of direct soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions provide critical data for quantifying the net energy efficiency and economic feasibility of crop residue-based bioenergy production systems. A major challenge to such assessments has been the paucity of field studies addressing the effects of crop residue removal and associated best practices for soil management (i.e., conservation tillage) on soil emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). This regional survey summarizes soil GHG emissions from nine maize production systems evaluating different levels of corn stover removal under conventional or conservation tillage management across the US Corn Belt. Cumulative growing season soil emissions of CO2, N2O, and/or CH4 were measured for 2–5 years (2008–2012) at these various sites using a standardized static vented chamber technique as part of the USDA-ARS’s Resilient Economic Agricultural Practices (REAP) regional partnership. Cumulative soil GHG emissions during the growing season varied widely across sites, by management, and by year. Overall, corn stover removal decreased soil total CO2 and N2O emissions by -4 and -7 %, respectively, relative to no removal. No management treatments affected soil CH4 fluxes. When aggregated to total GHG emissions (Mg CO2 eq ha−1) across all sites and years, corn stover removal decreased growing season soil emissions by −5 ± 1 % (mean ± se) and ranged from -36 % to 54 % (n = 50). Lower GHG emissions in stover removal treatments were attributed to decreased C and N inputs into soils, as well as possible microclimatic differences associated with changes in soil cover. High levels of spatial and temporal variabilities in direct GHG emissions highlighted the importance of site-specific management and environmental conditions on the dynamics of GHG emissions from agricultural soils.

Changes in land use management practices may have multiple effects on microclimate and soil properties that affect soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Soil surface GHG emissions need to be better quantified in order to assess the total environmental costs of current and possible alternative land uses in the Missouri River Floodplain (MRF). The objective of this study was to evaluate soil GHG emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) in MRF soils under long-term agroforestry (AF), row-crop agriculture (AG) and riparian forest (FOR) systems in response to differences in soil water content, land use, and N fertilizer inputs. Intact soil cores were obtained from all three land use systems and incubated under constant temperature conditions for a period of 94 days using randomized complete block design with three replications. Cores were subjected to three different water regimes: flooded (FLD), optimal for CO2 efflux (OPT), and fluctuating. Additional N fertilizer treatments for the AG and AF land uses were included during the incubation and designated as AG-N and AF-N, respectively. Soil CO2 and N2O emissions were affected by the land use systems and soil moisture regimes. The AF land use resulted in significantly lower cumulative soil CO2 and N2O emissions than FOR soils under the OPT water regime. Nitrogen application to AG and AF did not increase cumulative soil CO2 emissions. FLD resulted in the highest soil N2O and CH4 emissions, but did not cause any increases in soil cumulative CO2 emissions compared to OPT water regime conditions. Cumulative soil CO2 and N2O emissions were positively correlated with soil pH. Soil cumulative soil CH4 emissions were only affected by water regimes and strongly correlated with soil redox potential.

Grassland management practices and their interactions with climatic variables have significant impacts on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Mathematical models can be used to simulate the impacts of management and potential changes in climate beyond the temporal extent of short-term field experiments. In this study, field measurements of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) emissions from grassland soils were used to test and validate the DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition) model. The model was then applied to predict changes in GHG emissions due to interactions between climate warming and grassland management in a 30-year simulation. Sensitivity analysis showed that the DNDC model was susceptible to changes in temperature, rainfall, soil carbon and N-fertiliser rate for predicting N2O and CO2 emissions, but not for net CH4 emissions. Validation of the model suggests that N2O emissions were well described by N-fertilised treatments (relative variation of 2%), while non-fertilised treatments showed higher variations between measured and simulated values (relative variation of 26%). CO2 emissions (plant and soil respiration) were well described by the model prior to hay meadow cutting but afterwards measured emissions were higher than those simulated. Emissions of CH4 were on average negative and largely negligible for both simulated and measured values. Long-term scenario projections suggest that net GHG emissions would increase over time under all treatments and interactions. Overall, this study confirms that GHG emissions from intensively managed, fertilised grasslands are at greater risk of being amplified through climate warming, and represent a greater risk of climate feedbacks.

Agricultural disturbance has significantly boosted soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Biochar application is a potential option for regulating soil GHG emissions. However, the effects of biochar application on soil GHG emissions are variable among different environmental conditions. In this study, a dataset based on 129 published papers was used to quantify the effect sizes of biochar application on soil GHG emissions. Overall, biochar application significantly increased soil CH4 and CO2 emissions by an average of 15% and 16% but decreased soil N2O emissions by an average of 38%. The response ratio of biochar applications on soil GHG emissions was significantly different under various management strategies, biochar characteristics, and soil properties. The relative influence of biochar characteristics differed among soil GHG emissions, with the overall contribution of biochar characteristics to soil GHG emissions ranging from 29% (N2O) to 71% (CO2). Soil pH, the biochar C:N ratio, and the biochar application rate were the most influential variables on soil CH4, CO2, and N2O emissions, respectively. With biochar application, global warming potential (impact of the emission of different greenhouse gases on their radiative forcing by agricultural practices) and the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions (emission rate of a given pollutant relative to the intensity of a specific activity) significantly decreased, and crop yield greatly increased, with an average response ratio of 23%, 41%, and 21%, respectively. Our findings provide a scientific basis for reducing soil GHG emissions and increasing crop yield through biochar application.

A diachronic study of greenhouse gas emissions of French dairy farms according to adaptation pathways

Application of biochar and nitrogen influences fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O in a forest soil

Biochar has been extensively utilized to amend soil and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from croplands. However, the effectiveness of biochar application in reducing cropland GHG emissions remains uncertain due to variations in soil properties and environmental conditions across regions. In this study, the impact of biochar surface functional groups on soil GHG emissions was investigated using molecular model calculation. Machine learning (ML) technology was applied to predict the responses of soil GHG emissions and crop yields under different biochar feedstocks and application rates, aiming to determine the optimum biochar application strategies based on specific soil properties and environmental conditions on a global scale. The findings suggest that the functional groups play an essential role in determining biochar surface activity and the soil’s capacity for adsorbing GHGs. ML was an effective method in predicting the changes in soil GHG emissions and crop yield following biochar application. Moreover, poor-fertility soils exhibited greater changes in GHG emissions compared to fertile soil. Implementing an optimized global strategy for biochar application may result in a substantial reduction of 684.25 Tg year−1 CO2 equivalent (equivalent to 7.87% of global cropland GHG emissions) while simultaneously improving crop yields. This study improves our understanding of the interaction between biochar surface properties and soil GHG, confirming the potential of global biochar application strategies in mitigating cropland GHG emissions and addressing global climate degradation. Further research efforts are required to optimize such strategies.Graphical

Dairy production systems represent a significant source of air pollutants such as greenhouse gases (GHG), that increase global warming, and ammonia (NH3), that leads to eutrophication and acidification of natural ecosystems. Greenhouse gases and ammonia are emitted both by conventional and organic dairy systems. Several studies have already been conducted to design practices that reduce greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from dairy systems. However, those studies did not consider options specifically applied to organic farming, as well as the multiple trade-offs occurring between these air pollutants. This article reviews agricultural practices that mitigate greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions. Those practices can be applied to the most common organic dairy systems in northern Europe such as organic mixed crop-dairy systems. The following major points of mitigation options for animal production, crop production and grasslands are discussed. Animal production: the most promising options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the livestock management level involve either the improvement of animal production through dietary changes and genetic improvement or the reduction of the replacement rate. The control of the protein intake of animals is an effective means to reduce gaseous emissions of nitrogen, but it is difficult to implement in organic dairy farming systems. Considering the manure handling chain, mitigation options involve housing, storage and application. For housing, an increase in the amounts of straw used for bedding reduces NH3 emissions, while the limitation of CH4 emissions from deep litter is achieved by avoiding anaerobic conditions. During the storage of solid manure, composting could be an efficient mitigation option, depending on its management. Addition of straw to solid manure was shown to reduce CH4 and N2O emissions from the manure heaps. During the storage of liquid manure, emptying the slurry store before late spring is an efficient mitigation option to limit both CH4 and NH3 emissions. Addition of a wooden cover also reduces these emissions more efficiently than a natural surface crust alone, but may increase N2O emissions. Anaerobic digestion is the most promising way to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions from storage and land spreading, without increasing NH3 emissions. At the application stage, NH3 emissions may be reduced by spreading manure during the coolest part of the day, incorporating it quickly and in narrow bands. Crop production: the mitigation options for crop production focus on limiting CO2 and N2O emissions. The introduction of perennial crops or temporary leys of longer duration are promising options to limit CO2 emissions by storing carbon in plants or soils. Reduced tillage or no tillage as well as the incorporation of crop residues also favour carbon sequestration in soils, but these practices may enhance N2O emissions. Besides, the improvement of crop N-use efficiency through effective management of manure and slurry, by growing catch crops or by delaying the ploughing of leys, is of prime importance to reduce N2O emissions. Grassland: concerning grassland and grazing management, permanent conversion from arable to grassland provides high soil carbon sequestration while increasing or decreasing the livestock density seems not to be an appropriate mitigation option. From the study of the multiple interrelations between gases and between farm compartments, the following mitigation options are advised for organic mixed crop-dairy systems: (1) actions for increasing energy efficiency or fuel savings because they are beneficial in any case, (2) techniques improving efficiency of N management at field and farm levels because they affect not only N2O and NH3 emissions, but also nitrate leaching, and (3) biogas production through anaerobic digestion of manure because it is a promising efficient method to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, even if the profitability of this expensive investment needs to be carefully studied. Finally, the way the farmer implements the mitigation options, i.e. his practices, will be a determining factor in the reduction of greenhouse gas and NH3 emissions.

In-field management of corn cob and residue mix: Effect on soil greenhouse gas emissions

Biochar addition (BA) has been considered a promising strategy for mitigating soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, it is essential to assess whether the benefits are retained under different water and fertilizer strategies (WFSs), particularly under the biogas slurry strategy (BSS), and the specific effects of different BA ratios on GHG emissions must also be assessed. This study examined the effects of two WFSs on soil GHGs emissions and bacterial sub-communities under different BA ratios and investigated their potential mechanisms using soil column experiments. Under the conventional chemical fertilizer strategy (CFS), BA reduced CO2 emissions by 29.19–36.51%, but simultaneously increased CH4 emissions by 21.62–135.08% and N2O emissions by 48.16–51.31%. Transitioning from CFS to BSS led to a 14.89% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 71.83% reduction in N2O emissions, whereas the CH4 emissions increased by 101.72%. Concurrently, BA concentrations of 4% and 6% intensified the modulatory effect of BSS on these GHGs, whereas a 2% BA concentration had an opposing regulatory effect. Both BSS and BA were also found to enhance the abundance of rare bacterial sub-communities within the soil. Furthermore, this study revealed that BSS reshaped the GHG emission pathway regulated by BA through bacterial sub-communities, emphasizing the ''priority effect'' of these communities in controlling GHG emissions. This study has also highlighted the integral role of carbon and nitrogen turnover processes within bacterial sub-communities for the regulation of GHGs emissions. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the effectiveness of BA in reducing soil GHGs emissions depends on the WFS. Graphical Abstract

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) forests are the dominant ecosystems in southern Quebec (Canada) and are widely used for maple syrup production, wood products manufacturing, recreation, and sometimes converted to hybrid poplar plantations. Consequently, human footprints on these ecosystems are multifarious, with potential impacts on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We studied the principal and interactive effects of three anthropogenic factors (liming, introduction of non-native earthworms, and tree litter quality) on soil CO2 and N2O emissions, and on related soil properties. Thirty-two PVC pipes (1.0 m x 30 cm dia.) were set upright and filled with homogenized soil collected from a sugar maple stand. Each of these mesocosms was assigned one of eight treatments from a 2×2×2 factorial array of three experimental factors (± liming, ± earthworms, maple vs. poplar litter), replicated in four complete blocks. Over the course of a 15-month trial, we measured soil CO2 and N2O emissions from each mesocosm. At the conclusion of the trial, we measured soil pH, % organic matter (SOM), mineralizable nitrogen (Nmin), water-stable aggregate index (WSAI), δ13C, and mineral-associated organic matter (C-MAOM) at each of four soil depths (0, 20, 40 and 60 cm). The effects of earthworms (+EW) and liming on the response variables were generally greater than the effects of litter types. Liming increased pH by 0.6 units in the soil surface layer. Treatments had negligible effects on SOM throughout the soil profile. Nmin increased by factors of ×15 and ×7 in the surface layer of the Liming and EW treatments respectively. In contrast, mineralizable NO3-/NH4+ ratios were 125 and 80 in the EW and EW+Liming treatments respectively, and only 30 in the Liming and Control treatments, suggesting that nitrification was stimulated by soil mixing/aeration rather than by pH. Accordingly, cumulative N2O emissions were higher in the EW and Ew+Liming treatments (500 and 250 mg N2O-N m-2, respectively) compared to the Control and Liming treatments (< 50 mg N2O-N m-2). Likewise, cumulative CO2 emissions increased in the EW treatment and decreased in the Liming treatment relative to the Control; liming offset the positive effect of earthworms when both factors were combined.  Liming increased δ13C by 3‰ in the soil surface layer, hinting that lower CO2 emissions in this treatment could have resulted from higher microbial processing of litter leading to more stable SOM. However, all treatments had no effect on C-MAOM, suggesting instead that higher δ13C in the Liming treatment resulted from higher 13C in the liming material compared to native soil C. Moreover, both Liming and EW treatments increased WSAI, thus refuting the premise that CO2 and aggregate stability were related. We conclude that the spread of non-native earthworms in sugar maple forests of southern Quebec is potentially increasing soil N2O and CO2 emissions by up to one order of magnitude. Increased N2O emissions are likely due to increased nitrification, whereas CO2 emissions cannot be predicted by changes in C-stability. Liming could potentially be used to mitigate the positive effects of earthworms on soil GHG emissions.

Dairy production systems represent a significant source of air pollutants such as greenhouse gases (GHG), that increase global warming, and ammonia (NH3), that leads to eutrophication and acidification of natural ecosystems. Greenhouse gases and ammonia are emitted both by conventional and organic dairy systems. Several studies have already been conducted to design practices that reduce greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from dairy systems. However, those studies did not consider options specifically applied to organic farming, as well as the multiple trade-offs occurring between these air pollutants. This article reviews agricultural practices that mitigate greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions. Those practices can be applied to the most common organic dairy systems in northern Europe such as organic mixed crop-dairy systems. The following major points of mitigation options for animal production, crop production and grasslands are discussed. Animal production: the most promising options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the livestock management level involve either the improvement of animal production through dietary changes and genetic improvement or the reduction of the replacement rate. The control of the protein intake of animals is an effective means to reduce gaseous emissions of nitrogen, but it is difficult to implement in organic dairy farming systems. Considering the manure handling chain, mitigation options involve housing, storage and application. For housing, an increase in the amounts of straw used for bedding reduces NH3 emissions, while the limitation of CH4 emissions from deep litter is achieved by avoiding anaerobic conditions. During the storage of solid manure, composting could be an efficient mitigation option, depending on its management. Addition of straw to solid manure was shown to reduce CH4 and N2O emissions from the manure heaps. During the storage of liquid manure, emptying the slurry store before late spring is an efficient mitigation option to limit both CH4 and NH3 emissions. Addition of a wooden cover also reduces these emissions more efficiently than a natural surface crust alone, but may increase N2O emissions. Anaerobic digestion is the most promising way to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions from storage and land spreading, without increasing NH3 emissions. At the application stage, NH3 emissions may be reduced by spreading manure during the coolest part of the day, incorporating it quickly and in narrow bands. Crop production: the mitigation options for crop production focus on limiting CO2 and N2O emissions. The introduction of perennial crops or temporary leys of longer duration are promising options to limit CO2 emissions by storing carbon in plants or soils. Reduced tillage or no tillage as well as the incorporation of crop residues also favour carbon sequestration in soils, but these practices may enhance N2O emissions. Besides, the improvement of crop N-use efficiency through effective management of manure and slurry, by growing catch crops or by delaying the ploughing of leys, is of prime importance to reduce N2O emissions. Grassland: concerning grassland and grazing management, permanent conversion from arable to grassland provides high soil carbon sequestration while increasing or decreasing the livestock density seems not to be an appropriate mitigation option. From the study of the multiple interrelations between gases and between farm compartments, the following mitigation options are advised for organic mixed crop-dairy systems: (1) actions for increasing energy efficiency or fuel savings because they are beneficial in any case, (2) techniques improving efficiency of N management at field and farm levels because they affect not only N2O and NH3 emissions, but also nitrate leaching, and (3) biogas production through anaerobic digestion of manure because it is a promising efficient method to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, even if the profitability of this expensive investment needs to be carefully studied. Finally, the way the farmer implements the mitigation options, i.e. his practices, will be a determining factor in the reduction of greenhouse gas and NH3 emissions.KeywordsAgricultureGreenhouse gasAmmoniaAbatementMixed crop-dairy systemsOrganicLivestockManureGrasslandCarbon storageSoil carbon sequestration