Quantifying soil organic carbon stocks in herbaceous biomass crops grown in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Nineteen farms growing herbaceous biomass crops, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.), were sampled for soil organic carbon (SOC) across Ontario, Canada in 2016. Switchgrass and miscanthus fields were sampled in addition to nearby agricultural fields and woodlots to compare SOC in herbaceous biomass systems relative to alternative land-uses. The mean SOC concentration of the woodlots was 4.26 ± 0.29% and was significantly higher (p 0.05) when compared with the SOC stocks quantified for the woodlot. The study recorded numerically higher SOC concentrations and stocks in biomass fields compared to agricultural fields. Therefore, biomass systems contribute to higher SOC sequestration. However, challenges associated with this study such as accurate bulk density measures and lack of baseline data need to be resolved in order to improve quantification of SOC sequestration.