Amount Of Carbon Research Articles

Nitrate-induced hydroxyl radical releases deep soil organic carbon by opening the ‘enzyme latch’ under micro-aerobic conditions

Deep soils (defined here as soil layers >1 m beneath the ground) contain a significant amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) with a relatively slow turnover rate. In oxygen (O2) limit conditions, terms here as “micro-aerobic environment”, a high concentration of phenol usually suppresses SOC decomposition by inhibiting hydrolase activities, a mechanism known as the ‘enzyme latch’. Here, we showed that the addition of nitrate (NO3−) into deep soil significantly decreased the soil phenol content. This reduction alleviated the inhibitory effect of phenol on hydrolase activities, resulting in an increased rate of deep soil SOC decomposition. NO3− addition enhanced deep soil SOC decomposition by opening the ‘enzyme latch’ under micro-aerobic conditions. Under micro-aerobic conditions, NO3− addition increased the concentration of hydroxyl radicals (•OH), with the extent of increase negatively correlated with the soil phenol content. Quenching •OH using terephthalic acid removed the suppressing effect of NO3− on phenol content, indicating that NO3− addition opened the ‘enzyme latch’ by promoting •OH generation, which oxidized phenol. Additionally, the addition of NO3− promoted the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in deep soil. The H2O2 was significantly positively correlated with •OH, suggesting that the enhanced •OH generation under NO3− addition was caused by the Fenton reaction. Overall, our results shed light on a new pathway through which NO3− leaching affected SOC stability in micro-aerobic deep soils. Reducing nitrate leaching is beneficial for the conservation of deep soil SOC.

Regime shifts in Arctic terrestrial hydrology manifested from impacts of climate warming

Abstract. Anthropogenic warming in the Arctic is causing hydrological cycle intensification and permafrost thaw, with implications for flows of water, carbon, and energy from terrestrial biomes to coastal zones. To better understand the likely impacts of these changes, we used a hydrology model driven by meteorological data from atmospheric reanalysis and two global climate models for the period 1980–2100. The hydrology model accounts for soil freeze–thaw processes and was applied across the pan-Arctic drainage basin. The simulations point to greater changes over northernmost areas of the basin underlain by permafrost and to the western Arctic. An acceleration of simulated river discharge over the recent past is commensurate with trends drawn from observations and reported in other studies. Between early-century (2000–2019) and late-century (2080–2099) periods, the model simulations indicate an increase in annual total runoff of 17 %–25 %, while the proportion of runoff emanating from subsurface pathways is projected to increase by 13 %–30 %, with the largest changes noted in summer and autumn and across areas with permafrost. Most notably, runoff contributions to river discharge shift to northern parts of the Arctic Basin that contain greater amounts of soil carbon. Each season sees an increase in subsurface runoff; spring is the only season where surface runoff dominates the rise in total runoff, and summer experiences a decline in total runoff despite an increase in the subsurface component. The greater changes that are seen in areas where permafrost exists support the notion that increased soil thaw is shifting hydrological contributions to more subsurface flow. The manifestations of warming, hydrological cycle intensification, and permafrost thaw will impact Arctic terrestrial and coastal environments through altered river flows and the materials they transport.

N-P25-assisted MIL-125 derived porous nitrogen doped and carbon modified TiO2 mixed-phase junction photocatalyst for KA oil synthesis

Porous anatase/rutile mixed-phase TiO2 with nitrogen doping and carbon modification was synthesized by selecting MIL-125(Ti) as the template and in-situ carbon source as well as nitrogen-doped P25 (N-P25) as the mixed-phase modifier and nitrogen source. The obtained photocatalyst showed cake-like morphology and large specific surface area, and double regulation of carbon amount and mixed-phase ratio was achieved. The carbon species was deposited on the anatase TiO2 matrix via the Ti-O-C bridge, and the light absorption ability was largely improved by carbon modification and nitrogen doping. The photogenerated electrons can be stored and transferred to porous TiO2 matrix by surface carbon species, and the photoinduced carriers can be effectively separated in the TiO2 mixed-phase junction. Therefore, high KA oil yield from cyclohexane oxidation and selectivity to ketone were achieved, and corresponding reaction mechanism was revealed. This work provides a novel route for the construction of efficient photocatalysts towards fine chemicals’ synthesis.

Sounding out maerl sediment thickness: an integrated data approach

Maerl beds are listed as a priority marine feature in Scotland. They are noted for creating suitable benthic habitat for diverse communities of fauna and flora and in supporting a wide array of ecosystem services. Within the context of climate change, they are also recognised as a potential blue carbon habitat through sequestration of carbon in living biomass and underlying sediment. There are, however, significant data gaps on the potential of maerl carbon sequestration which impede inclusion in blue carbon policy frameworks. Key data gaps include sediment thickness, from which carbon content is extrapolated. There are additional logistical and financial barriers associated with quantification methods that aim to address these data gaps. This study investigates the use of sub-bottom profiling (SBP) to lessen financial and logistical constraints of maerl bed sediment thickness estimation and regional blue carbon quantification. SBP data were cross validated with cores, other SBP data on blue carbon sediments, and analysed with expert input. Combining SBP data with estimates of habitat health (as % cover) from drop-down video (DDV) data, and regional abiotic data, this study also elucidates links between abiotic and biotic factors in determining maerl habitat health and maerl sediment thickness through pathway analysis in structural equation modelling (SEM). SBP data were proved to be sufficiently robust for identification of maerl sediments when corroborated with core data. SBP and DDV data of maerl bed habitats in Orkney exhibited some positive correlations of sediment thickness with maerl % cover. The average maerl bed sediment thickness was 1.08 m across all ranges of habitat health. SEM analysis revealed maerl bed habitat health was strongly determined by abiotic factors. Maerl habitat health had a separate positive effect on maerl bed sediment thickness.

Deciphering the role of nano-CeO2 morphology on the dry reforming of methane over Ni/CeO2 using transient and isotopic techniques

The effect of ceria morphology, nanorods-NR and nanopolyhedra-NP on important kinetic parameters of the dry reforming of methane (DRM) over Ni/nano-ceria (dNi ∼20 nm) was investigated by transient and isotopic experiments. Transient isothermal reduction by hydrogen evidenced lower activation energy and higher reduction rates of lattice oxygen in the case of CeO2-NR compared to those of CeO2-NP. Transient 16O/18O isotopic exchange provided a lower Eapp of bulk oxygen diffusion (by ∼90 kJ mol−1) for CeO2-NR compared to CeO2-NP. 18O/16O isotopic exchange followed by DRM revealed higher carbon oxidation rates by lattice oxygen to C18O(g) in the case of CeO2-NR compared to those of CeO2-NP, in harmony with the lower amount of carbon accumulated in the former catalyst. The lower Eapp of DRM and carbon oxidation by lattice oxygen confirm the higher DRM activity on Ni/CeO2-NR compared to Ni/CeO2-NP. HAADF-STEM and Raman studies were linked to the observed transient kinetic results.

Change of carbon mass after timber harvesting in a natural forest, West Sumatra Indonesia

Forests have an important role in the carbon cycle and in the dynamics of storing and releasing carbon in growth, decay, and disturbance processes. Timber harvesting initially reduces the amount of carbon in the forest. This study aims to analyze the magnitude of changes in carbon mass due to timber harvesting. It was conducted in a forest concessionaire located at Siberut of West Sumatra on a natural forest covering about 48,000 hectares. Selective cutting was implemented for logging where the harvestable trees were over 50 cm in diameter. The amount of carbon mass was obtained based on laboratory tests on tree parts, including trunk, branches, twigs, and bark. The average carbon content in each part of the tree is different. The trunk contains 53.86% of carbon mass, the branches are 51.98%, the twigs are 31.58%, the leaves are 27.91%, and the bark is 32.01%. Timber harvesting was conducted at the forest compartment with an average forest stand density of 71.5 trees ha−1 and a felling intensity of 8.8 trees ha−1, causing damage to 16.17 trees ha−1 stands. Timber harvesting causes a decrease in carbon mass reserves of 43.26% from forest carbon mass of 141.89 tons C ha−1 before harvesting to 80.00 tons C ha−1 after harvesting.

Opportunities to increase soil carbon sequestration in grazing lands in the southeastern United States

AbstractBackgroundGrazing lands provide numerous ecosystem services, including the capacity to store large amounts of soil carbon (C); however, our understanding of the factors affecting soil C responses to management is inadequate.MethodsIn this paper, we synthesized information about the impacts of grazing land management on soil C within the southeastern region of the United States.ResultsMost studies (68%) demonstrated that proper management increased soil C stocks with an average C accumulation rate of 1.4 Mg C ha−1 year−1. The remaining (32%) studies showed no effect of management on soil C. None of the studies reported negative impacts of management on soil C. The largest increase in soil C (8 Mg C ha−1 year−1) was associated with the conversion of cropland to pastureland while overseeding legumes into grass pastures resulted in the lowest C sequestration rates (0.2 Mg C ha−1 year−1).ConclusionsConsidering the rates of soil C accretion and the extensive area occupied by grazing lands, data in this synthesis confirm that the adoption of improved management practices can increase soil C sequestration in the southeastern United States. In addition, because most improved management practices can also have co‐benefits, they may be favorable for forage and livestock production and other ecosystem services.

CoS2/Ni3S4 − N − C heterostructured electrode materials derived from Prussian-blue analogs for supercapacitors

Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) have the advantages of dependable electrochemical performance and long service life when used as energy storage materials because of their face-centered cubic structure. In this case, the appropriate metal sulfide derivatives were created using NiCo prussian blue analogue nano units as a precursor, which took on the precursor's structural traits. More reaction sites are exposed by this distinctive structural design, and a little quantity of nitrogen-doped carbon is produced, which improves charge transfer. The box-like structure has a buffer effect on the stress of the active material during charging and discharging, and the heterostructure of mixed metal sulfides and nitrogen-doped carbon composite cubic can both significantly increase the electrode's electrochemical capacitance and cycling stability. The CoS2/Ni3S4–N–C offers a capacitance of 817C g−1 at 3 A g−1 and 556C g−1 at 20 A g−1. The CoS2/Ni3S4–N–C electrode also has outstanding cycle stability (98.2 % capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles). An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device made of CoS2/Ni3S4–N–C with activated carbon electrodes exhibits exceptional cycle stability. With a retention rate of 103.7 % after 10,000 cycles at 10 A g−1 and an energy density of 40 Wh kg−1. Using density functional theory (DFT), the electron characteristics of Co2NiO4 and CoS2/Ni3S4–N–C are compared. CoS2/Ni3S4–N–C detected more state densities at the Fermi level, which causes more charge to accumulate. This shows that the heterojunction's electron conductivity is significantly greater than the oxide's, and ultimately leads to quicker reaction kinetics.

Integrating SAR and Optical Data for Aboveground Biomass Estimation of Coastal Wetlands Using Machine Learning: Multi-Scale Approach

Coastal wetlands encompass diverse ecosystems such as tidal marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses, which harbor substantial amounts of carbon (C) within their vegetation and soils. Despite their relatively small global extent, these wetlands exhibit carbon sequestration rates on par with those observed in terrestrial forests. The application of remote sensing technologies offers a promising means of monitoring aboveground biomass (AGB) in wetland environments. However, the scarcity of field data poses a significant challenge to the utilization of spaceborne data for accurate estimation of AGB in coastal wetlands. To address this limitation, this study presents a novel multi-scale approach that integrates field data, aerial imaging, and satellite platforms to generate high-quality biomass maps across varying scales. At the fine scale level, the AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral data were employed to develop a model for estimating AGB with an exceptional spatial resolution of 5 m. Subsequently, at a broader scale, large-scale and multitemporal models were constructed using spaceborne Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data collected in 2021. The Random Forest (RF) algorithm was utilized to train spring, fall and multi-temporal models using 70% of the available reference data. Using the remaining 30% of untouched data for model validation, Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) of 0.97, 0.98, and 1.61 Mg ha−1 was achieved for the spring, fall, and multi-temporal models, respectively. The highest R-squared value of 0.65 was achieved for the multi-temporal model. Additionally, the analysis highlighted the importance of various features in biomass estimation, indicating the contribution of different bands and indices. By leveraging the wetland inventory classification map, a comprehensive temporal analysis was conducted to examine the average and total AGB dynamics across various wetland classes. This analysis elucidated the patterns and fluctuations in AGB over time, providing valuable insights into the temporal dynamics of these wetland ecosystems.

Root-derived carbon stocks in formerly deep-ploughed soils – A biomarker-based approach

Roots can add significant amounts of carbon (C) to the subsoil, which improves soil physical properties and can mitigate climate change. About 5% of croplands in Germany have been deep-ploughed (30–120 cm) at least once. This can provide better root access to the subsoil and may increase yields, but little is known on the fate of root-derived C in the subsoil (at depth greater than 30 cm) after deep-ploughing. We hypothesized that five decades after deep-ploughing, root-derived C stocks were higher than conventionally ploughed treatments due to better root development. We analysed suberin and cutin monomers as tracers for root- and shoot-derived C at three former deep-ploughed sites in Northern Germany with different soil textures and deep-ploughing depths. Concentrations of suberin monomers in the soil positively correlated with root biomass; this was most pronounced at one sandy site, but had higher variability at the other two sites due to crops with different root systems in the crop rotation, lower root development, and more favourable conditions for C decomposition. Suberin contributed more to the bulk soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks than cutin throughout the soil profile at all sites. The contribution of suberin monomers to the bulk SOC stock at silty site Banteln and the sandy site Essemühle was 38% higher in the deep-ploughed plots than at the reference plot, respectively, these differences were most visible in the subsoil of Essemühle. We conclude that as C stocks and root development increase, suberin SOC stocks also increase, especially in sandy subsoils with low pH.

AGB estimation using Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 datasets.

Climate change is one of the greatest threats recently, of which developing countries are facing most of the brunt. In the fight against climate change, forests can play an important role, since they hold a substantial amount of terrestrial carbon and can therefore affect the global carbon cycle. Deforestation, however, is a significant challenge. There are financial incentives that can help in halting deforestation by compensating developing countries for their efforts. They require however assessments which makes it essential for developing countries to regularly monitor their stocking. Based on the aforementioned, forest carbon stock assessment was conducted in Margalla Hills National Park i.e., Sub-tropical Chir Pine Forest (SCPF) and Sub-tropical Broadleaved Evergreen Forest (SBEF), in Pakistan combining field inventory with a remote-sensing-based approach using machine learning algorithms. Circular plots of a 20m radius were used for recording the data and Sentinel-2 (S2) and Sentinel-1 (S1) satellite data were used for estimating the Aboveground Biomass (AGB). The performances of Random Forests (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were explored. The AGB was higher for the SCPF. The RF performed better for SCPF, but SVM was better for SBEF. The free available satellite data in the form of S2 and S1 data offers an advantage for AGB estimations. The combination of S2 and S1 for future AGB studies in Pakistan is also recommended.

Mycorrhizal fungi respiration dynamics in relation to gross primary production in a Hungarian dry grassland

AimsSoil respiration (Rs) is a complex process including a wide range of soil biota and pathways of carbon cycling, all being under the control of various drivers. The most important biotic driver is the photosynthetic activity of the vegetation providing supply mainly for the autotrophic component of Rs: roots and their symbiotic partners. The objective of this study was to describe the time-lagged relationship between gross primary production (GPP) and the mycorrhizal Rs component in order to determine the amount of carbon derived from GPP appearing as mycorrhizal respiration (Rmyc).MethodsMeasurements of Rs were conducted in three treatments - (i) undisturbed, root and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-included (Rs), (ii) root-excluded (Rhet+myc) and (iii) root- and AMF-excluded (Rhet) plots - for three consecutive years in a Central-Hungarian dry sandy grassland. GPP data were derived from eddy-covariance measurements, while an automated system was used for continuous measurements of Rs. We analysed the relationship between Rmyc and GPP by using cross-correlation and by fitting sine wave models on the diel datasets.ResultsGPP was found to be the main driver of Rmyc, responding with an average time lag of 18 h. The greatest lags were detected during periods characterized by minimal photosynthetic activity, while lags were the smallest during active periods.ConclusionBased on the seasonal changes in the delay, we concluded that GPP and soil temperature had simultaneous effects on the diel pattern of CO2 emission of the different autotrophic components depending on the vegetation activity and environmental conditions.

Legacy effects of long‐term autumn leaf litter removal slow decomposition rates and reduce soil carbon in suburban yards

Societal Impact StatementAs cities grow, it is essential to understand how landscape management decisions in urban spaces alter ecosystem function. This study demonstrates that the ubiquitous practice of long‐term leaf litter removal in suburbs, even in relatively small patches of a yard, reduces the soil's ability to cycle nutrients in plant litter and results in lower amounts of carbon stored in the soil. Even two years of retaining leaves where they previously were removed is insufficient to restore decomposition rates or carbon pools. This research is an important step in creating best practices for litter management to maintain essential ecosystem functions, like carbon sequestration, water holding capacity, and soil fertility.Summary Seasonal senesced leaf litter removal eliminates considerable organic material from suburban soils annually. We test if this disturbance alters decomposition and carbon cycles and depletes soils of organic matter over time, creating persistent legacy effects. We used a factorial experimental design to implement 1–2 years of current leaf litter manipulations (remove or retain fallen leaves) within historically raked and unraked areas in suburban Maryland yards. We then compared total organic soil carbon and decomposition using a standardized substrate decomposition methodology (Tea Bag Index) across treatment plots. Long‐term litter removal in suburban yards reduced decomposition rates by 17% and total soil organic carbon concentration by up to 24% compared to areas where leaf litter was retained in situ. In contrast, short‐term management changes (1–2 years) did not significantly impact decomposition rates or total organic soil carbon concentrations. Our findings suggest that long‐term suburban litter raking creates legacy effects that alter decomposition and carbon storage process trajectories that are not easily reversed. This is important in understanding urban ecosystem function and sustainable management.

Addressing Carbon Storage in Forested Landscape Management Planning—An Optimization Approach and Application in Northwest Portugal

Climate change is driving worldwide efforts to mitigate and reverse the increasing anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. Forests can uptake considerable amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, but management decisions and resultant silvicultural practices can largely influence these ecosystems’ carbon balance. This research presents an approach to help land managers cope with the need to ensure the provision of forest products and services while contributing to mitigating climate change via carbon sequestration. The emphasis is on combining a landscape-level resource capability model with a mathematical programming (LP) optimization method to model and solve a land management problem involving timber production, carbon sequestration, and resistance to wildfire targets. The results of an application on a forested landscape in Northwest Portugal showed that this approach may contribute to analyzing and discussing synergies and trade-offs between these targets. They revealed important trade-offs between carbon sequestration and both timber production and fire resistance.

Problems in dating results on lake sediments: Türkiye

In the dating process on the study of earth sciences, one of the basic assumptions is the equilibrium in the amount of carbon between terrestrial samples and the atmosphere. Most radiocarbon dating results are prepared regarding to this assumption. Although it is frequently used, some invalid situations can be encountered during the subaquatic studies. Recent water samples, aquatic plants, and remnant of animals may present different ages than the actual age. Another problem using the age-depth model is how many dating results should we be used to ensure high accuracy of the model. We also present our field study results about the number of dating points. The aim of this study is to explain how we could solve the problem in dating the freshwater reservoir effect over for short and longtime durations. In order to eliminate the freshwater reservoir effect, the terrestrial material must be dated. Thus, the carbon in the organic material is not affected by the dissolved carbon in the water. The circumstances significantly improve the age-depth model's accuracy.

QUANTIFICATION OF DIAGENETIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN EOCENE-PLEISTOCENE SEDIMENTS OF THE VøRING PLATEAU (NORWEGIAN SEA) RELATED TO THEIR ENVIRONMENTS

In this article, a univariate regression analysis of Fe, Mn, Mn/Fe and Corg distributions and marine sediment densities by depth in sections of studied boreholes drilled on the Vøring Plateau was used to investigate the intensity of diagenetic transformations. As a result, quantitative parameters of diagenesis processes in Eocene-Pleistocene sediments were obtained. In addition, the degree of intensity of diagenesis processes for the main lithological sediment types of the Vøring Plateau was studied on the basis of single-factor analysis of variance data. As a result, it was found that in addition to hiatuses, the effects of bottom currents and turbidites, the degree of diagenetic transformation in Eocene-Pleistocene sediments depended on the following main factors: sediment accumulation conditions; lithological composition; the amount of organic carbon included in the Eocene-Pleistocene sediments of the Vøring Plateau.

Effect of sodium chloride on yield, purity, morphology and polymorphs of calcium or magnesium carbonate sequentially precipitated from brine solution

Oilfield brine disposal in marine environments is undesirable due to concentrated salts of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and others which endanger aquatic organisms. Thus, it is paramount to precipitate the dissolved ions into stable carbonates for industrial applications. However, the effect of NaCl in the brine solution on the quantity and quality of precipitated carbonates is not yet reported. In this study, microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer (MIP AES), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the effect of 0–2 M NaCl on the yield, purity, polymorph, and morphology of calcium and magnesium carbonates. The yields of 96.2% to 98.9% and 53.7% to 69.6% and the purity of 90.9% to 92.7% and 96% to 99.5% CaCO3 and MgCO3·3H2O were obtained, respectively. Moreover, the maximum yield and purity of carbonates were obtained from a brine solution of 1 M NaCl. The concentration of 0–0.5 M NaCl favored more the formation of aragonite whiskers and rhombohedral calcite whereas the concentration of 1–2 M NaCl favored more the formation of aragonite whiskers, lamella vaterite,and rhombohedral calcite. Nevertheless, only nesquehonite (MgCO3·3H2O) precipitated regardless of brine concentration. The crystal surface and length of the precipitated nesquehonite from 1 to 2 M NaCl brine were affected.

Decoding seasonal changes: soil parameters and microbial communities in tropical dry deciduous forests.

In dry deciduous tropical forests, both seasons (winter and summer) offer habitats that are essential ecologically. How these seasonal changes affect soil properties and microbial communities is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of seasonal fluctuations on soil characteristics and microbial populations. The soil moisture content dramatically increases in the summer. However, the soil pH only gradually shifts from acidic to slightly neutral. During the summer, electrical conductivity (EC) values range from 0.62 to 1.03 ds m-1, in contrast to their decline in the winter. The levels of soil macronutrients and micronutrients increase during the summer, as does the quantity of soil organic carbon (SOC). A two-way ANOVA analysis reveals limited impacts of seasonal fluctuations and specific geographic locations on the amounts of accessible nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Moreover, dehydrogenase, nitrate reductase, and urease activities rise in the summer, while chitinase, protease, and acid phosphatase activities are more pronounced in the winter. The soil microbes were identified in both seasons through 16S rRNA and ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) gene sequencing. Results revealed Proteobacteria and Ascomycota as predominant bacterial and fungal phyla. However, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Burkholderia are dominant bacterial genera, and Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Trichoderma are dominant fungal genera in the forest soil samples. Dominant bacterial and fungal genera may play a role in essential ecosystem services such as soil health management and nutrient cycling. In both seasons, clear relationships exist between soil properties, including pH, moisture, iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and microbial diversity. Enzymatic activities and microbial shift relate positively with soil parameters. This study highlights robust soil-microbial interactions that persist mainly in the top layers of tropical dry deciduous forests in the summer and winter seasons. It provides insights into the responses of soil-microbial communities to seasonal changes, advancing our understanding of ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity preservation.

Stochastic 3D Modeling of Nanostructured NVP/C Active Material Particles for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

AbstractA data‐driven modeling approach is presented to quantify the influence of morphology on effective properties in nanostructured sodium vanadium phosphate / carbon composites (NVP/C), which are used as cathode material in sodium‐ion batteries. This approach is based on the combination of advanced imaging techniques, experimental nanostructure characterization and stochastic modeling of the 3D nanostructure consisting of NVP, carbon and pores. By 3D imaging and subsequent post‐processing involving image segmentation, the spatial distribution of NVP is resolved in 3D, and the spatial distribution of carbon and pores is resolved in 2D. Based on this information, a parametric stochastic model, specifically a Pluri‐Gaussian model, is calibrated to the 3D morphology of the nanostructured NVP/C particles. Model validation is performed by comparing the nanostructure of simulated NVP/C composites with image data in terms of morphological descriptors which have not been used for model calibration. Finally, the stochastic model is used for predictive simulation to quantify the effect of varying the amount of carbon while keeping the amount of NVP constant. The presented methodology opens new possibilities for a ressource‐efficient optimization of the morphology of NVP/C particles by modeling and simulation.

Sustainable intensification of climate-resilient maize–chickpea system in semi-arid tropics through assessing factor productivity

Global trends show that the rapid increase in maize production is associated more with the expansion of maize growing areas than with rapid increases in yield. This is possible through achieving possible higher productivity through maize production practices intensification to meet the sustainable production. Therefore, a field experiment on “Ecological intensification of climate-resilient maize–chickpea cropping system” was conducted during consecutive three years from 2017–2018 to 2019–2020 at Main Agricultural Research Station, Dharwad, Karnataka, India. Results of three years pooled data revealed that ecological intensification (EI) treatment which comprises of all best management practices resulted in higher grain yield (7560 kg/ha) and stover yield compared to farmers’ practice (FP) and all other treatments which were deficit in one or other crop management practices. Similarly, in the succeeding winter season, significantly higher chickpea yield (797 kg/ha) was recorded in EI. Further EI practice recorded significant amount of soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and iron after completion of third cycle of experimentation (0.60%, 235.3 kg/ha,21.0 kg/ha,363.2 kg/ha,0.52 ppm and 5.2 ppm respectively). Soil enzymatic activity was also improved in EI practice over the years and improvement in each year was significant. Lower input energy use was in FP (17,855.2 MJ/ha). Whereas total output energy produced was the highest in EI practice (220,590 MJ ha−1) and lower output energy was recorded in EI–integrated nutrient management (INM) (149,255 MJ/ha). Lower energy productivity was noticed in EI-INM. Lower specific energy was recorded in FP and was followed by EI practice. Whereas higher specific energy was noticed is EI–INM. Each individual year and pooled data showed that EI practice recorded higher net return and benefit–cost ratio. The lower net returns were obtained in EI-integrated weed management (Rs. 51354.7/ha), EI-recommended irrigation management (Rs. 56,015.3/ha), integrated pest management (Rs. 59,569.7/ha) and farmers’ practice (Rs. 67,357.7/ha) which were on par with others.