Carbon management in dryland agricultural systems. A review
Daniel Plaza-Bonilla,J.L. Arrúe,Carlos Cantero-Martínez,Rosario Fanlo,Ana Iglesias,Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes +5 more
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TLDR
In dryland agriculture, any removal of crop residues implies a loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) as discussed by the authors, which in many of them entailed several land degradation processes such as soil erosion, reduction in crop productivity, lower soil water holding capacity, a decline in soil biodiversity, and, ultimately, desertification, hunger and poverty in developing countries.Abstract:
Dryland areas cover about 41 % of the Earth’s surface and sustain over 2 billion inhabitants Soil carbon (C) in dryland areas is of crucial importance to maintain soil quality and productivity and a range of ecosystem services Soil mismanagement has led to a significant loss of carbon in these areas, which in many of them entailed several land degradation processes such as soil erosion, reduction in crop productivity, lower soil water holding capacity, a decline in soil biodiversity, and, ultimately, desertification, hunger and poverty in developing countries As a consequence, in dryland areas proper management practices and land use policies need to be implemented to increase the amount of C sequestered in the soil When properly managed, dryland soils have a great potential to sequester carbon if financial incentives for implementation are provided Dryland soils contain the largest pool of inorganic C However, contrasting results are found in the literature on the magnitude of inorganic C sequestration under different management regimes The rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels will greatly affect dryland soils, since the positive effect of CO2 on crop productivity will be offset by a decrease of precipitation, thus increasing the susceptibility to soil erosion and crop failure In dryland agriculture, any removal of crop residues implies a loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) Therefore, the adoption of no-tillage practices in field crops and growing cover crops in tree crops have a great potential in dryland areas due to the associated benefits of maintaining the soil surface covered by crop residues Up to 80 % reduction in soil erosion has been reported when using no-tillage compared with conventional tillage However, no-tillage must be maintained over the long term to enhance soil macroporosity and offset the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) associated to the greater amount of water stored in the soil when no-tillage is used Furthermore, the use of long fallow periods appears to be an inefficient practice for water conservation, since only 10–35 % of the rainfall received is available for the next crop when fallow is included in the rotation Nevertheless, conservation agriculture practices are unlikely to be adopted in some developing countries where the need of crop residues for soil protection competes with other uses Crop rotations, cover crops, crop residue retention, and conservation agriculture have a direct positive impact on biodiversity and other ecosystem services such as weed seed predation, abundance and distribution of a broad range of soil organisms, and bird nesting density and success The objective of sequestering a significant amount of C in dryland soils is attainable and will result in social and environmental benefitsread more
Citations
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Book ChapterDOI
Soil organic carbon dynamics: Impact of land use changes and management practices: A review
Thangavel Ramesh,Nanthi Bolan,M. B. Kirkham,Hasintha Wijesekara,Manjaiah Kanchikerimath,Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao,Sasidharan Sandeep,Jörg Rinklebe,Jörg Rinklebe,Yong Sik Ok,Burhan U. Choudhury,Hailong Wang,Caixian Tang,Xiaojuan Wang,Zhaoliang Song,Oliver W. Freeman +15 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the progress of work on soil organic carbon dynamics in the major ecosystems of the world and provide an overview of the information that can enrich understanding of carbon sequestration and mitigation strategies.
Journal ArticleDOI
Strategies for greenhouse gas emissions mitigation in Mediterranean agriculture: a review.
Alberto Sanz-Cobena,Luis Lassaletta,Eduardo Aguilera,A. del Prado,Josette Garnier,Gilles Billen,Ana Iglesias,Berta Sánchez,Guillermo Guardia,Diego Abalos,Daniel Plaza-Bonilla,I. Puigdueta-Bartolomé,Raúl Moral,Elena Galán,H. Arriaga,Pilar Merino,Juan Infante-Amate,Ana Meijide,Guillermo Pardo,Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes,C. Gilsanz,D. Báez,Jordi Doltra,S. González-Ubierna,Maria Luz Cayuela,S. Menéndez,Eugenio Díaz-Pinés,J. Le-Noë,Miguel Quemada,Fernando Estellés,Salvador Calvet,H. van Grinsven,Henk Westhoek,María José Sanz,Benjamín S. Gimeno,Antonio Vallejo,Pete Smith +36 more
TL;DR: In this article, an integrated assessment of the potential of different management practices for mitigating specific components of the total GHG budget (N2O and CH4 emissions and C sequestration) of Mediterranean agro-systems was performed.
Agricultural Soil Erosion and Global Carbon Cycle: Controversy over?
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present preliminary results on their research on interrill carbon (C) erosion, SOM transport by rill erosion and the stationarity of C erosion during the Holocene.
Journal ArticleDOI
Long-term analysis of soil water conservation and crop yield under different tillage systems in Mediterranean rainfed conditions
TL;DR: In this article, three long-term tillage experiments based on cereal production were initiated in 1987, 1990 and 1992, at three different locations in the Ebro river valley (NE Spain): El Canos, Selvanera and Agramunt, with increasing degree of aridity.
Journal ArticleDOI
Rehabilitation of degraded dryland ecosystems – review
TL;DR: In this paper, a review aimed at collating the current state-of-the-art about rehabilitation of degraded drylands is presented, where the authors identify a data gap in cost-benefit analysis of rehabilitation interventions and suggest that local communities' participation, incorporation of traditional ecological knowledge, clear division of tasks and benefits, strengthening local institutions are crucial not only for cost sharing, but also for the long-term success of rehabilitation activities.
References
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Book Chapter
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Journal ArticleDOI
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Journal ArticleDOI
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Journal ArticleDOI
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