Crop Residue Mass Needed to Maintain Soil Organic Carbon Levels: Can It Be Determined?

Marine microbial diversity: can it be determined?

Estimates of the order of magnitude for the total number of microbial species on Earth range from 10(3) to 10(9). Despite global dispersal of microorganisms, this number is probably rather large. The total biodiversity of an ecosystem is composed of two elements: first, a set of abundant taxa that carry out most ecosystem functions, grow actively and suffer intense losses through predation and ...

Biofuels from crop residue can reduce soil carbon and increase CO₂ emissions

Removal of corn residue for biofuels can decrease soil organic carbon1,2 (SOC) and increase CO2 emissions3 because residue C in biofuels is oxidized to CO2 at a faster rate than when added to soil.4,5 Net CO2 emissions from residue removal are not adequately characterized in biofuel life cycle assessment (LCA).6–8 Here we used a model to estimate CO2 emissions from corn residue removal across t...

Critical carbon input to maintain current soil organic carbon stocks in global wheat systems

Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in croplands is a crucial component of global carbon (C) cycle. Depending on local environmental conditions and management practices, typical C input is generally required to reduce or reverse C loss in agricultural soils. No studies have quantified the critical C input for maintaining SOC at global scale with high resolution. Such information will provide a b...

GRDC Project No CSO 00029 Residue Management, Soil Organic Carbon and Crop Performance - Functions of Soil Organic Matter and the Effect on Soil Properties

Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Fractions and Crop Yields Affected by Residue Placement and Crop Types

Soil labile C and N fractions can change rapidly in response to management practices compared to non-labile fractions. High variability in soil properties in the field, however, results in nonresponse to management practices on these parameters. We evaluated the effects of residue placement (surface application [or simulated no-tillage] and incorporation into the soil [or simulated conventional...