Boosting Soil Carbon: Management Practices for Climate Change Mitigation

Boosting Soil Carbon: Management Practices for Climate Change Mitigation

Soil is the second-largest active carbon reservoir, storing an estimated 1,500–2,400 gigatons of carbon globally, making it crucial for climate change mitigation (e.g., Lal, 2004). Soil carbon stocks are influenced by physicochemical properties, climatic conditions, and land management practices. Effective soil management has been shown to be critical for maintaining or enhancing soil carbon sequestration (e.g., Paustian et al., 2016). This study evaluates the impact of various soil management practices on carbon stocks and soil health. Soils were characterized by their physicochemical and microbiological properties, including organic matter content and microbial biodiversity. Adjacent plots with different management practices (e.g., conventional tillage, no-tillage, or grazing livestock integration) were compared to assess their effects on soil carbon dynamics. Carbon content was measured using the loss-on-ignition method, while the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio provided insights into organic matter decomposition potential and carbon stabilization. Greenhouse gas fluxes (CO₂ and CH₄) were measured to quantify emissions across management regimes. Microbial diversity and community structure, indicators of soil health and carbon cycling potential, were assessed through fungal-to-bacterial (F:B) ratios and biomass counts of fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. Preliminary findings suggest that management practices significantly influence microbial composition and diversity, as well as carbon stocks and greenhouse gas fluxes. Practices like no-till farming and the integration of planned herbivore grazing result in more biodiverse soils with higher carbon retention and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
References
Lal, R. (2004). Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science, 304(5677), 1623–1627.
Paustian et al., (2016). Climate-smart soils. Nature, 532(7597), 49–57.
Beillouin et al., (2022). A global overview of studies about land management, land‐use change, and climate change effects on soil organic carbon. Global change biology, 28(4), 1690-1702.