Enhancing crop yield, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas mitigation through organic matter inputs: long-term grassland farming observations and DNDC model predictions

Organic inputs in grasslands are known to enhance soil carbon sequestration. However, it remains unclear whether long-term organic inputs lead to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, specifically methane (CH₄) from livestock and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from soils, that outweigh the benefits of carbon sequestration. Addressing this issue is crucial, as it directly impacts the evaluation of organic farming practices for sustainable land management and climate change mitigation. In this study, we employed the process-based Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model to estimate the fluxes of major greenhouse gases (GHGs) in a long-term grassland silage experiment established in 1969. The model was validated against measured data, effectively capturing the dynamics of N₂O emissions, soil temperature, biomass, and soil organic carbon (SOC). Simulations under different IPCC Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios of altered temperature, CO₂ concentrations, and radiative forcing were conducted. Treatments with high levels of cattle manure and pig manure under the SSP1-2.6 scenario exhibited a net GHG sink, whereas conventional fertilization resulted in a net GHG source under both SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5. Grass yields decreased under conventional fertilization in both SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. However, the application of organic matter inputs resulted in yield increases across all scenarios. These findings highlight the potential of organic farming practices, especially with high organic inputs, to mitigate GHG emissions and enhance productivity in grassland ecosystems. Therefore, adopting organic farming practices with adequate organic inputs could serve as a sustainable strategy for balancing food production and environmental conservation.