Project: True SOC sequestration: understanding trade-offs and dynamic interactions between SOC stocks and GHG emissions for climate-smart agri-soil management
| Acronym | TRUESOIL (Reference Number: 110) |
| Duration | 01/04/2022 - 31/03/2025 |
| Project Topic | Agricultural soils are depleted in organic carbon (OC and have the potential to sequester substantial amounts of C, contributing to climate change mitigation. An increase in soil organic carbon (SOC has additional benefits, including improvements in soil fertility, water retention and texture, which supports crop productivity and biodiversity. Restoring and maintaining SOC can be achieved by adopting management practices which increase C sequestration and stabilize C in the soil matrix. Common management practices for increasing SOC include the use of external or internally recycled OC inputs (e.g., organic amendments.fertilizers, biochar, plant litter, residues, alternative cropping options (e.g., continuous green cover, cover crops or measures that reduce OC losses (e.g., reduced tillage, adapted grazing. Conversely, these management practices have the potential to increase greenhouse gas (GHG emissions by stimulating decomposition of previously sequestered C and N increasing CO2 and N2O emissions. Mechanisms and drivers behind increased GHG emissions and their interactions with OC sequestration under different soil and climatic conditions are not well constrained, partly because little is known about how abiotic and biotic factors control the extent to which soils can store OC. Quantifying negative side-effects of increased soil C sequestration on GHG emissions is necessary to develop appropriate management options that reduce GHGs while increasing soil C stocks. |
| Network | EJP SOIL |
| Call | 1st EJP SOIL external call for proposals |