Published

A research technician samples greenhouse gases on the KBS LTER Main Cropping Systems Experiment
Credit: Kurt Stepnitz

Agriculture emits quantities of greenhouse gases equivalent to those from the transportation sector, and long term LTER research has revealed how farmers can better manage intensive row crop systems to mitigate climate change. Plant-microbe-soil interactions can enhance soil carbon sequestration, reduce nitrous oxide emissions, and promote methane oxidation. Implemented widely, improved management could make cropping systems a major mitigator of climate change.

 

Learn more

  1. Culman, SW et al. 2012. Permanganate oxidizable carbon reflects a processed soil fraction that is sensitive to management. Soil Science Society America Journal. doi: 10.2136/sssaj2011.0286
  2. Gelfand, I et al. 2013. Sustainable bioenergy production from marginal lands in the US Midwest. Nature. doi: 10.1038/nature11811
  3. Hamilton, S et al. 2015. The Ecology of Agricultural Landscapes: LongTerm Research on the Path to Sustainability. Oxford University Press.
  4. Kravchenko, AN et al. 2017. Field-scale experiments reveal persistent yield gaps in low-input and organic cropping systems. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1612311114
  5. Robertson, GP et al. 2014. Farming for ecosystem services: an ecological approach to production agriculture. BioScience. doi: 10.1093/biosci/ biu037
  6. Tiemann, LK et al. 2015. Crop rotational diversity enhances belowground communities and functions in an agroecosystem. Ecology Letters. doi: 10.1111/ele.12453
  7. Werling, BP et al. 2014. Perennial grasslands enhance biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services in bioenergy landscapes. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1309492111

Contact

Nick Haddad
haddad@kbs.msu.edu

Posted:  July 8, 2020