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Influence of ploughing up grassland soils on carbon and nitrogen transformation and their assessment in context of environmental impacts
Project
Project code: TI-AK-08-PID1504
Contract period: 01.01.2010
- 31.12.2014
Purpose of research: Applied research
Conversion of grassland to arable land induces enhanced emissions of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. What is the magnitude of these enhanced emissions and can they be counteracted by avoiding soil tillage during conversion? These questions are tackled in two field studies in North-Rhine Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. The conversion of grassland to arable land has strongly increased in Germany during the last years, which is in part due to the growing number of biogas plants. The ploughing-up of grassland is a potential threat for the atmosphere because it causes losses of soil organic matter and may favour soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O). Due to the lack of data, a site-specific assessment of the climate effect by grassland conversion to arable land is not possible until now. The aim of this project is to investigate how the conversion of grassland in arable land influences the exchange of greenhouse gases with the atmosphere due to changes in carbon and nitrogen transformation in soils. These studies will contribute to a better understanding of land use change effects in agriculture on the emission of greenhouse gases. Field plot experiments were set up at two sites in Kleve and Trenthorst, where greenhouse gas emissions induced by conversion of grassland to arable was studied. Carbon and nitrogen dynamics are monitored at regular intervals during two years. N2O emissions are quantified using gas exchange measurements. Controlling processes are investigated by monitoring biological and chemical soil parameters and isotopic signatures in soil and in the gas phase. Mineralisation of organic carbon accumulated during the grassland phase is determined by CO2 flux measurements and stable isotopic signatures of carbon. Moreover, soil carbon and nitrogen inventories will be assessed.
Section overview
Subjects
- Grassland
- Soil science
- Climate Change
