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Sequestration of carbon in soils: Mechanisms and type of fixation

Project

Production processes

This project contributes to the research aim 'Production processes'. Which funding institutions are active for this aim? What are the sub-aims? Take a look:
Production processes


Project code: vTI-AK-02-16
Contract period: 01.04.2000 - 31.03.2003
Purpose of research: Applied research

Up until the eighties of last century the dynamic of soil organic matter (humus) was mainly considered under the aspect of soil fertility. In recent times this soil compartment attracted new attention as a sink and source of CO2. In regard to the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere it has been assumed that suitable agricultural practices can lead to an additional fixation of carbon in soils. The Kyoto Protocol allows to consider this in the national carbon budget. Considering this new aspect the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) launched a priority program to improve the understanding of the mechanisms of carbon stabilisation in soils. A common way to increase soil organic matter is the addition of organic fertilisers (manure, compost). The 'Static Fertilisation Experiment Bad Lauchstädt' (Halle) demonstrates that by this practice the carbon content of the local soil (Haplic Chernosem) could be increased by almost 30% as compared to the usual NPK fertilisation. The aim of the research project was: 1. Characterisation of the consequences for the local soil after 100 years of different fertilisation (manure, NPK, no fertilisation) by means of chemical and current microbial methods. The DOC (cold and hot water extract), Corg, microbial biomass-C, survival of microbial biomass-C (qD), the ratio of fungal to bacterial respiration, the basal respiration, the metabolic quotient (qCO2)and the composition of particle sizes and their carbon content were investigated. 2. Distribution of carbon during the degradation of 14C-wheat straw under laboratory conditions in soil samples from plots with different fertilisation. The mineralisation (14CO2), the priming effect, the dynamic of microbial biomass, the formation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the distribution of 14C in the different mineral fractions of soil variants were followed over the period of one year

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Subjects

Framework programme

BMEL Frameworkprogramme 2002

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