Does conservation tillage reduce global warming and which tillage operation increases CO2 emission from soil?
Conservation Tillage Can Reduce Greenhouse Gases to Mitigate Climate Change. The IPCC reported that 23% of total greenhouse gas emissions are derived from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses. The soil organic carbon pool is the largest organic carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems. Tillage systems involving plowing and harrowing generate a greater impact on CO2 emissions than systems using scarification and/or sub soiling as the sole method of soil tillage. They found that higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase both carbon's input and release from the soil. Thus, soil carbon may not be as stable as previously considered, and soil microbes have more direct control on carbon storage than is represented in today's global climate models.
The IPCC reported that 23% of total greenhouse gas emissions are derived from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses. The soil organic carbon pool is the largest organic carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems. Tillage loosens the soil, increasing the exposure of soil organic matter and hence speeding oxidization and reduced soil organic matter content with a consequent release of CO2 into the atmosphere. However, the use of tillage can stimulate loss of soil organic carbon (C) to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2). Losses of CO2may depend upon the degree of soil disturbance. The loss of soil carbon can reduce soil productivity, increase the need for fertilizer inputs, and reduce farm profits. These include a decrease in carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions, less reliance on farm machinery and equipment, and an overall reduction in fuel and labor costs. In addition, conservation tillage methods have been shown to improve soil health, reduce runoff, and limit the extent of erosion. Climate change will affect soils, leading to changes in soil erosion, organic carbon, nutrients and alkalinity. Decreasing soil carbon due to climate change also has implications for accounting of carbon emissions from the land, which is an important avenue for NSW to meet its Net Zero Emissions by 2050 target.
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