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. 2021 Dec;1505(1):102-117.
doi: 10.1111/nyas.14690. Epub 2021 Sep 27.

A review of carbon farming impacts on nitrogen cycling, retention, and loss

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A review of carbon farming impacts on nitrogen cycling, retention, and loss

Maya Almaraz et al. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Soil carbon (C) sequestration in agricultural working lands via soil amendments and management practices is considered a relatively well-tested and affordable approach for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Carbon farming provides useful benefits for soil health, biomass production, and crop resilience, but the effects of different soil C sequestration approaches on the nitrogen (N) cycle remain controversial. While some C farming practices have been shown to reduce N fertilizer use in some cases, C farming could also impose an unwanted "N penalty" through which soil C gains can only be maintained with additional N inputs, thereby increasing N losses to the environment. We systematically reviewed meta-analysis studies on the impacts of C farming on N cycling in agroecosystems and estimated the cumulative effect of several C farming practices on N cycling. We found that, on average, combined C farming practices significantly reduced nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching from soils, thus inferring both N cycling and climate change benefits. In addition to more widely studied C farming practices that generate organic C, we also discuss silicate rock additions, which offer a pathway to inorganic C sequestration that does not require additional N inputs, framing important questions for future research.

Keywords: carbon farming; nitrate leaching; nitrogen availability; nitrogen cycling; nitrous oxide emissions; yield.

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