Last week this page discussed the importance of carbon for life. It is contained in all living organisms and originates primarily from the fact that plants breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen while animals do the opposite.
Because carbon dioxide (CO2 ) fuels plant growth, it has long been recognised that higher levels of CO2 can actually accelerate plant growth. This was practiced in closed environments such as glasshouses in a technique that was known as carbon dioxide enrichment. This added to crop growth and yield on high value crops.
The practice is obviously not possible in open field-crop situations, but one must wonder if the increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is currently helping to accelerate crop growth rates across the world, leading to increased carbon sequestration from the atmosphere.
There is no more carbon in the world today but it is present in different forms and located in different places.
As well as loss from organic matter degradation, carbon is also being pumped from the earth in the form of oils, gases etc. This ends up as CO2 or other gases post combustion
We have certainly lost a lot of carbon from the world’s tillage soils and this is much more severe in hotter climates where dust bowls are an inevitable consequence unless alternative farming systems are employed.
As well as loss from organic matter degradation, carbon is also being pumped from the earth in the form of oils, gases etc. This ends up as CO2 or other gases post combustion. So less in the earth and more in the atmosphere, with the consequential impact for heat entrapment and global warming.
But global carbon, like all other elements, is in a constant state of recycling.
Recycling of carbon
Carbon is in a permanent state of transformation, from CO2 to plant, then to animal or microbe and then back to CO2. It is constantly going through this state of transformation and, as well as returning CO2, organic matter is recycled to supply nutrients which contribute to plant growth.
Soils normally lose carbon from the breakdown of organic matter by microbes. Many billions of these exist naturally
in soil but their activity is accelerated when additional air or oxygen is
added during cultivation.
Heat, air, and water fuel the rate of activity of soil microbes
The deeper the cultivation the more air is added and the greater the potential for organic matter degradation.
Heat, air, and water fuel the rate of activity of soil microbes. When the weather changed from hot and dry to warm and wet last June the water, added to the warm soil, fuelled a surge in microbe activity and drove the release of nitrogen from mineralisation, or the breakdown of organic matter in the soil to release nutrients for growth. This is tangible and can be measured and so too can the accompanying CO2.
The extent of loss from this recycling process depends on the amount of biomass delivered to the soil and the temperature range and moisture availability at that location.
It is well known that warmer conditions cause much more organic matter destruction and carbon loss and frequently such locations produce less biomass in the soil to begin with.
Carbon storage in soil is the balance between the amount of plant or other organic materials added to it and the pace at which it can be degraded
And, as indicated in last week’s article, climates that are cool and moist produce more plant biomass and have lower organic matter destruction, hence such soils have a greater capacity to accumulate higher organic matter levels.
Carbon storage in soil is the balance between the amount of plant or other organic materials added to it and the pace at which it can be degraded. The latter will be influenced by the population of microorganisms present in the soil which can break it down and these may only begin to build when the ‘organic feed’ is supplied.
Slower recycling helps hold carbon
For this reason, the cycling or build-up of organic matter in the soil tends to be very slow initially in a low organic matter soil. However, there could still be a significant increase in soil carbon taking place, as the microorganisms that break it down increase massively in numbers in response to the supply of food.
These then trap some of the carbon for their own growth, but they also release CO2 when they live and feed, and again when they die and decay.
The turnover of organic material in the soil, which is the rate at which it enters and is degraded in the soil, is governed by the activity of soil-living organisms. These, in turn, are highly influential for soil fertility, plant growth and climate. These organisms also have a role in regulating the exchange of elements between our soil-based and atmospheric carbon pools. So, the management of these soil organisms is a powerful tool in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change.
While plants take in carbon in the form of CO2, soil organisms determine the rate of turnover of this organic matter pool
Farming can help retain more carbon in the recycling process by keeping it trapped in plants, animals, and soil, but all of these have lifespans.
While plants take in carbon in the form of CO2, soil organisms determine the rate of turnover of this organic matter pool. But as well as the soil organisms, it is generally established that the highest levels of soil organic matter degradation are consistently found in warm (hot) and moist regions while degradation rates are much lower in cool or dry climates.
Carbon can reside in the air, as minerals in the ground, in organic matter in our soils, in soil-living organisms, in plants and trees and in the many different forms of animal life.Carbon is drawn from the atmosphere as CO2 to fuel plant growth before it is released again as CO2 to the atmosphere.Slowing the recycling process can help store more carbon in the soil and thus decrease or slow its release back to the atmosphere.When LESS means more slurry N
LESS is the acronym for low emission slurry spreading – a topic made increasingly important by climate change requirements and air pollution legislation. It was pointed out to me recently that not many farmers actually understand what LESS is supposed to mean, other than that it is a modification to slurry spreading machinery which makes it heavier, more expensive, and possibly slower.
While these observations may be true, farmers can receive grant aid to upgrade application machinery to the standards required for LESS equipment. But what is LESS application trying to achieve at field level?
For many years there has been increasing focus on how slurry is spread, and the risks associated with using splash plates. Part of this emphasis hinges on making better use of the nitrogen contained in the slurry, reducing the need to apply as much from the bag whilst also reducing its loss to the atmosphere. So, the objectives of LESS are to improve the environmental and economic performance of slurry.
A major objective is to reduce ammonia emissions to the atmosphere by decreasing the opportunity for ammonia to ‘escape’. This is done by minimising its exposure to air, which can decrease the ammonia N loss by up to 60%, according to Teagasc research. This means more of the N stays in the field so less bagged nitrogen is required. Minimising the exposure of slurry to air is done by using equipment such as:
Slurry tanker fitted with trailing shoe, dribble bar or band spreader.Slurry tanker with shallow injection system.An umbilical slurry spreading system.
Last week this page discussed the importance of carbon for life. It is contained in all living organisms and originates primarily from the fact that plants breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen while animals do the opposite.
Because carbon dioxide (CO2 ) fuels plant growth, it has long been recognised that higher levels of CO2 can actually accelerate plant growth. This was practiced in closed environments such as glasshouses in a technique that was known as carbon dioxide enrichment. This added to crop growth and yield on high value crops.
The practice is obviously not possible in open field-crop situations, but one must wonder if the increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is currently helping to accelerate crop growth rates across the world, leading to increased carbon sequestration from the atmosphere.
There is no more carbon in the world today but it is present in different forms and located in different places.
As well as loss from organic matter degradation, carbon is also being pumped from the earth in the form of oils, gases etc. This ends up as CO2 or other gases post combustion
We have certainly lost a lot of carbon from the world’s tillage soils and this is much more severe in hotter climates where dust bowls are an inevitable consequence unless alternative farming systems are employed.
As well as loss from organic matter degradation, carbon is also being pumped from the earth in the form of oils, gases etc. This ends up as CO2 or other gases post combustion. So less in the earth and more in the atmosphere, with the consequential impact for heat entrapment and global warming.
But global carbon, like all other elements, is in a constant state of recycling.
Recycling of carbon
Carbon is in a permanent state of transformation, from CO2 to plant, then to animal or microbe and then back to CO2. It is constantly going through this state of transformation and, as well as returning CO2, organic matter is recycled to supply nutrients which contribute to plant growth.
Soils normally lose carbon from the breakdown of organic matter by microbes. Many billions of these exist naturally
in soil but their activity is accelerated when additional air or oxygen is
added during cultivation.
Heat, air, and water fuel the rate of activity of soil microbes
The deeper the cultivation the more air is added and the greater the potential for organic matter degradation.
Heat, air, and water fuel the rate of activity of soil microbes. When the weather changed from hot and dry to warm and wet last June the water, added to the warm soil, fuelled a surge in microbe activity and drove the release of nitrogen from mineralisation, or the breakdown of organic matter in the soil to release nutrients for growth. This is tangible and can be measured and so too can the accompanying CO2.
The extent of loss from this recycling process depends on the amount of biomass delivered to the soil and the temperature range and moisture availability at that location.
It is well known that warmer conditions cause much more organic matter destruction and carbon loss and frequently such locations produce less biomass in the soil to begin with.
Carbon storage in soil is the balance between the amount of plant or other organic materials added to it and the pace at which it can be degraded
And, as indicated in last week’s article, climates that are cool and moist produce more plant biomass and have lower organic matter destruction, hence such soils have a greater capacity to accumulate higher organic matter levels.
Carbon storage in soil is the balance between the amount of plant or other organic materials added to it and the pace at which it can be degraded. The latter will be influenced by the population of microorganisms present in the soil which can break it down and these may only begin to build when the ‘organic feed’ is supplied.
Slower recycling helps hold carbon
For this reason, the cycling or build-up of organic matter in the soil tends to be very slow initially in a low organic matter soil. However, there could still be a significant increase in soil carbon taking place, as the microorganisms that break it down increase massively in numbers in response to the supply of food.
These then trap some of the carbon for their own growth, but they also release CO2 when they live and feed, and again when they die and decay.
The turnover of organic material in the soil, which is the rate at which it enters and is degraded in the soil, is governed by the activity of soil-living organisms. These, in turn, are highly influential for soil fertility, plant growth and climate. These organisms also have a role in regulating the exchange of elements between our soil-based and atmospheric carbon pools. So, the management of these soil organisms is a powerful tool in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change.
While plants take in carbon in the form of CO2, soil organisms determine the rate of turnover of this organic matter pool
Farming can help retain more carbon in the recycling process by keeping it trapped in plants, animals, and soil, but all of these have lifespans.
While plants take in carbon in the form of CO2, soil organisms determine the rate of turnover of this organic matter pool. But as well as the soil organisms, it is generally established that the highest levels of soil organic matter degradation are consistently found in warm (hot) and moist regions while degradation rates are much lower in cool or dry climates.
Carbon can reside in the air, as minerals in the ground, in organic matter in our soils, in soil-living organisms, in plants and trees and in the many different forms of animal life.Carbon is drawn from the atmosphere as CO2 to fuel plant growth before it is released again as CO2 to the atmosphere.Slowing the recycling process can help store more carbon in the soil and thus decrease or slow its release back to the atmosphere.When LESS means more slurry N
LESS is the acronym for low emission slurry spreading – a topic made increasingly important by climate change requirements and air pollution legislation. It was pointed out to me recently that not many farmers actually understand what LESS is supposed to mean, other than that it is a modification to slurry spreading machinery which makes it heavier, more expensive, and possibly slower.
While these observations may be true, farmers can receive grant aid to upgrade application machinery to the standards required for LESS equipment. But what is LESS application trying to achieve at field level?
For many years there has been increasing focus on how slurry is spread, and the risks associated with using splash plates. Part of this emphasis hinges on making better use of the nitrogen contained in the slurry, reducing the need to apply as much from the bag whilst also reducing its loss to the atmosphere. So, the objectives of LESS are to improve the environmental and economic performance of slurry.
A major objective is to reduce ammonia emissions to the atmosphere by decreasing the opportunity for ammonia to ‘escape’. This is done by minimising its exposure to air, which can decrease the ammonia N loss by up to 60%, according to Teagasc research. This means more of the N stays in the field so less bagged nitrogen is required. Minimising the exposure of slurry to air is done by using equipment such as:
Slurry tanker fitted with trailing shoe, dribble bar or band spreader.Slurry tanker with shallow injection system.An umbilical slurry spreading system. 
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: