Author
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Reicosky, Donald |
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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Agricultural ecosystems can play a significant role in production and consumption of greenhouse gases, specifically, carbon dioxide. Information is needed on the mechanism and magnitude of greenhouse gas generation and emission from agricultural soils with specific emphasis on tillage mechanisms. This work evaluated four different tillage methods on the short-term CO2 and water vapor flux from a clay loam soil in the Northern Cornbelt of the U.S.A. Moldboard plow only, moldboard plow plus disk harrow twice, disk harrow and chisel plow using standard tillage equipment following a wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) crop were compared with no tillage. The CO2 flux was measured with a large portable chamber (commonly used to measure crop canopy gas exchange) within minutes after tillage and continued intermittently for 19 days. The carbon dioxide released during the 19 days following the moldboard plow, moldboard plow plus disk harrow, disk harrow, chisel plow and not tilled treatments would account for 134, 70, 58, 54, and 27% respectively of the carbon in the current years' crop residue. The short-term carbon dioxide losses 5 hours after four conservation tillage tools was only 31% of that of the moldboard plow. The moldboard plow lost 13.8 times as much CO2 as the soil area not tilled while different conservation tillage tools lost only 4.3 times. The smaller CO2 loss following conservation tillage tools is significant and suggests progress in developing conservation tillage tools that can enhance soil carbon management. Any effort to decrease tillage intensity and maximize residue return to the surface should result in carbon sequestration for enhanced environmental quality. |
