Perennial cover and less tillage help Prairie soils store more carbon
Drever CR, Long AM, Lasisi A, Alemu AW, Baulch H
Soil Health
Leaving soil undisturbed, planting perennials, and adding compost or manure to your own beds are the same moves that built up carbon and cut nitrous oxide in these Prairie farm studies.
Researchers pulled together results from 140 field studies on Canadian Prairie farms. Planting perennials and disturbing the soil less both helped the ground hold more carbon. Windbreak tree rows, compost and manure, careful fertilizer use, and mixed crop rotations cut emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas that comes from soil.
Key Findings
Perennial cover and reduced tillage significantly increased soil organic carbon by 5-10%, or 4-17 Mg C/ha.
Nitrous oxide emissions fell 19-88% (85-941 kg CO2e/ha) with shelterbelts, perennial cover, organic soil amendments, nitrogen management, and diversified crop rotations.
Almost all nine practices showed benefits but with high variability; rotational grazing and wetland rewetting had the biggest evidence gaps.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A review of 140 field studies found that most farming practices on the Canadian Prairies, like keeping perennial cover and reducing tillage, store more carbon in soil or cut greenhouse gas emissions. Results vary a lot from place to place, so some practices, such as rotational grazing and wetland rewetting, still need more research.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Agricultural practices as natural climate solutions in the Canadian Prairies.
Management practices focused on environmental outcomes in agriculture can increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, complementing farm production practices that ...
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