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Project title

TRUESOIL

Primary Funding Agency

DAFM

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University College Dublin (UCD)

Lead Applicant

n/a

Project Abstract

Agricultural soils are depleted in organic carbon (SOC) and have the potential to sequester substantial amounts of C, and contributing to climate change mitigation. Increases in SOC have additional benefits, including improvements in soil fertility, water retention and texture, which supports increases in crop productivity and biodiversity. Restoring and maintaining SOC can be achieved by adopting management practices which increase C sequestration and stabilize C. Common management practices for increasing SOC include the use of external or internally recycled C, or interventions that reduce SOC losses. However, these practices have the potential to increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by stimulating the decomposition of sequestered C and N, increasing CO2 and N2O emissions and negating any potential benefits. Unfortunately, the mechanisms and drivers behind increased GHG emissions and their interactions with SOC sequestration under different soil and climatic conditions are not well constrained, due to uncertainties in the way that abiotic and biotic factors control the extent to which soils can store SOC. Quantifying the negative side-effects of increased soil C sequestration is necessary to develop appropriate management options that are not compromised by increased GHG emissions. The main goal of TRUESOIL is to assess how GHG emissions are influenced by varying C inputs for contrasting soil types and climates. We will assess the roles of different abiotic and biotic factors on SOC sequestration and their impact on GHG emissions, in particular N2O, given its high warming potential and large uncertainty. Many C-augmenting management interventions are also likely to modify soil N cycling leading to enhanced N2O emissions. To examine trade-offs between SOC storage and GHG emissions, we will combine measurements of GHG emissions with carbon-nitrogen cycling and microbiological studies, examine controls on C saturation in soils and investigate the effect of climate change-related reductions in precipitation in different agri-climatic zones.

Grant Approved

�2,040,000.00

Research Hub

n/a

Research Theme

Carbon Stocks, GHG Emissions, Sinks and Management Options

Start Date

01/07/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

30/06/2025