Review Carbon Footprint & Sequestration using Winter Cover Crops

1. Review Carbon Footprint & Sequestration using Winter Cover Crops Cover crop workshop, Oct 21st 2009 Bradford Farm MaeteePatana-Anake*, Tim Reinbott# and Bill Jacoby* *Biological Engineering #Bradford Farm Research and Extension Mizzou

2. Outline • Terminologies – Carbon footprint & sequestration • Factor of carbon footprint • Cover crop selection & performance comparison • Practices in cultivation • Summary

3. Terminologies

4. Terminologies • Carbon Footprint • the total set of carbon dioxide emission • ∆Carbon Footprint = Net Carbon Emission – Net Carbon Storage • Carbon Sequestration • Storage of CO2 into other form of C • Cover crop : CO2  Biomass

5. Cover crops selection &Performance comparison

6. Winter Cover Crop Selection • Rye (SecalecerealeL.) • Provide • organic matter (Biomass) • Weed reduction • Hairy Vetch (ViciavillosaRoth) • Provide • Nitrogen Reference : Reinbott et al. 2004

7. Cover Crop Management • Applying different mix of cover crop (% by weight) • No cover crop • Rye only (R100) • Rye and Vetch(R74V26) • Vetch only (V100) • No tillage practice & fertilizer applied • Level of C and N are not significantly influenced by tillage practice Reference Zotarelli et al 2009. , Sainju et al. 2006

8. Result – Sweet Corn yield (1) • Cover crop showing less performance as increasing of Nitrogen fertilizer • N is mainly contributed by Hairy Vetch • N contribution is range between 35 and 75 kg/ha Result from Zotarelli et al. 2009

9. Result – Corn yield (2)

10. Result – Cover crop biomass yield • C is mainly contributed by Rye • C contribution from cover crop ranging from 0.4 to 2.3 Mg/ha • C is estimate 37% of biomass yield (above ground and below ground) Reference Sainju et al. 2005

11. Result – C from Biomass

12. Result –Carbon Sequestration (1) • Net carbon sequestration = [the total gross organic C input] – [the organic C loss in erosion] • Approximately 30% is contributed to the atmosphere • 25 -30 % is contributed to cultivation in first 2 to 5 years • Assumption • Land have low in soil organic carbon • Cover crops are repeatedly planting each year with sweet corn Reference Gaiser et al. 2009, Ingram & Fernandes 2000, Ruffo & Bollero 2003

13. Result – Carbon Output • Outputs from planting cover crop Note: Emission of C in production of nitrogen fertilizer is estimated at 0.8575 kg C/kg Reference Ingram & Fernandes 2000, Sainju et al. 2005, West & Marland 2002

14. Practices in cultivation

15. Net Carbon in Cultivation • Carbon Inputs from practice in cover crop cultivation • No tillage • No irrigation • Planting (~5 gallon diesel/ha for drilling) • Seed production (total 108 kg/ha)

16. Result – Carbon Input • Inputs from practice in cover crop cultivation Note: Planting assume to use 5 gallon/ha Using 108 kg seed/ha Reference Zoterlli et al. 2009, West & Marland 2002

17. Summary

18. Summary – Net Carbon Footprint • Net carbon footprint of planting Rye and Hairy vetch comparing with sweet corn yield

19. Thank you!

20. References • Zotarelli et al. (2009), Benefit of Vetch and Rye Cover Crops to Sweet Corn under no Tillage • Sainju et al. (2005), Biculture Legume-Cereal Cover Crops for Enhanced Biomass Yield and Carbon and Nitrogen • Ruffo & Bollero (2003), Modeling Rye and Hairy Vetch Residue Decompostion as a function of Degree-Days and Decomposition Days • Sainju et al. (2006), Carbon Supply and Storage in Tilled and Nontilled Soil as Influenced by Cover Crops and Nitrogen Fertilization • Timothy M. Reinbott (2004), Tillage and Cropping Systems • Ingram & Fernandes (2000), Manging Carbon Sequestration in Soils: Concept and Terminology • West & Post (2002), Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Rates by Tillage and Crop Rotation: A Global Data Analysis