No abstract

Replacement of fossil fuels with sustainably produced biomass crops for energy purposes has the potential to make progress in addressing climate change concerns, nonrenewable resource use, and energy security. The perennial grass Miscanthus is a dedicated energy crop candidate being field tested in Ontario, Canada, and elsewhere. Miscanthus could potentially be grown in areas of the province that differ substantially in terms of agricultural land class, environmental factors and current land use. These differences could significantly affect Miscanthus yields, input requirements, production practices, and the types of crops being displaced by Miscanthus establishment. This study assesses implications on life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of these differences through evaluating five Miscanthus production scenarios within the Ontario context. Emissions associated with electricity generation with Miscanthus pellets in a hypothetically retrofitted coal generating station are examined. Indirect land use change impacts are not quantified but are discussed. The net life cycle emissions for Miscanthus production varied greatly among scenarios (À90-170 kg CO 2 eq per oven dry tonne of Miscanthus bales at the farm gate). In some cases, the carbon stock dynamics of the agricultural system offset the combined emissions of all other life cycle stages (i.e., production, harvest, transport, and processing of biomass). Yield and soil C of the displaced agricultural systems are key parameters affecting emissions. The systems with the highest potential to provide reductions in GHG emissions are those with high yields, or systems established on land with low soil carbon. All scenarios have substantially lower life cycle emissions (À20-190 g CO 2 eq kWh À1 ) compared with coal-generated electricity (1130 g CO 2 eq kWh À1 ). Policy development should consider the implication of land class, environmental factors, and current land use on Miscanthus production.

Development of a method for estimating the likelihood of crack flow in Canadian agricultural soils at the landscape scale. Can. J. Soil Sci. 90: 129Á149. Indicators of risk of water contamination by agricultural pollutants are developed in Canada to assess sustainability of agriculture. Crack flow (CF), a key pathway for sub-surface contaminant transport, is part of the transport-hydrology algorithm used in two of these risk indicators. The objective was to develop a methodology for predicting the likelihood of CF in Canadian agricultural soils at the landscape scale. The algorithm considers soil clay content, crack development followed by a runoff event based on water budget, tile drainage, and crops. More than 40% of Canadian farmlands had moderate to very high likelihood of CF, mainly in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, due to frequent runoffs on cracked clay soils potentially contributing to groundwater contamination. In Ontario and Quebec, farmlands with high CF likelihood correspond to regions under intensive tile drainage, which increases the risk of lateral translocation of contaminants to surface water bodies. Besides being a component of risk indicators of water contamination by phosphorus and coliforms, the CF algorithm and maps can be used to identify areas at risk of subsurface water contamination. Best management practices, adapted to reduce CF can then be targeted to these areas.

No abstract

The temporal variability in estimated water surplus in 12 climatic regions of the province of Ontario, Canada, and its spatial distribution throughout most of the province are discussed in this paper. Surplus water is that which results from precipitation that runs off the land surface and that which drains through the soil profile to the water table and through subsurface drainage. A one-dimensional, deterministic model (DRAINMOD) that simulates soil water flow, including plant uptake, evapotranspiration, and freeze/thaw conditions, was used to estimate the water surplus. Simulations were performed using daily climatic data from January 1954 to December 2001 for each region. A reference corn crop and the predominant local soil conditions in each region, with the hydraulic properties for each layer in the soil profile, were used as model inputs. There was considerable year-to-year variability in annual water surplus in all regions caused by both precipitation and soil conditions. It was the least (~150 mm) in three regions and it exceeded 350 mm in another three regions, where winter snowfall is the greatest as a result of these regions being in the lea of one of the Great Lakes. The variability in water surplus generally increased as average water surplus increased.