Estimating sustainable crop residue removal rates and costs based on soil organic matter dynamics and rotational complexity

Kludze, Hilla; Deen, Bill; Weersink, Alfons; Acker, Rene Van; Janovicek, Ken; Laporte, Aaron De; McDonald, Ian

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2013.05.036

Cited by 45 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The topography is generally characterized by a combination of flat and rolling terrains, occasionally interspersed with steep ravines, and soils in the sample area range from clay to sand (Schut 1992). Southwestern Ontario has the greatest proportion of tillable land in the province, with a total of 3,026,576 ha (Kludze et al 2011), and an estimated biomass of residue (from three common crops-corn, soybean and winter wheat) that could be removed annually, ranging between 6,963 and 7,223 kg ha -1 (Kludze et al 2013). The climate is characterized by long, moderate winters (November through April) and hot, humid summers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the number of measurements required to estimate crop residue cover by different methods

Laamrani¹,

Joosse²,

Feisthauer³

2017

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

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Ahmed Laamrani is a visiting postdoctoral fellow, Pamela Joosse is senior land resource scientist, and Natalie Feisthauer is a land resource scientist in the Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.Determining the number of measurements required to estimate crop residue cover by different methods A. Laamrani, P. Joosse, and N. Feisthauer Abstract: Crop residue left after harvest plays an important role in controlling against soil erosion and in increasing soil organic matter content of agricultural soils. Crop residue management is a practice of great importance in southwestern Ontario, where soil management practices have an effect on Great Lakes water quality. The use of remote sensing data to measure and monitor crop residue can be fast and efficient. However, remote sensing-based studies need calibration and validation using field observations. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal number of ground-truthing field measurements (i.e., digital photographs) required to estimate residue levels. To do so, we compared the residue estimates derived from digital photographs with those derived from the standard line-transect method. Residue was measured from 18 fields located in southern Ontario, and data collected included percentage of crop residue using line-transect and photographic grid methods. Results were analyzed using linear regression, correlation tests, ANOVA, and means tests. Analyses were also conducted to retrospectively determine the minimum number of line transects or digital photos required to estimate crop residue cover at specified levels of power. Results showed that (1) percentage of crop residue estimates derived from using digital photographs were strongly correlated (r = 0.91, p < 0.001, R 2 = 0.83, and n = 90) to those derived from using line transects; (2) counting 50 to 100 points per digital photograph was sufficient to accurately estimate the percentage of residue cover; and (3) there was greater variability in the results for soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) than for corn (Zea mays L.), with the highest variability for medium-level soybean residue. Overall, the digital photograph method to estimate percentage of residue was found to be a suitable alternative to the line-transect method, which is more time consuming and labor intensive. Determining the optimal numbers of measurements to estimate crop residue cover is important to those wishing to use digital photo capture methods to record, archive, and measure residue for remote sensing calibration and validation or for handheld mobile device applications. Key words: digital photograph method-field crops-Great Lakes-line-transect methodsoil cover-validation and calibrationOntario, Canada's most populous and second largest province, has more than half of the highest quality farmland in Canada, with a total number of about 52,000 farms according to the 2011 Census of Agriculture (AAFC 2013). Crop residue (nonphotosynthetic vegetation) management is an important agricult...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the number of measurements required to estimate crop residue cover by different methods

Laamrani¹,

Joosse²,

Feisthauer³

2017

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

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“…Several studies have confirmed that open burning of crop residues is an efficient way to control insects, diseases and the emergence of invasive weed species [41,42]. On the other hand, it has been argued that this practice has negative impacts in terms of national economic losses [43,44], environmental degradation [45,46], health impacts [47], and soil organic matter (SOM) loss [48], which leads to a reduction of soil fertility and crop production.…”

Section: Field Burning Of Crop Residues and Ghg Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air-Pollutant Emissions from Agricultural Burning in Mae Chaem Basin, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

2018

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Particulate pollution is a continual problem which is usually caused by the burning of crop residues in highland agricultural systems. The objectives of this study are to investigate crop-residue management and estimate the amount of pollutant emissions from burning crop residues for each land-use pattern (grain maize, seed maize and integrated farming), and to estimate the chemical compositions of PM 2.5 emissions from agricultural burning in Mae Chaem basin, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The purposive sampling method was used for sample selection. A door-to-door questionnaire survey was used to obtain responses from 149 respondents. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the open burning of crop residues were estimated, using specific emission factors obtained from several literature reviews and from the field by the questionnaire survey. Results revealed that the majority of farmers burned maize residues during April and May and mostly in the afternoon. These burning behaviors are in line with the supportive weather conditions that reflect high values of temperature and wind speed, and less rainfall and relative humidity result in maize residues being burned easily and quickly. The integrated farming system generated the lowest GHG emissions and amount of chemical composition of PM 2.5 emissions, followed by the grain maize and seed maize patterns, respectively. This study strongly supports the implementation of the integrated farming system in Mae Chaem basin. Proactive and reactive measures should be taken in a well-organized and systematic fashion and should engage all related parties. More importantly, there is an urgent need for policy makers to include PM 2.5 concentrations to upgrade Thailand's air-quality index (PM 2.5 AQI).

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“…Analysing data from field experiments, mostly in the USA [5], showed that a corn residue harvest of 25-100 % removal consistently resulted in SOC losses averaging 3-8 Mg ha −1 in the top 30-cm soil layer. In Ontario, due to the government commitment in shifting from coal to bioenergy sources of energy, sustainable residue removal rates were calculated with the aim of preserving existing SOC levels [9]. In Europe, despite the ambitious targets of the bioenergy sector, the large-scale impact of crop residues exploitation on SOC stock is still lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Soil Organic Carbon Changes Under Different Maize Cropping Scenarios for Cellulosic Ethanol in Europe

Lugato

Jones

2014

Bioenerg. Res.

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The utilization of crop residues in the production of second-generation biofuels has the potential to boost the bioenergy sector without affecting food commodity prices. However, policies leading to large-scale biomass removal should carefully balance the consequences, both environmental and in terms of emissions, on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks depletion. Using a recently developed simulation platform, SOC changes were estimated at European level (EU + candidate and potential candidate countries) under two scenarios of low (R30) and high (R90) maize stover removal for cellulosic ethanol production (i.e. 30 and 90 % of stover removal, respectively). Additionally, mitigation practices for SOC preservation, namely the introduction of a ryegrass cover crop (R90_C) and biodigestate return to soil (R90_B), were explored under the highest rate of stover removal. The results showed that 15.3 to 50.6 Mt year −1 of stover (dry matter) would be potentially available for ethanol production under the lower and high removal rates considered. However, largescale exploitation of maize residues will lead to a SOC depletion corresponding to 39.7-135.4 Mt CO 2 eq. by 2020 (under R30 and R90, respectively) with greater losses in the long term. In particular, every tonne of C residue converted to bioethanol was predicted to have an additional impact on SOC loss almost ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 CO 2 eq. ha −1 year −1 , considering a continuous biofuel scenario by 2050. The mitigation practices evaluated could more than halve SOC losses compared to R90, but not totally offsetting the negative soil C balance. There is a pressing need to design policies at EU level for optimum maize biofuel cultivations that will preserve the current SOC stock or even generate C credits.

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Estimating sustainable crop residue removal rates and costs based on soil organic matter dynamics and rotational complexity

Cited by 45 publications

References 34 publications

Determining the number of measurements required to estimate crop residue cover by different methods

Determining the number of measurements required to estimate crop residue cover by different methods

Air-Pollutant Emissions from Agricultural Burning in Mae Chaem Basin, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Modelling Soil Organic Carbon Changes Under Different Maize Cropping Scenarios for Cellulosic Ethanol in Europe

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