Integrated management for sustainable cropping systems: Looking beyond the greenhouse balance at the field scale

Abstract

Cover crops (CC) promote the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC), which provides multiple benefits to agro‐ecosystems. However, additional nitrogen (N) inputs into the soil could offset the CO2 mitigation potential due to increasing N2O emissions. Integrated management approaches use organic and synthetic fertilizers to maximize yields while minimizing impacts by crop sequencing adapted to local conditions. The goal of this work was to test whether integrated management, centered on CC adoption, has the potential to maximize SOC stocks without increasing the soil greenhouse gas (GHG) net flux and other agro‐environmental impacts such as nitrate leaching. To this purpose, we ran the DayCent bio‐geochemistry model on 8,554 soil sampling locations across the European Union. We found that soil N2O emissions could be limited with simple crop sequencing rules, such as switching from leguminous to grass CC when the GHG flux was positive (source). Additional reductions of synthetic fertilizers applications are possible through better accounting for N available in green manures and from mineralization of soil reservoirs while maintaining cash crop yields. Therefore, our results suggest that a CC integrated management approach can maximize the agro‐environmental performance of cropping systems while reducing environmental trade‐offs.

Simulating impacts of nitrogen fertilization using DAYCENT to optimize economic returns and environmental services from bioenergy sorghum production

“…DAYCENT is a process‐based biogeochemical model which has been extensively used in different ecosystems at various spatiotemporal scales (Del Grosso et al., 2009; Field et al., 2018; Lee et al., 2012; Quemada, Lassaletta, Leip, Jones, & Lugato, 2020; Stehfest et al., 2007). The model includes plant sub‐model which simulates plant growth, senescence and death, SOC sub‐model that models litter decomposition and turnover, as well as soil GHG sub‐model that models trace gas fluxes on a daily basis (Del Grosso et al., 2001; Parton et al., 1998; Straube et al., 2018; Zhang, Hansen, Trout, Nielsen, & Paustian, 2018; Zhang, Suyker, & Paustian, 2018).…”

Spatial evaluation and trade‐off analysis of soil functions through Bayesian networks

“…(Parton, Hartman, Ojima, & Schimel, 1998). The Joint Research Council (JRC) applies this model at the EU scale on the LUCAS sample points (Ballabio, Panagos, & Monatanarella, 2016;Orgiazzi, Ballabio, Panagos, Jones, & Fernández-Ugalde, 2018) to estimate carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions in agricultural soils under different scenarios (Lugato, Leip, & Jones, 2018;Lugato, Paniagua, Jones, de Vries, & Leip, 2017;Quemada, Lassaletta, Leip, Jones, & Lugato, 2020) and it is validated for these two parameters. The DayCent model was applied on a 12-year simulation period following the procedure in Lugato et al (2017).…”

The consolidated European synthesis of CH4 and N2O emissions for EU27 and UK: 1990–2018

“…The DayCent modelling application at the EU level is a consolidated model framework running on LUCAS point (Orgiazzi, 2018) which was extensively explained in previous works (Lugato et al, 2017(Lugato et al, , 2018Quemada et al, 2020) where a detailed description of numerical and geographical datasets and uncertainty estimations is reported.…”

“…Bradbury et al, 1993Coleman., 1996Jenkinson., 1977, 1987Smith et al, 1996, 2010a BU DayCent N2O emissions from direct agricultural soils avg. 2011-2015 EC-JRC Orgiazzi et al, 2018Lugato et al, 2018, 2017Quemada et al, 2020 CH4 and N2O bottom-up natural BU JSBACH-HIMMELI CH4 emissions from peatlands 2005-2017 FMI Raivonen et al, 2017Susiluoto et al, 2018 https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2020-367 Maavara et al, 2017Lauerwald et al, 2019Deemer et al, 2016Del Sontro et al, 2018Mccauley et al, 1989 BU Geological emissions, including marine and land geological)…”