Priv.Doz Rebecca Hood-Nowotny Ph.D.

, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

B.Sc.(Hons), MBA.

Carbon measurement for

mitigating climate change

[email protected]

02.08.2024 1
Rational for soil health regeneration.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Potential to improve environmental and ecological issues at large

spatial scales while preserving economic interests.

▪ Harvesting, pruning, weeding and fertilizing are dominate activities on

in agricultural systems and plantations.

▪ We hypothesis that there is a trade-off between higher intensity

management and ecosystem function provision and biodiversity
Big change for soils.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Monocultures

▪ Fertilizers

▪ Pesticides/Chemical controls
Big change wider world
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Warmer Climate
▪ Unpredictability
▪ Extreme weather
▪ Demographics
Foundations of soil health.
Soil is a living entity!
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Carbon/
Protection Diversity
Nutrients

Resistance Resilience Sustenance

Soil carbon
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Soil
Microbial
“Humus” Biomass
(SMB)

“Roots”

Global average of SMB-C/Corg 1.2%

 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

250 kg Fungi DM ha-1

3 km g-1 soil

1010-1012 bacterial cells g-1 soil

Soil carbon pump

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Management practices to increase
soil carbon and improve soil health
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Cover crops, intercrops, continuous

soil cover,
▪ Rotation/diversification
▪ Agroforestry
▪ No till
▪ Biochar
▪ Compost/EOM application
▪ Pesticide reduction /elimination
▪ Inclusion of livestock
Soil health indicators
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Physical Biological Chemical

Indicators of soil health.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Physical indicators
▪ Bulk density
▪ Soil aggregate stability
▪ Infiltration
▪ Water holding capacity
▪ Surface/subsurface Hardness

chemical indicators
▪ pH, CEC,
▪ Soil organic carbon, and soil nutrient retention and status. diversity
Indicators of soil health.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Biological indicators:
▪ Soil biodiversity
▪ microbial activity:
evident from:
▪ Soil enzyme activity,
▪ SOM decomposition,
▪ soil respiration
Key parameters of indicators.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Rapid/Reliable/
Measurable Robust Implementable
Repeatable
Indicators of soil health.
Physical indicators Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Bulk density

Yang Biogeochemistry 2007

Indicators of soil health.
Physical indicators Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Soil aggregate stability

Indicators of soil health.
Physical indicator: but biologically driven Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Soil aggregate stability

Extracellular polysaccharides
EPS
Indicators of soil health.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Physical indicators
▪ Infiltration

Brah Agronomy 2015

Indicators of soil health.
Physical indicators Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Water holding capacity WHC predictions based

on NIRS of 2mm sample

Based on Hudson (1994)

Blaschek Nature Reports 2019

Indicators of soil health.
Physical indicators Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Surface/subsurface
hardness
 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

How manageable are root carbon inputs? - Stance of the IPCC

Nabuurs et al. 2022 IPCC 6th Ass. Rep. AFOLU

Chemical indicators:
Cation exchange capacity.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Masmoudi et al., 2020

Soil carbon
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Soil carbon
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Root carbon in agroecosystems

• up to 90% of all C inputs Kätterer et al. 2011 AGEE

• 2.4-time higher residence time in soil than shoot biomass Rasse et al. 2005 Plant Soil
• long-term C storage Russell et al. 2009 Ecol Appl

Root carbon inputs and residence time depend on:

• form of C inputs Kögel-Knabner 2017 SBB; Hirte et al. 2018 AGEE
• pedoclimatic conditions Hicks Pries et al. 2018 SBB; Hirte, Walder et al. 2021 STOTEN
• agricultural management
Genotype x environment network

h2020-invite.eu

Winter wheat:
• 16 commercially relevant varieties at 14 sites
• selected sites: conventional vs. organic
MaxRoot-C: 10 varieties at 9 INVITE + 2 MaxRoot-C sites
 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Forms of root C inputs

Root biomass Rhizodeposits
primary → coarse roots lateral → fine roots

Symbiont
Exudates
s
Sloughed-off
cells

Mucilage

adapted from Baetz and Martinoia 2013 Trends Plant Sci

Determining the impact of variety and environment
on root carbon inputs
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Vertical root distribution – root biomass per soil depth

Variability
Site 48
Variety 19
Residual 33

Site 28
Variety 3
Residual 10

Site 24
Variety 2
Residual 11

Site 10
Variety 2
Residual 6

Site 13
Variety 2
Residual 9
Video

• https://drive.boku.ac.at/lib/6f448535-1eea-47cb-a821-79d912278ba1/file/WP-
3%20Main%20crops/MaxRoot_C_final_cut.mp4
Connecting management and soil fertility
to root carbon inputs
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Objectives: To assess the effect of organic amendment applications (biochar, Site: Grabenegg (AGES), Austria.
compost, NPK) on maize root biomass and architecture.

1. Root excavation at 30 cm depth

and rinsing at low pressure
2. Shovelomics

3. Root biomass
determination
Connecting management and soil fertility
to root carbon inputs
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Objectives: To assess the effect of organic amendment applications (biochar,

compost, NPK) on maize root biomass and architecture.
3. Root biomass
determination

Silage maize
2022
a

ab
ab
b
Treatments b
b
• Control
• Compost (35 t/ha equivalent to ca. 350kg
N/ha)
• Compost + biochar (35 t/ha + 7t/ha hardwood
biochar)
• NPK + biochar (175 kg N, 90 kg P2O5, 225 kg
K2O/ha + 7t/ha hardwood biochar)
• NPK (175 kg N, 90 kg P2O5, 225 kg K2O/ha)
• Biodigestate
Determining contribution of rhizodeposits
to soil carbon storage.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Soil carbon
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Soil
Microbial
“Humus” Biomass
(SMB)

“Roots”

Global average of SMB-C/Corg 1.2%

Progress in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)measurements.

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Promoted by ICRAF
and CIFOR
Indicators of soil health.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Biological indicators:
▪ Soil biodiversity

▪ microbial activity: evident from:

▪ soil enzyme activity,
▪ SOM decomposition,
▪ soil respiration
Soil biodiversity
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Decomposition
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Soil respiration.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Soil enzyme activity
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Shukla et al. 2019 IPCC Techn. Sum.

Biochar
Biomass
– manure
– organic
wastes
– bio-energy
crops
Transport
(grasses, willows)
– crop residues Biofuel Energy
– bio-oil
– hydrogen Co-products (oil)
Industry

Pyrolysi Residual
s heat

Optionally, N2, NOX, SOX,

CO2 can be added to
increase C sink and nutrient
content
Returned to
soil as
biochar
 Above ground
vertebrates and
invertebrates.
SOIL Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Plant biomass Extracellular

composition poly
sacarides

Enzyme
Ecosystem services.
CO2 activity
Biodiversity Carbon sequestration
& processes
CO2 Microbial
biomass Organic Reduction in GHG emissions
matter
Energy pyrolysis Meso stability Nutrient retention
fauna Macrofauna
Biochar Nutrient cycling
Carbon
Pore size Ecosystem health/cultural retention
distribution CEC
Bulk Productivity
Agregate Density
stability
Properties

Surface pH
area
Water holding
impedence
capacity
Different scales of production
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Biochar production systems.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Biochar and N cycling in the tropics.

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Biochar Nitrogen
t/ha kg/ha

TREATMENT

Biochar + crop 100

Crop+ Fertilizer 30
Crop + Fert + Biochar 100 30 Hood-Nowotny 2009
 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

300 and 400 °C

retention time 3-4 hours

0 wt.% (T1)
1.5 wt.% (T2)
3.0 wt.% (T3)

Chia Nin Hwong et al 2022

Stable isotope tracers

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

1% all carbon 13C

0.4% all nitrogen 15N
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Hood-Nowotny et al., Geosciences 2018.

Trade offs of carbon sequestration.
Nitrous oxide
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ 1 kg of N2O emitted 265 CO2eqv

▪ N2O 7% of total agricultural US-

GHG emissions

▪ Soil management activities e.g.

fertilizer N application
accounting for almost 80% of
total emissions (CAST 2004;
EPA 2009).

3.3-10.8 t CO2 eqv t-1 N in inorganic fertilizer.

Robust measurements of N2O
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Reduction in emissions due to biochar.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Biochar boosts
tropical but not
temperate crop yields

Jeffery et al., 2017

 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Hans-Peter Schmidt et al., 2021,

 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Terima kasih
New tools
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Spectral analysis of leaves
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

400 – 900 nm

Hariadi et al 2024
Water stress estimation using 13C
and leaf temperature
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Correlation with temperature.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Potential biochar production in Indonesia.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

15000000 Land under oil palm Indonesia

-1
2.2 Mass production ha Trunks/20
-1
1.1 Mass production ha Shells
6600000 Mass * area * conversion factor Trunks
13200000 Mass * area * conversion factor Trunks
19800000 69300000

700000000 CO2 equivalents per annum emmitted in Indonesia (excluding LUC)

9.9 potential proportion that could be offset by biochar production.

 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

300 and 400 °C

retention time 3-4 hours

0 wt.% (T1)
1.5 wt.% (T2)
3.0 wt.% (T3)

Chia Nin Hwong et al 2022

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
 Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Kananam et al 2011
4 per mil strategy.
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Biochar
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

▪ Enormous potential

▪ Complex combination of process engineering and agronomy.

▪ Scales of the practice

▪ Regulatory issues
Carbon stock loss under conversion
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Guillaume Nature Communications 2014

Trade offs and pollution swapping
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Reduction in emissions due to biochar.
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Right place: Methods of application
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▪ Broadcast

▪ Soil injection

▪ Stem injection

▪ Foliar application

Ginting IOP 2023

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien