According to Efe Agro, researchers from the Segura Center for Soil Science and Applied Biology (CEBAS-CSIC) of the University of Murcia seek to determine the most suitable soil management strategies to improve agricultural productivity while mitigating climate change, converting the land in a carbon dioxide (CO2) store.
This research is framed in a project of the European Joint Program EJP-Soil, which is coordinated by the Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA).
Felipe Bastida, principal investigator of the EJP-Soil in Spain and member of the Group of Enzymology and Soil Bioremediation of CEBAS-CSIC, explained that the objective of this research is to find out the soil management strategies that favor carbon sequestration in the soil and, in turn, reduce the flow of greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide or methane, to the continental level. Carbon sequestration is the ability of the soil to absorb, through plants, CO2 from the atmosphere.
CEBAS researchers defend that the reuse of organic waste (composts, digested, biochar, among others) is a fundamental strategy to increase soil fertility and productivity, while providing a rational and sustainable solution to the accumulation of waste and carbon sequestration is favored.
However, the response of the soil to these organic materials depends a lot on the characteristics of the material, the type of climate and soil, as Mariluz Cayuela, researcher at CEBAS-CSIC and participant in the EJP-Soil project, has clarified. For this reason, she Cayuela added that the impact of organic fertilization on the balance of greenhouse gases should be studied for each specific region.
In particular, the objective of this international research is to evaluate what type of organic amendments, as well as where, in what quantity and at what moment are associated with an increase in carbon sequestration in the soil, in addition to reducing the emission of nitrous oxide and methane.
Each area has its own nutritional requirements, crops and climate, so the management of fertilizers and soil must necessarily be different.
In addition, the project aims to identify the biotic (microorganisms, plants or crops) and abiotic (soil, climate) factors that govern said balance, also including aspects related to the soil microbiota and the quality and chemical composition of organic waste.
According to Bastida, initiatives of this type are «fundamental» to generate agriculture that is an economic engine, but at the same time with high respect for the environment and that contributes to fighting climate change.
«This is an ambitious project that will provide vital knowledge to end users and administrations, and will be essential to protect a critical non-renewable resource for humanity and future generations: the soil,» concluded the researcher.