Greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, and N2O) emissions after abandonment of agriculture

Alaa El-Hawwary, Kristof Brenzinger, Hyo Jung Lee, Annelies J. Veraart, Elly Morriën, Michael Schloter, Wim H. van der Putten, Paul L.E. Bodelier, Adrian Ho

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The GHG (CO2, CH4, N2O) emission potential along a chronosequence of former agricultural soils abandoned for 9 to 32 years were compared to an actively managed (on-going) agricultural soil (reference). The soils were incubated in mesocosms with and without manure amendment, and microbial functional groups involved in nitrous oxide emission were quantitatively assessed. Carbon dioxide emission significantly increased after agriculture abandonment (< 24 years) consistent with higher decomposition rate, but total emission decreased in the long term (> 29 years). With the cessation of agriculture, the abandoned sites generally became a net methane sink. Notably, total nitrous oxide emission showed a significant monotonic decrease over years of abandonment in response to manure amendment, possibly reflecting an altered capacity for (de)nitrification as indicated in the response of the (de)nitrifier abundance. Overall, our findings suggest that the GHG legacy of agriculture diminishes over time (> 29 years), with lowered GHG emissions and global warming potential (GWP) after abandonment of agriculture.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)579-591
Number of pages13
JournalBiology and Fertility of Soils
Volume58
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Agriculture abandonment
  • Ammonium oxidizers
  • Carbon-cycle
  • Denitrifiers
  • Legacy effect
  • Nitrogen cycle

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