scholarly journals Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Different Land-Use Systems: A Case Study of CO2 in the Southern Zone of Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilys Sefakor MacCarthy ◽  
Robert B. Zougmoré ◽  
Pierre Bienvenu Irénikatché Akponikpè ◽  
Eric Koomson ◽  
Patrice Savadogo ◽  
...  

The emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) results in global warming and climate change. The extent to which developing countries contribute to GHG emissions is not well known. This study reports findings on the effects of different land-use systems on GHG emissions (CO2 in this case) from two locations in the southern zone of Ghana, West Africa. Site one (located at Kpong) contained a heavy clay soil while site two (located at Legon) contained a light-textured sandy soil. Land-use systems include cattle kraals, natural forests, cultivated maize fields, and rice paddy fields at site one, and natural forest, woodlots, and cultivated soya bean fields at site two. CO2 emissions were measured using the gas entrapment method (PVC chambers). Trapping solutions were changed every 12–48 h and measurement lasted 9 to 15 days depending on the site. We found that, for the same land-use, CO2 emissions were higher on the clay soil (Kpong) than the sandy soil (Legon). In the clay soil environment, the highest average CO2 emission was observed from the cattle kraal (256.7 mg·m−2·h−1), followed by the forest (146.0 mg·m−2·h−1) and rice paddy (140.6 mg·m−2·h−1) field. The lowest average emission was observed for maize cropped land (112.0 mg·m−2·h−1). In the sandy soil environment, the highest average CO2 emission was observed from soya cropped land (52.5 mg·m−2·h−1), followed by the forest (47.4 mg·m−2·h−1) and woodlot (33.7 mg·m−2·h−1). Several factors influenced CO2 emissions from the different land-use systems. These include the inherent properties of the soils such as texture, temperature, and moisture content, which influenced CO2 production through their effect on soil microbial activity and root respiration. Practices that reduce CO2 emissions are likely to promote carbon sequestration, which will consequently maintain or increase crop productivity and thereby improve global or regional food security.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0252305
Author(s):  
Leta Hailu ◽  
Gizaw Tesfaye ◽  
Kalkidan Fikirie ◽  
Yalemtsehay Debebe

This study was conducted in Somodo Watershed to investigate the land-use practices and its effect on species diversity and selected soil properties. Field observation was carried out to identify existing land-use practices following a transect line. A total of 20 plots (10 × 10) m2 were sampled from plots exhibiting different land-use practices found in the watershed in order to evaluate species richness and diversity. Soil samples were also collected from each plot. The soil samples were analyzed following standard laboratory procedures. The result of the analysis showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in species diversity and richness among different land-use practices. Coffea arabica was dominant in homestead gardens and natural forests while Grevillea robusta showed had maximum richness in plantations and farm forests in the Watershed. Furthermore, home garden agroforestry practice was significantly (p<0.05) affected soil pH compared to other land-use systems (cultivated land, natural forest, and plantation forest. While Organic carbon (OC), Total nitrogen (TN), and Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (C: N) did not show significance difference among land-use systems in the watershed. The study has concluded that different land-use practices had a positive impact on sustaining species diversity, richness, and improve soil properties. Therefore, the study suggests that improving and expanding home garden agroforestry practices in the area are indispensable for environmental protection and soil fertility enhancement.


Biologia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uttam Sharma ◽  
Vikas Sharma

AbstractIn a multidisciplinary study, highly significant interactional effects were found among land use, livestock component, soil properties and rainfall. On an average, 16.2 to 82.2 tonnes of sediment yield km−2 and more than 90% of rainwater was retained in-situ in new land use systems as against 3621.3 tonnes of sediment and 66.3% rainwater retention in shifting cultivation, because of poor land cover. Good vegetation cover reduced the runoff load, resulting in significant reduction in the soil and nutrient erosion. The average sediment yield was only 0.44%, 2.68%, 1.47%, 0.31%, 0.73% and 2.27% in livestock based, forestry, agro-forestry, agriculture, agri-horti-silvi-pastoral and horticulture land use systems of that of shifting cultivation. Highest average sediment yield was 704.3 t km−2 when the annual rainfall was 2770 mm and minimum 405.4 t km−2 when the annual rainfall was 1992 mm. More in-situ retention of rainwater helped in the availability of adequate moisture from the soil to the succeeding crops when the rainy season receded. The sediment yield varied according to the rainfall received during a particular year and the nature of vegetation in a particular land use. There was sufficient fertility build-up in the watersheds where animals were kept and after ten years of start of the study, no need of inorganic sources of nutrients was required. The organic carbon, humus, exchangeable calcium, magnesium, potassium and available phosphorus increased significantly in the new land use systems compared to shifting cultivation, however, the DTPA (Diethylene triamine penta acetic acid) extractable zinc, copper, iron and exchangeable aluminium decreased over the initial soil status. It showed that the vegetation in the new land uses had a smothering effect on the soil and increase in the elements had a favourable impact on the crop productivity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Giannakis ◽  
Christos Manitsas ◽  
Ilias Eleftherohorinos ◽  
Georgios Menexes ◽  
Christina Emmanouil ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims: A biosolid made from municipal sludge, acting as an organic fertilizer that enhanced plant growth and crop productivity, was evaluated for its effect on tomato growth and tolerance enhancement against the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (Forl). Methods: Peat and/or two soil types were amended with mixtures of this biosolid (0, 80 and 160 tn/ha) in order to study the growth of tomato plants and their response to Forl, either under controlled conditions or outdoors in a net protected area. Results: The results showed that biosolid addition increased tolerance of tomato plants against the disease. There was also an increase of tomato fresh weight, root weight, stem height and leaf number compared to the Forl-inoculated control soils. Forl, at 5 weeks after tomato transplanting, caused higher disease index on plants grown outdoors in biosolid plus clay soil than in biosolid plus sandy soil, while the opposite occurred under laboratory conditions where higher disease index was recorded on plants grown in peat plus sandy soil than in peat plus clay soil. Conclusions: The findings strongly support the evidence that this biosolid may act as an organic fertilizer and as a possible stimulant of tomato tolerance against Forl. Therefore, this type of biosolid, previously proven to be minimal ecotoxicological impact, should be considered for its possible use in agriculture according to the principles of circular economy and waste minimization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Muhammad Rashid ◽  
Sana Kanwal ◽  
Sana Ghafar ◽  
Komal Nawwal ◽  
Sana Ajmal ◽  
...  

Soil texture is an important environmental factor that influences the crop productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum) because it provides all the nutrients required for growth of the plants. The soil based on nutrients is classified into four classes: silt, clay, sand, and loam. Soil based on mineral particles was classified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to USDA, loam particles have a size between sand (2.00–1.0 mm) and silt (0.05–0.002 mm), whereas clay is less than 0.002 mm. Analysis shows that the growth rate of Triticum aestivum in each soil sample is different. The sizes of seven plants were increased in loamy soil, to 47 cm, whereas in sandy soil, plants were 25 cm long. Seven plants were grown in clay soil, and had lengths of 28 cm. Finally, five plants were grown in silt soil, and reached a size of 38 cm. After fertilizing each plant in the different soils equally, that the productivity of plants in loamy soil was observed to be greater as compared to plants of other soil samples. Clay soil plants showed improvements as compared to sand and silt soil, although not as good as loam. The worst growing plants were observed in sandy soil. This shows that the growth of Triticum aestivum plants is better in loamy soil, and loamy soil is the most beneficial for wheat crop productivity.


Author(s):  
Olha Dorosh ◽  
Iryna Kupriyanchik ◽  
Denys Melnyk

The land and town planning legislation concerning the planning of land use development within the united territorial communities (UTC) is considered. It is found that legislative norms need to be finalized. The necessity of updating the existing land management documentation developed prior to the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On Land Management" and changes in the structure of urban development in connection with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On Regulation of Urban Development" was proved as they do not ensure the integrity of the planning process within the territories of these communities through their institutional incapacity (proved by the example of the Palan Unified Territorial Community of the Uman district of the Cherkasy region). The priority of land management and urban planning documents as the most influential tools in planning the development of land use systems in UTC is scientifically grounded and their interdependence established.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1398
Author(s):  
Tavjot Kaur ◽  
Simerpreet Kaur Sehgal ◽  
Satnam Singh ◽  
Sandeep Sharma ◽  
Salwinder Singh Dhaliwal ◽  
...  

The present study was conducted to investigate the seasonal effects of five land use systems (LUSs), i.e., wheat–rice (Triticum aestivum—Oryza sativa) system, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), orange (Citrus sinensis) orchard, safeda (Eucalyptus globules) forest, and grassland, on soil quality and nutrient status in the lower Satluj basin of the Shiwalik foothills Himalaya, India. Samples were analyzed for assessment of physico-chemical properties at four soil depths, viz., 0–15, 15–30, 30–45, and 45–60 cm. A total of 120 soil samples were collected in both the seasons. Soil texture was found to be sandy loam and slightly alkaline in nature. The relative trend of soil organic carbon (SOC), macro- and micro-nutrient content for the five LUSs was forest > orchard > grassland > wheat–rice > sugarcane, in the pre- and post-monsoon seasons. SOC was highly correlated with macronutrients and micronutrients, whereas SOC was negatively correlated with soil pH (r = −0.818). The surface soil layer (0–15 cm) had a significantly higher content of SOC, and macro- and micro-nutrients compared to the sub-surface soil layers, due to the presence of more organic content in the soil surface layer. Tukey’s multiple comparison test was applied to assess significant difference (p < 0.05) among the five LUSs at four soil depths in both the seasons. Principle component analysis (PCA) identified that SOC and electrical conductivity (EC) were the most contributing soil indicators among the different land use systems, and that the post-monsoon season had better soil quality compared to the pre-monsoon season. These indicators helped in the assessment of soil health and fertility, and to monitor degraded agroecosystems for future soil conservation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Hao ◽  
Yu Ruihong ◽  
Zhang Zhuangzhuang ◽  
Qi Zhen ◽  
Lu Xixi ◽  
...  

AbstractGreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rivers and lakes have been shown to significantly contribute to global carbon and nitrogen cycling. In spatiotemporal-variable and human-impacted rivers in the grassland region, simultaneous carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions and their relationships under the different land use types are poorly documented. This research estimated greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) emissions in the Xilin River of Inner Mongolia of China using direct measurements from 18 field campaigns under seven land use type (such as swamp, sand land, grassland, pond, reservoir, lake, waste water) conducted in 2018. The results showed that CO2 emissions were higher in June and August, mainly affected by pH and DO. Emissions of CH4 and N2O were higher in October, which were influenced by TN and TP. According to global warming potential, CO2 emissions accounted for 63.35% of the three GHG emissions, and CH4 and N2O emissions accounted for 35.98% and 0.66% in the Xilin river, respectively. Under the influence of different degrees of human-impact, the amount of CO2 emissions in the sand land type was very high, however, CH4 emissions and N2O emissions were very high in the artificial pond and the wastewater, respectively. For natural river, the greenhouse gas emissions from the reservoir and sand land were both low. The Xilin river was observed to be a source of carbon dioxide and methane, and the lake was a sink for nitrous oxide.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 407
Author(s):  
Ling Li ◽  
Yong-Jiang Zhang ◽  
Abigayl Novak ◽  
Yingchao Yang ◽  
Jinwu Wang

In recent years, plants in sandy soils have been impacted by increased climate variability due to weak water holding and temperature buffering capacities of the parent material. The projected impact spreads all over the world, including New England, USA. Many regions of the world may experience an increase in frequency and severity of drought, which can be attributed to an increased variability in precipitation and enhanced water loss due to warming. The overall benefits of biochar in environmental management have been extensively investigated. This review aims to discuss the water holding capacity of biochar from the points of view of fluid mechanics and propose several prioritized future research topics. To understand the impacts of biochar on sandy soils in-depth, sandy soil properties (surface area, pore size, water properties, and characteristics) and how biochar could improve the soil quality as well as plant growth, development, and yield are reviewed. Incorporating biochar into sandy soils could result in a net increase in the surface area, a stronger hydrophobicity at a lower temperature, and an increase in the micropores to maximize gap spaces. The capability of biochar in reducing fertilizer drainage through increasing water retention can improve crop productivity and reduce the nutrient leaching rate in agricultural practices. To advance research in biochar products and address the impacts of increasing climate variability, future research may focus on the role of biochar in enhancing soil water retention, plant water use efficiency, crop resistance to drought, and crop productivity.


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