Potential of grassland rehabilitation through high density-short duration grazing to sequester atmospheric carbon

cg.contactVincent.chaplot@ird.fren_US
cg.contributor.centerInstitut de Recherche pour le Developpement - IRDen_US
cg.contributor.centerUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal - UKZNen_US
cg.contributor.centerInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics - ICRISATen_US
cg.contributor.crpCRP on Dryland Systems - DSen_US
cg.contributor.funderNot Applicableen_US
cg.coverage.countryZAen_US
cg.coverage.regionSouthern Africaen_US
cg.date.embargo-end-date2020-02-19en_US
cg.identifier.doihttps://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.02.010en_US
cg.isijournalISI Journalen_US
cg.issn0016-7061en_US
cg.journalGeodermaen_US
cg.subject.agrovocclimate changeen_US
cg.subject.agrovocdegradationen_US
cg.subject.agrovocrehabilitationen_US
cg.subject.agrovocgrazingen_US
cg.volume271en_US
dc.contributorDlamini, Phesheyaen_US
dc.contributorChivenge, Paulineen_US
dc.creatorChaplot, Vincenten_US
dc.date.accessioned2017-02-08T22:55:06Z
dc.date.available2017-02-08T22:55:06Z
dc.description.abstractAccording to the World Resources Institute (2000), a relative increase of carbon (C) stocks in world soils by 0.4% per year would be sufficient to compensate all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Several land management practices such as the suppression of tillage in agroecosystems and livestock exclusion in grasslands had initially been thought to store more carbon into the soil, but recent research puts this into question. In a context where finding effective C sequestration methods is urgent, the main objective of this study was to assess the ability of an innovative grassland management practice based on high density and short duration (HDSD) grazing to sequester atmospheric C into soils. The study was performed in a degraded communal rangeland in South Africa where soil organic C (SOC) depletion ranged from 5 to 95% depending on the degradation level, which varied from nondegraded (ND; with grass above ground coverage, Cov of 100%), degraded (D1; 50 < Cov < 75%), D2 (25 < Cov < 50%) and HD (highly degraded: Cov < 5%). The ability of HDSD (1200 cows ha− 1 for 3 days a year) to replenish SOC stocks was compared to four commonly used strategies: (1) livestock exclosure (E); (2) livestock exclosure with topsoil tillage (ET); (3) livestock exclosure with NPK fertilization (2:3:3, 22 at 0.2 t ha− 1) (EF); (4) annual burning (AB); all treatments being compared to traditional free grazing control. A total of 540 soil samples were collected in the 0–0.05 m soil layer for all treatments and degradation intensities. After two years, topsoil SOC stocks were significantly increased under EF and HDSD, by an average of 33.4 ± 0.5 and 12.4 ± 2.1 g C m2 y− 1, respectively. In contrast, AB reduced SOC stocks by 3.6 ± 3.0 g C m2 y− 1, while the impact of E and ET was not significant at P < 0.05. HDSD replenished SOC stocks the most at D1 and D2 (6.7 and 7.4% y− 1) and this was explained by grass recovery, i.e. a significant increase in soil surface coverage by grass and grass production. HDSD is costeffective, and thus has great potential to be widely adopted by smallholder farmers.en_US
dc.formatPDFen_US
dc.identifierhttp://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/9842en_US
dc.identifierhttps://mel.cgiar.org/reporting/downloadmelspace/hash/TyNl9or5/v/d4be1aecae544d88be95dca3587b6ee5en_US
dc.identifier.citationVincent Chaplot, Phesheya Dlamini, Pauline Chivenge. (19/2/2016). Potential of grassland rehabilitation through high density-short duration grazing to sequester atmospheric carbon. Geoderma, 271, pp. 10-17.en_US
dc.identifier.statusLimited accessen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/5587
dc.languageenen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC-4.0en_US
dc.sourceGeoderma;271,(2016) Pagination 10,17en_US
dc.subjectgrasslanden_US
dc.subjectsequestrationen_US
dc.titlePotential of grassland rehabilitation through high density-short duration grazing to sequester atmospheric carbonen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
dcterms.available2016-02-19en_US
dcterms.extent10-17en_US
mel.impact-factor2.855en_US

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