Effect of water table management and elevated CO2on radish productivity and on CH4and CO2fluxes from peatlands converted to agriculture.
Anthropogenic activity is affecting the global climate through the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) e.g. CO2and CH4. About a third of anthropogenic GHGs are produced from agriculture, including livestock farming and horticulture. A large proportion of the UK's horticultural farming takes place on drained lowland peatlands, which are a source of significant amounts of CO2into the atmosphere. This study set out to establish whether raising the water table from the currently used -50cm to -30cm could reduce GHGs emissions from agricultural peatlands, while simultaneously maintaining the current levels of horticultural productivity. A factorial design experiment used agricultural peat soil collected from the Norfolk Fens (among the largest of the UK's lowland peatlands under intensive cultivation) to assess the effects of water table levels, elevated CO2, and agricultural production on GHG fluxes and crop productivity of radish, one of the most economically important fenland crops. The results of this study show that a water table of -30cm can increase the productivity of the radish crop while also reducing soil CO2emissions but without a resultant loss of CH4to the atmosphere, under both ambient and elevated CO2concentrations. Elevated CO2increased dry shoot biomass, but not bulb biomass nor root biomass, suggesting no immediate advantage of future CO2levels to horticultural farming on peat soils. Overall, increasing the water table could make an important contribution to global warming mitigation while not having a detrimental impact on crop yield.
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom. Electronic address: musarika@icloud.com.
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Musarika
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ceatherton1@sheffield.ac.uk.
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Atherton
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom. Electronic address: tgomersall1@sheffield.ac.uk.
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Gomersall
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom. Electronic address: mjwells1995@gmail.com.
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Wells
Centre for Landscape & Climate Research, Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom. Electronic address: jk61@leicester.ac.uk.
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Kaduk
Centre for Landscape & Climate Research, Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom. Electronic address: amjc1@leicester.ac.uk.
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Cumming
Centre for Landscape & Climate Research, Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom. Electronic address: sep5@leicester.ac.uk.
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College of Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Exeter, EX4 4RU, United Kingdom; Global Change Research Group, Dept. Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA. Electronic address: w.oechel@exeter.ac.uk.
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Oechel
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom; Global Change Research Group, Dept. Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA. Electronic address: D.zona@sheffield.ac.uk.
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D000383:Agriculture; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D060587:Groundwater; D008697:Methane / Q000032:analysis*; D031224:Raphanus / Q000254:growth & development*
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D008697:Methane
Carbon loss; Crop yield; Increased atmospheric CO(2); Land use change; Peat degradation; Sustainable agriculture