Browsing by Subject "carbon sequestration"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Climate-Smart Practice Adoption and Carbon Markets in Minnesota
    (2022-05) Hansen-Connell, Maddie; Murphey, Kathleen; Bui, Jacqueline Oakes; Schmaltz, Megan; Williams, Ian
    Climate change is a major concern globally and locally, and agriculture can help mitigate emissions through climate-smart practices. To capitalize on this carbon sequestration opportunity, agricultural carbon markets are emerging in Minnesota and elsewhere as a way to compensate farmers for their role in reducing emissions and carbon sequestration. However, there are barriers and concerns with carbon markets and adopting climate-smart practices. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) was interested in investigating the gaps in current carbon market payment systems, policy mechanisms or other solutions, and the most appropriate role for MDA to play in increasing climate-smart practice adoption. To explore these questions, our research team conducted a background literature review with a stakeholder analysis and completed 26 key informant interviews with farmers and representatives from government, education, business, and others.
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    Effects of biochar on drought tolerance of Pinus banksiana seedlings, 2021
    (2023-04-05) Reuling, Laura F; Toczydlowski, Alan J Z; Slesak, Robert A; Windmuller-Campione, Marcella A; lreuling@umn.edu; Reuling, Laura F; University of Minnesota Silva Lab
    This data set was collected in 2021 as part of a greenhouse study on the effects of biochar as a soil additive for seedlings planted in sandy soil. Data includes information on seedling survival, growth, and physiological activity for two experiments, one relating to timing of drought onset, the other relating to watering treatment.
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    OFR11-03, Compilation of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Geoscience for the USGS National Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Assessment: Enhanced Geophysical Model for Extent and Thickness of Deep Sedimentary Rocks
    (Minnesota Geological Survey, 2011) Chandler, V.W.; Lively, R.S.
    In 2010, the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) was commissioned by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to clarify available knowledge on the rocks that are most prospective for subsurface carbon dioxide sequestration in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Although the prospective rocks, late Precambrian sedimentary basins of the Midcontinent Rift system (MRS), are at depths greater than the 1 km depth required for efficient carbon dioxide storage, and there is some potential for adequate porosity, permeability, and seals, the overall prospects for reservoir suitability are not promising from several perspectives. Nevertheless, the current USGS National Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Assessment project is presently seeking to clarify potential sequestration sites across the US. In response to a request from the USGS under this program, therefore, a summary of knowledge was assembled and enhanced, to provide the best readily available information on inferred geological tops, cross-sections, maps, geological history, and likely composition of the potential reservoirs and seals.
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    Productivity, Carbon Sequestration, Nutrient Accumulation, And Species Interactions In Perennial Biomass Alley Cropping Systems
    (2016-02) Gamble, Joshua
    Perennial biomass production in agroforestry systems has been promoted as a strategy to increase productivity and ecosystem services from marginal agricultural lands. However, little is known about appropriate species combinations and production potential for biomass crops in agroforestry systems. Our objectives were to evaluate the potential for biomass feedstock production, nutrient uptake and accumulation, and carbon sequestration in alley cropping agroforestry systems at two Minnesota sites, and to determine how tree – crop interactions influenced productivity in these systems. Short-rotation woody crops (SRWC) were hybrid poplar (Populus maximowiczii x P. nigra ‘NM6’) and shrub willow (Salix purpurea ‘Fish Creek’). Herbaceous alley crops were switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Bosc ex Link), ‘Rush’ intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium [Host] Barkworth and Dewey cv. Rush), and an eleven species native polyculture. After four years of growth, we found that NM6 poplar alley cropping systems maximized biomass yields at Empire (13.5 Mg ha-1 yr-1) and Granada, MN (9.6 Mg ha-1 yr-1), irrespective of herbaceous crop type. NM6 poplar – intermediate wheatgrass systems showed the greatest potential for aboveground N, P, and K uptake (477, 62, and 301 kg ha-1), while NM6 poplar – prairie cordgrass systems had among the highest root biomass, and root C, N, P, and K due to extensive coarse roots. Soil carbon declined slightly over the study period, although alley system roots sequestered up to 7.0 and 6.3 Mg C ha-1 at Empire, and Granada, respectively. At Empire, above– and belowground biomass of herbaceous alley crops declined substantially with proximity to SRWC rows, as did soil water potential, soil NO3 – N, and transmittance of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). A mixed effects model with predictors for PAR and soil water potential best explained patterns in prairie cordgrass and native polyculture yield, suggesting that competition for light and water limited crop growth at this site. Our results show that after four years of production, NM6 poplar and prairie cordgrass were among the best SRWC and herbaceous crop choices for biomass production, C sequestration, and nutrient accumulation in alley cropping systems. However, competition may limit the stand longevity of herbaceous crops, which could reduce the utility of these systems for biomass production and ecosystem services over time.