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Quantifying the potential contribution of soil carbon to orchard carbon footprints
conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 11:09 authored by Gentile, RM, Perie, E, Muller, K, Deurer, M, Mason, K, van den Dijssel, C, Clothier, BE, Holmes, A, Marcus HardieMarcus Hardie, McLaren, SJIncreasing soil carbon is promoted to growers as a means of increasing soil function and mitigating climate change. However, the importance of soil carbon is not yet fully acknowledged in life cycle assessment guidelines. Because of their perennial nature and deep rooting systems, orchards have the potential to increase subsoil carbon stocks below 0.3 m depth. Quantifying soil carbon stocks at the orchard scale, however, requires sampling protocols that incorporate the spatial variability of carbon in orchards. We have investigated soil carbon stocks to 1 m depth in apple orchards in Australia and New Zealand and found that total carbon stocks were maintained over 4 to 12 years. Orchard floor management practices can create a spatial distribution of shallow soil carbon stocks, and we observed a trend for decreasing surface-soil carbon stocks under the alley. Additionally, we determined soil carbon stocks to 9 m depth in a New Zealand kiwifruit orchard and calculated an increase of 190 t C ha-1 after 30 years compared with that in the nearby pasture soil that was the antecedent land-use. This increase in soil carbon equates to 42% of the carbon footprint of New Zealand kiwifruit on United Kingdom supermarket shelves. Therefore, accurately quantifying soil carbon stock changes under orchard systems presents a potential opportunity to reduce horticultural carbon footprints.
Funding
Horticulture Innovation Australia
History
Publication title
Acta HorticulturaeVolume
1112Editors
RL Snyder, S Ortega-Farias, WR Carlile, M Raviv, M Nichols, BClothier, I Gooswin, R GentilePagination
461-466ISSN
0567-7572Department/School
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA)Publisher
International Society for Horticultural SciencePlace of publication
BelgiumEvent title
XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes: International Symposia on Water, Eco-Efficiency and Transformation of Organic Waste in Horticultural ProductionEvent Venue
Brisbane, AustraliaDate of Event (Start Date)
2014-08-17Date of Event (End Date)
2014-08-22Rights statement
Copyright 2016 ISHS Acta HorticulturaeRepository Status
- Restricted