Project: Climate-friendly grassland soils (KLIGRAS)

Project description

Problem

Soils contain more carbon (C) in soil organic matter (SOM) than vegetation and the atmosphere combined, and even small losses of this carbon can exacerbate climate change. The realization that soils are crucial to the global C cycle has led to many initiatives aimed at increasing C storage in agricultural soils.

Recent developments emphasize the importance of living plant roots for increasing C storage in soils.

Our overarching goal is to increase our fundamental understanding of the role of root systems, microbes, soil mineralogy and aggregation in SOM formation and stabilization, and to apply this insight to real grassland systems to increase soil organic carbon while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. Using Dutch grasslands as a model system, we will identify agronomically relevant grassland species and species combinations that enhance SOM stabilization and minimize greenhouse gas emissions, under current and future climates.

Approach

Plots (2 x 2 m) have been set out in grass plots on 8 different farms in which we simulate drought and extreme rainfall. Before, during, and after the treatments we will measure the amount of CO₂ uptake, above-ground and underground plant growth, soil life, and the amount and quality of soil organic matter. In addition, we will be digging soil columns for a test in the greenhouses of the University of Amsterdam, where we will simulate a heat wave.

The hypothesis is that species with thick, deep roots promote the retention and formation of soil organic matter, as well as climate resilience and minimization of emissions

Stakeholder engagement

Measuring together means knowing together!

Farmers and stakeholders benefit from this project in several ways:

• Better understanding links between plants, soils, soil organic matter formation & climate change
• Insight into the day-to-day life of a soil scientist
• Know which grass species & cultivation practices help improve soil organic matter and resilience to climate change
• Scientists can learn from the choices and considerations that farmers have to make in practice

Partners

Publications

There are no publications yet. They will appear here on the page in due course. See below the results of the stakeholder meetings in December 2022 and November 2024. The illustrations were made by Suus van den Akker (2022) and Daniel Hentschel (2024).