PhD Thesis: Greenhouse gases emissions in

sugarcane in Tucumán, Argentina: incidence of trash burning and

nitrogen fertilization.

Ing. Agr. Jorge Chalco Vera EEA Famaillá INTA-CONICET

ARGENTINA

One of the most important sources of anthropogenic GHG emissions is agriculture, producing 12-14% of the total GHG generated by humans (IPCC, 2006)

Argentinean agricultural and livestock sectors produce 44% of the total GHG emissions generated in the country

60 to 80% of the total emissions of N2O in the world comes from agricultural soils (Cameron et al., 2000; Wrage et al., 2004) Therefore, the study of fertilization is important. Fundación Bariloche, 2005

However, these estimates were calculated using the international global factors proposed by IPCC, NOT WITH SPECIFIC LOCAL ONES.

Treatments

Sugarcane with trash burning after harvest

Sugarcane without trash burning after harvest

With nitrogen

fertilization

With nitrogen

fertilization

Without nitrogen

fertilization

Without nitrogen

fertilization

Native forest

1.6 m

Protocol from USDA-ARS GRACEnet (Parkin et al., 2010). Closed vented chambers

Close vented chambers Height (cm) Area (cm2) Volum (cm3)

circular 15 201.1 3015.9

Iron Anchor PVC Headspace

Measurements

Soil and air thermometers

Chronometer

Vacuum pump

Evacuated vials

Soil borer

Soil N-NO3 and N-NH4 content and humidity

Probes: «Loggers»

Detail of logger

Other Measurements

Determination of soil microbial activity

Fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis method. (Schnürer J. et al., 1982)

Gas Chromatography Flame ionization detector CO2 and CH4

N2O Electron capture detector

Linear and non-linear regression models are used to obtain the emissions factors.

Quantify GHG emissions from sugarcane in Tucumán, generating specific and local emission factors. For this: a) Determine the CO2, CH4 and N2O emission factors for sugarcane in Tucumán. b) Define the contribution of traditional agricultural practices of sugarcane (burning and fertilization) to GHG emissions. c) Compare the emissions in systems with different anthropogenic modifications (sugarcane cultivation) and a system without human disturbance (native forest). d) Determine the main soil, environmental and microbiological factors behind the emissions. e) Infer on possible crop management strategies that could serve as mitigation tools.

Host institution: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Nairobi-Kenya

The objective is to evaluate the potential GHG emissions in soil chronosequence studies The idea is to do a research GHG emissions in sugarcane in western Kenya, where there is an ongoing project. I will work in the field and in the lab, and I will learn all the techniques to do sampling and analyses.

Directed by: Mariana Rufino -Senior Scientist in Forest and Environment Advisor researcher: Klaus Butterbach-Bahl

Regarding the proposed project under the CLIFF grant in 2014

Thank you very much!!

Brenmer, 1965; Keeney and Nelson, 1982

Soil nitrate and ammonium contents.

Technique: distillation by steam