Soil Carbon
Increasing the quantity of carbon stored in agricultural soils has the potential to offset emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, while soil carbon losses would further add to those emissions.
However, realising this mitigation potential is technically challenging when soil carbon stocks are already high (as they are in New Zealand), potential changes in soil carbon are small and spatial variability is high.
The current NZAGRC programme has three distinct components:
(1) testing specific management practices that may increase the long term soil carbon store in field situations;
(2) developing and using models to predict how a range of management practices may influence long and short tem soil carbon storage; and
(3) identifying those factors that influence the stability of current or newly added soil carbon.
We have also supported international work to map on farm soil carbon and will participate in the international research programme CIRCASA.
Principal Investigators
Dr David Whitehead, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research (2010-present)
Professor Frank Kelliher, AgResearch (2010-2017)
Research Stories
Determining levels of soil carbon storage
22/11/18
An experiment was designed and conducted using a novel 13C stable isotope method to determine how the stabilisation capacity and saturation deficit of different soils affects their ability to store more carbon. Research was also completed...
Impact of importing feed
22/11/18
Parallel work at a nearby farm calculated carbon balances for three years for a farm with very high feed imports (about 12 tonnes dry matter or 5.3 tonnes of carbon per hectare, per year). The majority of the imported feed was converted back to...
Investigating plantain properties
22/11/18
An animal feeding trial conducted in association with the Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching programme, investigating the ability of plantain to modify nitrogen processes in animals and soils, was a major focus this year. The aim was to assess...
Irrigation effects modelled
22/11/18
The CenW model developed for Waikato farms was compared against three years of eddy-covariance data from an irrigated grazed pasture in the Canterbury region. CenW was used to compare three irrigation management scenarios: no irrigation (dairy...
Positive results for novel nitrous oxide inhibitors
22/11/18
An initial study to determine the impact of a novel inhibitor was conducted in 2017/18. After 36 days urine from treated animals had 50% lower nitrous oxide emissions than untreated animals. This work will be expanded in 2018/19.
Management practices to reduce losses or increase soil carbon stocks in temperate grazed grasslands: New Zealand as a case study
08/07/18
Whitehead, D., Schipper, L.A., Pronger, J., Gabriel, Y.K. Moinet, Mudge, P.L., Pereira, R.C., Kirschbaum, M.U.F., McNally, S.R., Beare, M.H., Camps-Arbestain, M. 2018. Management practices to reduce losses or increase soil carbon stocks in...
Stocks, composition and vulnerability to loss of soil organic carbon predicted using mid-infrared spectroscopy
04/07/18
Baldock, J. A., Beare, M. H., Curtin, D., & Hawke, B. (2018). Stocks, composition and vulnerability to loss of soil organic carbon predicted using mid-infrared spectroscopy. Soil Research, 56(5), 468-480. AbstractDeveloping a routine...
Assessing the vulnerability of organic matter to C mineralisation in pasture and cropping soils of New Zealand
02/07/18
McNally, S., Beare, M., Curtin, D., Tregurtha, C., Qiu, W., Kelliher, F., & Baldock, J. (2018). Assessing the vulnerability of organic matter to C mineralisation in pasture and cropping soils of New Zealand. Soil Research, 56(5), 481-490....
An investigation of organic matter quality and quantity in acid soils as influenced by soil type and land use
10/05/18
Shen, Q., Suarez-Abelenda, M., Camps-Arbestain, M., Calvelo Pereira, R., McNally, S. R., & Kelliher, F. M. (2018). An investigation of organic matter quality and quantity in acid soils as influenced by soil type and land use. Geoderma, 328,...
NZAGRC scholarship forges future international collaboration
15/12/17
Congratulations to Nicolas Puche who has successfully defended his PhD at Massey University. Nicolas came to New Zealand in 2012 on a scholarship funded by the NZAGRC - his doctoral thesis, ‘Detailed temporal modelling of carbon and water...
Soil carbon: Modelling shows need for nitrogen when irrigating
05/12/17
A modeling analysis of carbon and nitrogen (input, cycling and fate) in irrigated grassland in Canterbury showed reductions in soil carbon following irrigation, due to increasing nitrogen limitation. These two co-limiters of growth interact -...
Soil carbon: New tool to measure soil carbon
05/12/17
A study has been completed into the potential of using mid-infrared spectroscopy/partial least squares regression (MIR/PLSR) analyses to provide accurate estimates of the content and composition of soil carbon. The MIR/PLSR measurements provided...
Soil carbon: The impact of management practices
05/12/17
Converting a ryegrass/clover grassland to a sward with diverse species resulted in lower carbon losses than when regrassing with ryegrass/clover. Diverse swards also maintained the same level of dry matter production as the new ryegrass/clover...
Soil carbon sequestration potential of permanent pasture and continuous cropping soils in New Zealand
05/10/17
McNally, S. R., Beare, M. H., Curtin, D., Meenken, E. D., Kelliher, F. M., Calvelo Pereira, R.,Baldock, J. (2017). Soil carbon sequestration potential of permanent pasture and continuous cropping soils in New Zealand. Global Change Biology,...
What about biochar?
01/08/17
There is good evidence that biochar (organic matter carbonised under controlled conditions) represents a very stable form of carbon, so it could be used to store more carbon in soils. Research has indicated that specific biochars could also help...
Professor Louis Schipper talks about soil carbon
14/06/17
Louis Schipper talks to Bryan Crump on RNZ Nights about soil carbon. He talks about soil organic matter, soil density, nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur), land use and the ways we can store more carbon in soil to reduce the amount of carbon...
Some clarification of the impacts of grassland intensification on food production, nitrogen release, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration: using the example of New Zealand
19/05/17
Anthony J. Parsons, John H. M. Thornley, Susanne Rasmussen and Jacqueline S. Rowarth, 2016, Some clarification of the impacts of grassland intensification on food production, nitrogen release, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration:...
Professor Louis Schipper
03/04/17
Louis Schipper is a Professor at the University of Waikato who investigates soil biogeochemical processes at landscape scales and how they might be manipulated to achieve improved environmental performance while maintaining production. For the...
The carbon balance of temperate grasslands part I: The impact of increased species diversity
06/02/17
S. Rutledge, A.M. Wall, P.L. Mudge, B. Troughton, D.I. Campbell, J. Pronger, C. Joshi, L.A. Schipper, The carbon balance of temperate grasslands part I: The impact of increased species diversity, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume...
A review of soil carbon change in New Zealand
05/02/17
Schipper, L. A., P. L. Mudge, et al. (2017). "A review of soil carbon change in New Zealand’s grazed grasslands." New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 60(2): 93-118. AbstractSoil organic matter is a potential sink of atmospheric...
The carbon balance of temperate grasslands part II: The impact of pasture renewal via direct drilling
23/01/17
S. Rutledge, A.M. Wall, P.L. Mudge, B. Troughton, D.I. Campbell, J. Pronger, C. Joshi, L.A. Schipper, The carbon balance of temperate grasslands part II: The impact of pasture renewal via direct drilling, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment,...
Producing a farm-scale soil carbon map
22/12/16
The study site is the Massey University Tuapaka hill country farm. This 470-ha farm, 15 km NW of Palmerston North, consists of two distinctive management blocks – the terrace flats and the hill block. A legacy soil map was digitised and...
Reducing New Zealand's agricultural emissions: Mapping soil organic carbon stocks
05/12/16
This publication provides an overview of how we can map the amount of carbon stored in New Zealand soils.
NZAGRC welcomes PCE report on agricultural GHG mitigation
19/10/16
Wednesday, 19 October 2016 The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report into greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture highlights the need for a suite of mitigation solutions rather than a single silver bullet....
The trade-offs between milk production and soil organic carbon storage in dairy systems under different management and environmental factors
15/10/16
Kirschbaum, M. U. F., L. A. Schipper, et al. (2017). "The trade-offs between milk production and soil organic carbon storage in dairy systems under different management and environmental factors." Science of the Total Environment 577: 61-72....
Low spatial and inter-annual variability of evaporation from a year-round intensively grazed temperate pasture system
01/08/16
J. Pronger, D.I. Campbell, M.J. Clearwater, S. Rutledge, A.M. Wall, L.A. Schipper, Low spatial and inter-annual variability of evaporation from a year-round intensively grazed temperate pasture system, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment,...
Report: Potential applications of full inversion tillage to increase soil carbon storage during pasture renewal in New Zealand
28/06/16
This report reviews the potential to use full inversion tillage (FIT) during pasture renewal to increase the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of New Zealand’s High Producing Grasslands. December 2015 Download this...
Estimates of annual leaching losses of dissolved organic carbon from pastures on Allophanic Soils grazed by dairy cattle, Waikato, New Zealand
15/02/16
Sparling, G. P., E. J. Chibnall, et al. (2016). "Estimates of annual leaching losses of dissolved organic carbon from pastures on Allophanic Soils grazed by dairy cattle, Waikato, New Zealand." New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 59(1):...
KuDos to Aaron Wall of Waikato University
24/11/15
University of Waikato technician, and a pivotal player in the NZAGRC-funded soil carbon programme, Aaron Wall was a winner in last month’s 2015 KuDos Hamilton Science Excellence Awards. The School of Science Technical Officer...
Two PhD studentships in New Zealand: Soil carbon stabilisation and resistance to loss
12/10/15
There are two PhD studentships available that will contribute to a wider programme of research funded by the Global Partnership for Livestock Emission Research entitled: MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR INCREASING SOIL CARBON UNDER GRASSLANDS. The PhD...
Soil and pasture research that is sweet enough to eat
15/09/15
Scientific knowledge is usually communicated through text, diagrams and graphs, but the Waikato Biogeochemistry and Ecohydrology Research group (WaiBER) offers an alternative means of communication - via the medium of cake. Once a paper...
Reducing New Zealand's agricultural emissions: Soil Carbon
10/06/15
This publication provides an overview of what soil carbon is, how we can measure and determine the changes over time and what New Zealand's current soil carbon levels are. this publication was produced in collaboration with the University of...
1525 Frank Kelliher, Principal Scientist (AgResearch) & Professor (Lincoln University)
07/05/15
Frank's presentation covered the New Zealand work on soil carbon. He explained the concept that, like planting trees, increasing soil carbon stocks can “offset” greenhouse gas emissions and that if New Zealand could...
1550 Keith Goulding (Rothamsted Research, UK)
07/05/15
Keith provided an international perspective on nitrous oxide and soil carbon research. With respect to N2O, he highlighted work on investigating the genes related to nitrous oxide emissions and noted that there is one clear...
Assessment of the application of gibberellins to increase productivity and reduce nitrous oxide emissions in grazed grassland
25/03/15
Emissions of nitrous oxide from grassland systems are attributable largely to the use of nitrogen fertilisers and the excreta deposited by grazing animals. There is increasing interest in using gibberellins as a naturally-occurring growth...
Carbon balance of an intensively grazed temperate dairy pasture over four years
22/03/15
S. Rutledge, P.L. Mudge, D.I. Campbell, S.L. Woodward, J.P. Goodrich, A.M. Wall, M.U.F. Kirschbaum, L.A. Schipper, Carbon balance of an intensively grazed temperate dairy pasture over four years, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume...
Measuring, modelling and managing soil carbon for future farming
12/03/15
Increasing the quantity and stability of carbon stored in agricultural soils has real potential to offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. However, realising this potential is not as straightforward as it might first appear....
Sixty years of seasonal irrigation affects carbon storage in soils beneath pasture grazed by sheep
15/12/11
Kelliher, F. M., Condron, L. M., Cook, F. J., & Black, A. (2012). Sixty years of seasonal irrigation affects carbon storage in soils beneath pasture grazed by sheep. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 148, 29-36 Abstract For sixty...
