Objective
- Baseline measurement of GHG emissions from six diverse field crop species (cumulative annual emissions)
- Identify the potential for GHG mitigation via “intermediate” and “advanced” N management from six diverse crop species
- Better understand N cycling and GHG mitigation via isotope tracing of N and N2O for six diverse crop species
- Improve the capability to model N2O emissions for diverse field crops (parametrizing, calibrating, and validating the models) and to test future scenarios
Project Description
Better understanding greenhouse gas production and emissions offers a pathway towards more sustainable crop production. Although much progress has been made to estimate greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints for major crops in Canada (i.e., wheat, canola, corn, soybean), there is a conspicuous gap for other more minor crops. It is crucial that research diversifies the focus to include other high-potential specialty crops. The proposed research will provide baseline N2O emission measurements for six diverse field crop species, including: camelina, canary seed, mustard, quinoa, flax, and sunflower. Further, we will test the nitrous oxide reduction potential via adjusting nitrogen management, and trace the flow of N to better understand N cycling and N loss during crop production. Ultimately, this research will work towards improving biogeochemical models to better estimate emissions for these six understudied crops.
Our proposed project will deliver tangible resources for Canadian growers who produce diverse field crops, looking to implement practical strategies for reducing N2O emissions. By testing the suitability of prairie based EFs (and developing EFs for these diverse field crops if needed), this research has the potential to improve Canada’s modelling and inventory capacity when producing the national GHG inventory reports. Further, by delivering new data for annual cumulative N2O emissions for understudied field crops, this research can be used to add new crops and tables to those already produced by the Canadian Roundtable of Sustainable Crops—thereby widening the reach and possibly offering growers with more choice in implementing strategies to lower C footprints of their cropping systems.
