Microbes are by far the most important factor in determining how much carbon is stored in the soil, according to a new study with implications for mitigating climate change and improving soil health for agriculture and food production. The research is the first to measure the relative importance of microbial processes in the soil carbon […] Read more
Tag Archives soil carbon
Microbes key to sequestering carbon in soil
Science Notes: Research is first to measure the relative importance of microbial processes in soil carbon cycle
Low cost, real-time soil carbon quantification could be a game changer
Two start-ups combine forces to provide farmers with better decision making on soil carbon
A new partnership between two companies with technologies rooted in artificial intelligence is making carbon quantification more accessible, profitable and scalable for farmers and landowners. Quebec-based ChrysaLabs is an agtech startup that uses cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning for precision soil sampling in real time. It has teamed up with EarthOptics, a soil […] Read more
Working soils deeper moves carbon lower
Research shows carbon levels are relatively stable over 70 years, but deeper in the soil
Soil carbon concentration has decreased since the 1950s but the plow layer has deepened and diluted the carbon content. This makes it difficult to accurately compare carbon concentrations as a dilution factor must be considered, say researchers at the University of Guelph. “That is not the only factor contributing to that decrease in carbon concentration […] Read more
Tech firm aims to boost regenerative ag through A.I., machine learning
Terramera proposes to cut emissions, sequester carbon through efficiencies
A Vancouver ag tech firm is pitching a proposal to both public- and private-sector investors that would use Microsoft technology to help the ag sector “pull carbon from the air.” Terramera on Monday put forward a $730 million proposal for an initiative it calls the Global Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, which would oversee efforts to […] Read more
Looking for carbon sequestration answers
U.S. farmers could soon be paid for sequestering carbon, which could put Canadian farmers at another subsidy disadvantage
Canadian farmers are worried their American neighbours are on the cusp of getting yet another competitive advantage, this time over carbon management. Farmers in this country are not only paying carbon taxes on many of their farm inputs, they are not receiving any credits for the carbon sequestered in their soils. Meanwhile, American legislators are […] Read more
Study looks at how soils hold carbon
Science Notes: Whether carbon is held or released by soil has many influences
Researchers are using synchrotron light to better understand the impact of climate change on more than three trillion metric tonnes of soil carbon around the world. Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan, scientists from across the United States investigated the plant root mechanisms that control long-term storage of carbon in […] Read more
OMAFRA seen needing a soil health ‘tuneup’
Ontario’s environmental commissioner is calling on the provincial ag ministry to rebuild its soil health expertise and find ways to encourage farmers to adopt soil-friendly production practices, to deal with what she calls a “catastrophic” loss in soil organic matter levels. The report recommends better soil carbon level monitoring and 10-year programs to financially encourage […] Read more