Because the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased steadily forin recent years, the need for capturing and storing carbon is more vital than ever.
While there are natural ways of doing so, via forests and other areas, and technological ones, such as with post-combustion CO2 collection and storage, the more diversified the methods, the better off the planet will be.
Interestingly, as Canadian Light Source reported in 2024, researchers from Kansas State University studied the ways various farming methods influence how much carbon gets stored in soil, finding that the use of organic fertilizer not only increased the amount of carbon stored but also improved soil health.
In trying to understand the mechanics behind soil carbon storage and how different farm management practices affect that storage, the research team took soil from a cornfield that had been farmed without tilling and with a variety of fertilizers over the past 22 years. It studied that soil via the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, California, and the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan.
Using ultrabright synchrotron light at these research facilities allowed the team to see exactly how soil stores carbon. Some of the carbon it found was preserved in pores, while other carbon was attached to minerals found in the soil.
In addition, the researchers learned that the soil treated with organic fertilizer had more microbial carbon, a strong indication that this carbon was more supportive of microorganisms. The team also discovered special minerals in the soil samples treated with organic fertilizer that indicated these treatments contributed to active biological and chemical processes.
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"To my knowledge, this is the first direct evidence of mechanisms through which organic enhancements improve soil health, microbial diversity, and carbon sequestration," K-State professor of soil and environmental chemistry Ganga Hettiarachchi explained.
This research is good news for farmers and their communities, as it shows that farmers can reduce the amount of pollution they create by forgoing fertilizer with chemicals, which will reduce health risks for those living nearby. Additionally, this could encourage the agricultural industry to prioritize organic fertilizer, contributing to the overarching goal of curbing pollution and cleaning up food-growing practices.
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If you compost your food scraps, what's your primary motivation? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Improving my garden's soil 🌱 
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