1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture:
TOWARDS SOIL SUSTAINABILITY
11–13 June 2024 • Lublin–Nałęczów, Poland

https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.10
Published online: 4 October 2024

Carbon sequestration in catch crops and soil as a climate change mitigation strategy
Elżbieta Harasim, Cezary A. Kwiatkowski*

Department of Herbology and Plant Cultivation Techniques, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author:

Abstract
Wide-spreading of cover and catch crops cultivation can make a significant contribution to reduction of the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere by carbon immobilisation in biomass and in soil humic substances, and additionally, could provide a source of valuable substrate for biofuels production, using the biological or thermochemical technologies. The aim of this research was to determine carbon dioxide sequestration in the biomass of plant species suitable for cultivation as catch crops or cover crops. The carbon content in the soil after ploughing in catch crops or leaving their biomass in the field in the form of mulch was also analysed. Field and laboratory tests were conducted in 2018–2023 in the soil and climatic conditions of the central Lublin region, Poland. The yields of carbon dioxide sequestration (t CO₂ per ha) in catch crops were calculated on total dry biomass yields of catch crops (t/ha). At the agronomically optimal harvest date of the particular catch crop plant, the samples of plant material were collected from an identical area (1 m²) of each cover-cropped plot in order to determine total biomass yield (aboveground parts and roots). Samples were taken at 2 randomly selected places in each plot, within a 0.5 m × 1 m frame. The collected samples were segregated into above and belowground fractions and dried under laboratory conditions at a temperature of 40°C to determine the dried weight. Next, the yields of particular biomass fractions were calculated (t/ha). The carbon (C) content in plant tissues was determined for each fraction and expressed as CO₂ content (by multiplying the value of C content by 3.67). It has been shown that the ploughed biomass of catch crops constitutes a kind of “soil CO₂ bank”. In the case of successful sowing of catch crops, carbon dioxide sequestration by these crops can be expected at a level of 4 to 6 tons of CO₂ per ha per year. The amount of CO₂ absorbed from the atmosphere by catch crops is directly proportional to the biomass yield they produce. Among the catch crops, the most beneficial were species resistant to unfavourable weather conditions during sowing and initial plant growth: white mustard, blue phacelia, winter rye. Catch crops also had a positive effect on the organic C content in the soil. It should be stated that catch crops are an important factor in carbon dioxide sequestration in broadly understood plant production. It is advisable to popularize catch crops on a large scale due to the relatively low costs of their cultivation compared to their benefits (phytosanitary impact on the soil, CO₂ sequestration, carbon storage in the soil).

Keywords: catch crops, climate change, carbon sequestration, soil organic carbon

How to cite
Harasim E., Kwiatkowski C.A., 2024. Carbon sequestration in catch crops and soil as a climate change mitigation strategy. 1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture: Towards Soil Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.10