Abstract
We know for sure that addition of organic matter to soil increases water-holding capacity, imparts fertility with the addition of nutrients, increases soil aggregation and improves tilth. Depending on its type — humus, manure, stubble or litter — organic matter contains between 40 and 60% carbon. We also know that carbon (C, hereafter), as carbon dioxide (CO2), is currently accumulating in the atmosphere as the result of fossil fuel combustion, land use change and tropical deforestation (Table I). The atmospheric concentration of CO2 has increased by ~32%, from about 280 ppmv (parts per million by volume) at the beginning of the industrial revolution (ca. 1850) to about 370 ppmv today.
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Rosenberg, N.J., Izaurralde, R.C. (2001). Storing Carbon in Agricultural Soils to Help Head-Off a Global Warming. In: Rosenberg, N.J., Izaurralde, R.C. (eds) Storing Carbon in Agricultural Soils: A Multi-Purpose Environmental Strategy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3089-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3089-1_1
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