Securing long-term ecosystem function in lowland organic soils (SEFLOS)

确保低地有机土壤的长期生态系统功能（SEFLOS）

• 批准号: NE/P014097/1
• 负责人: Davey Jones
• 金额: $ 32.18万
• 依托单位: Bangor University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FP014097%2F1
• 关键词: Securing; long; term; ecosystem; function

The UK produces 58% of its own vegetables which have an estimated economic value of £1.2 billion annually. Many of these are produced on the lowland fen peatlands within the East Anglia region. This is particularly the case for field-grown salad vegetables with these peatlands supplying the majority of salad vegetables to all the major UK supermarkets. While these soils are recognised as being super-productive, they are also highly susceptible to damage which is threatening their long term economic future. For example, the average rate of soil loss from a combination of wind erosion and microbial breakdown of the peat lies in the region 1-2 cm depth per year. It is also widely predicted that the rate of loss is likely to increase with climate change making it a fragile resource. Some of the more shallow peats have already been completely lost, while the deeper peats have a finite lifetime estimated to be in the region of 75-125 years unless something is done to reduce the rate of soil loss. The recent House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee report on Soil Health identified the loss of soil from cultivated peatlands as one of the greatest threats to soil security in the UK. In response to this, our project aims to work with the horticultural industry and other key organisations to investigate new ways to save these peatlands from further rapid degradation and a loss of natural capital. We will focus on trying to reduce both the biologically-mediated loss of soil carbon and also the physical wind erosional loss of soil. We hypothesise that active management of the water table at strategic times of the year (e.g. during winter when there is no crop in the ground) can be used to reduce microbial activity in the soil and reduce losses of peat in the form of CO2. However, this must be done in such a way that it doesn't increase the release of other greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O) or result in other negative impacts on productivity or on soil quality. In addition, using outdoor mesocosm trials, we will explore other potential synergistic strategies that may complement water table intervention as a soil conservation measure (e.g. use of nitrification inhibitors, cover crops etc). As our knowledge of the amount of soil lost by wind erosion remains poor, we will also use field monitoring and controlled wind tunnel experiments to get a better quantitative estimate of this loss pathway. This will allow growers to decide on whether to invest in protective technologies that might reduce erosional losses (e.g. soil physical binding agents, winter cover). While this project will generate lots of fundamental knowledge on peatland behaviour under different management scenarios, it is important that the research also recognises the socioeconomic context in which these agricultural systems operate. A key part of this project will therefore be to evaluate the social, economic and environmental impacts of the alternative strategies and compare these against the business-as-usual scenario. To facilitate this, a stakeholder workshop at the start of the project with representatives from industry, environmental regulators and policymakers, local drainage boards and conservation bodies will be used to actively steer the project towards outcomes that are both practical, economically viable and provide the best environmental outcome. This will be complemented by a final engagement workshop towards the end of the project where the barriers to technology adoption are explored. This will lead to the production of a grower- and policy-orientated roadmap for future preservation of this fragile soil resource and will have a focus on balancing economic and environmental sustainability. Ultimately, the research simultaneously aims to protect this soil resource for generations to come whilst maintaining profitability, productivity, and UK government's desire for sustainable intensification, greater food security and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

英国有58%的蔬菜是自己生产的，据估计每年的经济价值为12亿英镑。其中许多产于东安格利亚地区的低地沼泽泥炭地。对于田间种植的沙拉蔬菜来说尤其如此，这些泥炭地为英国所有主要超市提供了大部分沙拉蔬菜。虽然这些土壤被认为具有超强的生产力，但它们也极易受到破坏，这正威胁着它们的长期经济前景。例如，由风蚀和微生物分解泥炭造成的土壤流失率平均为每年1-2厘米深。人们还普遍预测，随着气候变化，其损失率可能会增加，使其成为一种脆弱的资源。一些较浅的泥炭已经完全消失，而较深的泥炭只有有限的寿命，估计在75-125年之间，除非采取措施减少土壤流失的速度。最近下议院环境审计委员会关于土壤健康的报告指出，泥炭地的土壤流失是对英国土壤安全的最大威胁之一。为此，我们的项目旨在与园艺业和其他重要组织合作，研究新的方法，以防止这些泥炭地进一步迅速退化和自然资本的损失。我们将把重点放在减少生物介导的土壤碳损失和土壤物理风蚀损失上。我们假设，在一年中的关键时期（例如，在地下没有作物的冬季）积极管理地下水位可以用来减少土壤中的微生物活动，减少以二氧化碳形式的泥炭的损失。然而，这样做的方式必须不会增加其他温室气体（CH4、N2O）的释放，也不会对生产力或土壤质量产生其他负面影响。此外，通过室外中生态试验，我们将探索其他潜在的协同策略，以补充地下水位干预作为土壤保持措施（例如使用硝化抑制剂，覆盖作物等）。由于我们对风蚀造成的土壤流失量的了解仍然很少，我们还将使用现场监测和控制风洞试验来更好地定量估计这一损失途径。这将使种植者能够决定是否投资于可能减少侵蚀损失的保护性技术（例如土壤物理粘合剂、冬季覆盖）。虽然该项目将产生许多关于不同管理方案下泥炭地行为的基本知识，但重要的是，该研究也认识到这些农业系统运行的社会经济背景。因此，该项目的一个关键部分将是评估备选战略的社会、经济和环境影响，并将这些影响与一切照旧的情况进行比较。为此，在项目开始时，我们将举办一个利益相关者研讨会，邀请来自工业界、环境监管机构和政策制定者、当地排水委员会和自然保育机构的代表参加，积极引导项目朝着既实际、经济上可行又能提供最佳环境结果的方向发展。在项目即将结束时，还将举行最后一次参与讲习班，探讨采用技术的障碍。这将导致制定以种植者和政策为导向的路线图，以便未来保护这种脆弱的土壤资源，并将侧重于平衡经济和环境的可持续性。最终，这项研究的目的是在为子孙后代保护土壤资源的同时，保持盈利能力、生产力和英国政府对可持续集约化、更大的粮食安全和减少温室气体排放的愿望。

项目成果

Microbial utilization of low molecular weight organic carbon substrates in cultivated peats in response to warming and soil degradation

• DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107629
• 发表时间: 2019-12
• 期刊: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
• 影响因子: 9.7
• 作者: Yuan Wen;H. Zang;B. Freeman;S. Musarika;C. Evans;D. Chadwick;Davey L. Jones

Livestock-induced N2O emissions may limit the benefits of converting cropland to grazed grassland as a greenhouse gas mitigation strategy for agricultural peatlands

• DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105764
• 发表时间: 2021-11
• 期刊: Resources Conservation and Recycling
• 影响因子: 13.2
• 作者: Yuan Wen;B. Freeman;D. Hunt;S. Musarika;H. Zang;K. Marsden;C. Evans;D. Chadwick;Davey L. Jones

Estimating greenhouse gases emissions from horticultural peat soils using a DNDC modelling approach.

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.113
• 发表时间: 2019-03
• 期刊: Journal of environmental management
• 影响因子: 8.7
• 作者: H. Taft;P. Cross;A. Hastings;J. Yeluripati;Davey L. Jones

Management effects on greenhouse gas dynamics in fen ditches.

• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.005
• 发表时间: 2017-02
• 期刊: The Science of the total environment
• 作者: M. Peacock;L. Ridley;C. Evans;V. Gauci

Efficacy of mitigation measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from intensively cultivated peatlands

集约化泥炭地温室气体减排措施的效果

• DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.08.020
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
• 影响因子: 9.7
• 作者: Taft H