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58%的蔬菜是自己生产的，估计每年的经济价值为12亿英镑。其中许多产于东英吉利地区的低地沼泽泥炭地。这是特别是这种情况下，外地种植的沙拉蔬菜与这些泥炭地供应的大部分沙拉蔬菜，所有主要的英国超市。虽然这些土壤被认为是超级生产力，但它们也非常容易受到损害，这威胁到它们的长期经济未来。例如，风蚀和微生物分解泥炭造成的土壤流失的平均速度在每年1-2厘米深的区域。人们还普遍预测，随着气候变化使其成为一种脆弱的资源，损失率可能会增加。一些较浅的泥炭已经完全消失，而较深的泥炭的寿命估计为75-125年，除非采取措施降低土壤流失率。最近下议院环境审计委员会关于土壤健康的报告将耕地泥炭地的土壤流失确定为英国土壤安全的最大威胁之一。针对这一点，我们的项目旨在与园艺行业和其他关键组织合作，研究新的方法来拯救这些泥炭地，使其免受进一步快速退化和自然资本损失。我们将集中精力减少生物介导的土壤碳损失和土壤的物理风蚀损失。我们假设，在一年中的战略时期（例如，在冬季，当地面上没有作物时）对地下水位进行积极管理，可以用来减少土壤中的微生物活动，减少泥炭以CO2形式的损失。然而，这必须以这样一种方式进行，即它不会增加其他温室气体（CH 4，N2 O）的释放或对生产力或土壤质量产生其他负面影响。此外，利用室外围隔试验，我们将探索其他潜在的协同战略，可以补充地下水位干预作为土壤保护措施（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，我们还将利用实地监测和受控风洞实验来更好地定量估计这种流失途径。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、冬季覆盖物）。虽然该项目将在不同的管理方案下产生大量关于泥炭地行为的基础知识，但重要的是，该研究还认识到这些农业系统运作的社会经济背景。因此，该项目的一个关键部分将是评估替代战略的社会、经济和环境影响，并将其与一切照旧的设想进行比较。为了促进这一点，将在项目开始时与来自行业、环境监管机构和政策制定者、当地排水委员会和保护机构的代表举行利益攸关方研讨会，以积极引导项目取得既实用、经济上可行又能提供最佳环境成果的成果。这将由项目结束时的最后参与研讨会补充，研讨会将探讨技术采用的障碍。这将导致为未来保护这一脆弱的土壤资源制定一个以种植者和政策为导向的路线图，并将重点放在平衡经济和环境的可持续性上。最终，该研究旨在为后代保护这种土壤资源，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