Soil Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 March 2026 | Viewed by 242

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
Interests: soil physics; soil and environmental management; soil gas emissions and carbon sequestration; ecosystem services

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
Interests: soil microbiology; ecology and microbial diversity; systematic classification and molecular phylogeny

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are critical components of agricultural sustainability and climate change mitigation. Historically, agricultural soils have functioned as both major sources and potential sinks of carbon, depending on management practices and environmental conditions. In recent decades, advances in measurement technologies, modeling approaches, and soil management strategies have deepened our understanding of soil carbon dynamics and GHG fluxes. Cutting-edge research now explores a wide range of practices aimed at enhancing soil carbon storage while reducing emissions, including but not limited to: the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices to increase organic matter; the application of biochar and organic amendments to improve soil structure and nutrient retention; the optimization of irrigation and fertilizer regimes to limit N2O and CH4 emissions; and the integration of precision agriculture technologies for monitoring and verification.

In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions from researchers worldwide to share insights into soil carbon sequestration and GHG emissions across diverse agricultural systems.

Dr. Chenghsien Lin
Prof. Dr. Foting Shen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • regenerative practices
  • soil carbon
  • greenhouse gases
  • monitoring technology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 2483 KB  
Article
Different Driving Mechanisms for Spatial Variations in Soil Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Respiration: A Global Synthesis for Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
by Yun Jiang, Jiajun Xu, Chengjin Chu, Xiuchen Wu and Bingwei Zhang
Agronomy 2026, 16(3), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16030372 - 3 Feb 2026
Abstract
As a pivotal component of the global carbon cycle, the spatial variation in soil respiration (Rs) is crucial for forecasting climate change trajectories. Despite extensive research on the spatial patterns of total Rs, the distinct drivers of its two components, heterotrophic respiration (Rh) [...] Read more.
As a pivotal component of the global carbon cycle, the spatial variation in soil respiration (Rs) is crucial for forecasting climate change trajectories. Despite extensive research on the spatial patterns of total Rs, the distinct drivers of its two components, heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra), are still not well defined. We compiled a global dataset from studies published between 2007 and 2023 to investigate the drivers of spatial variations in Rs, Ra, and Rh. This dataset comprises 308 annual flux measurements from 172 sites. The results showed that Rh contributed 63% and 60% to Rs in forest and grassland ecosystems, respectively. Further analyses using structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that the spatial variation in Rh and Ra exhibited divergent responses to climatic factors and plant community structure (mostly driven by gross primary production, GPP). Rh was more affected by mean annual temperature (MAT) than by mean annual precipitation (MAP), with standardized total effects of 0.17 (forests) and 0.57 (grasslands) for MAT versus 0.10 and 0.07 for MAP, respectively. In contrast, Ra exhibited greater sensitivity to MAP (0.08 and 0.18) than to MAT (−0.01 and 0.04). GPP exerted biome-specific effects: in forests, high GPP enhanced Rh (0.18) more substantially than Ra (0.08), while in grasslands, elevated GPP significantly increased Ra (0.34) but suppressed Rh (−0.30). Moreover, these variables incorporated into the SEMs accounted for a greater proportion of the variation in Rh and Ra in grasslands (R2 = 0.73 for Rh, 0.48 for Ra) as compared to forests (R2 = 0.21 for Rh, 0.22 for Ra), suggesting the greater complexity in forest soil C dynamics. By using the whole yearly measured soil respiration data around the world, this study highlights the differential environmental regulation of Rh and Ra, providing critical insights into the mechanisms governing Rs variations under climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emissions)
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