Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases in Agroecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Agroecosystems are ecosystems in which agricultural activities are conducted in order to produce food, fiber or fuel. They cover about 30% of the global land and are present in different climatic conditions, soils types, and socioeconomic contexts. While crucial for food security and human wellbeing, agroecosystems are a large source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) at the global scale. Management practices have the potential to mitigate GHG emissions and even turn agroecosystems into net GHG sinks; ideally, management should aim at reducing the GHG emissions without yield penalties. Agroecosystems involve management practices such as the selection of crop types, presence or not of livestock, irrigation and fertilization, and soil preparation or combination of annual crops with trees—e.g., agroforestry. As a result of different management practices—along with climate and soil—agroecosystems strongly differ in terms of nutrient inputs and soil environmental conditions for plant and microbial activities, which exert a strong influence on the GHG balance. Quantification of fluxes of the three main GHGs—carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O)—from agroecosystems, in order to understand the relationships between management and production and consumption of GHGs, is the first step for the development of evidence-based mitigation strategies.

In this Special Issue, we aim at compiling studies investigating GHG fluxes from agroecosystems worldwide (e.g., croplands, grasslands, agroforestry), focusing on their role in GHG turnover and on the effect of management practices on the GHG balance of these systems. We are looking for studies, not restricted by regions or agroecosystem type, where CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O are jointly evaluated, as well as those which target a single gas. Both measuring and modeling approaches, or a combination of both techniques, at any spatial scale, are welcomed.

Dr. Ana Meijide
Dr. Eugenio Diaz-Pines
Guest Editors

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• greenhouse emissions
• global warming potential
• greenhouse gas intensity
• management practices
• soils