No-Till Agric Can Reduce GHG Emissions from Biofuel Feedstock Cultivations

A study by scientists from the University of Michigan and Philips Academy Andover (United States) shows that “effective land management practices can reduce the so called carbon debt attributed to biofuels, to near zero.” According to the study, “no-till agriculture” can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) attributed to biofuels. The complete results are published in a recent issue of the Environmental Science and Technology journal (volume 43 (2009)). The Biotechnology Industry Organization website summarizes the study as follows: (1) important variables that can improve greenhouse emissions from biomass cultivations have not been included in presently published land use studies, (2) “no-till agriculture can reduce the carbon debt associated with converting grassland and temperate zone forests to crop production to 4 and 20 years, respectively”, (3) “no-till with cover crop agriculture can create a carbon sink, resulting in higher soil organic carbon levels than those in unmanaged forests and grasslands”. The concept of “carbon debt for biofuel feedstocks” has been proposed by David Tillman as a “corollary to their carbon capture” (related information below). It is defined as “the amount of carbon dioxide released during the first 50 years of the process of clearing land for production of biofuel feedstocks.” Associated with “carbon debt” is the “carbon payback period” (the period that the “carbon debt” is paid when the cultivated feedstocks uptake carbon dioxide).

Related information:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sci;319/5867/1235?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Land+Clearing+and+Biofuel+Carbon+Debt
&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT 
(may require paid subscription for complete access) http://biofuelsandclimate.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/biofuels-and-carbon-debt/