Determining the amount and long-term stability of atmospheric carbon sequestered by miscanthus and switchgrass biomass crops.

Lead Applicant: Adam Gillespie

Research Priority: Sustainable Production Systems Projects

Program Type: Tier 1

Funding Cycle: 2022/2023

Research Centre: NA

Research Summary: Growing biomass crops, either on marginal land not suitable for food crops or in rotations with cash crops, can provide environmental benefits by sequestering carbon and improving soil health by increasing soil organic matter. This project will support climate change resilience research by providing robust estimates of soil carbon increases that can be attributed directly to biomass crops. Furthermore, the project will assess the resistance of soil carbon to decomposition (i.e., stability) to assess its long-term sequestration potential.