About this Research Topic
Climate-smart agriculture is an approach to food and fiber production that aims to sustainably increase agricultural yields, enhance resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions where possible, and achieve national food security and development goals under current and projected climate change scenarios. Productivity, adaptation, and mitigation are the three interlinked pillars for achieving sustainable agriculture goals under the new reality of climate change. For cropping systems that use a climate-smart approach to be economically feasible for both small- and large-scale producers, they must result in acceptable yields under suboptimal environmental conditions, while not contributing to negative climate outcomes. There is a growing interest in the use of organic carbon and nutrient amendments as a climate-smart agriculture intervention that can enhance agroecosystem services while contributing to soil health outcomes.
The use of organic amendments such as compost, biochar, sewage sludge, bagasse, etc., on cropland, is often recommended by federal agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and agricultural extension services to help growers achieve climate-smart agriculture goals, namely carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, yield improvements and stability, soil water conservation, and soil fertility augmentation. While organic carbon and nutrient amendments can be used to help growers achieve climate-smart agriculture goals, there is a need for additional research that aims to quantify the impact of such organic amendments on targeted climate-smart agriculture outcomes, especially in regions that are projected to be the most negatively impacted by climate change by the end of the 21st century. In these climate vulnerable regions, research is also needed to elucidate how temporal patterns of crop growth and nutrient acquisition by roots are impacted by the use of regionally appropriate organic soil amendments. This information can be used by federal agencies, NGOs, and extension services to inform policy and outreach decisions on the optimal use of specific organic amendments.
In this Research Topic, our goal is to provide robust, quantitative information explaining the impact of organic carbon and nutrient amendments on climate-smart agriculture outcomes. We particularly welcome contributions that employ recent technological advances in the study of organic soil amendments, especially advances in greenhouse gas monitoring and soil carbon stabilization. Areas for this Research Topic may include but are not limited to:
• Greenhouse gas emissions in cropping systems using organic amendments
• Nutrient contributions from organic amendments
• Soil water conservation and irrigation adjustments
• Nutrient availability and crop nutrition
• Yield improvements and stability
• Organic amendment comparisons
• Crop nutrient uptake, partitioning, and translocation
• Temporal dynamics of nutrient acquisition by roots
• Evaluation of the biostimulant potential of different organic amendments
The use of organic amendments such as compost, biochar, sewage sludge, bagasse, etc., on cropland, is often recommended by federal agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and agricultural extension services to help growers achieve climate-smart agriculture goals, namely carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, yield improvements and stability, soil water conservation, and soil fertility augmentation. While organic carbon and nutrient amendments can be used to help growers achieve climate-smart agriculture goals, there is a need for additional research that aims to quantify the impact of such organic amendments on targeted climate-smart agriculture outcomes, especially in regions that are projected to be the most negatively impacted by climate change by the end of the 21st century. In these climate vulnerable regions, research is also needed to elucidate how temporal patterns of crop growth and nutrient acquisition by roots are impacted by the use of regionally appropriate organic soil amendments. This information can be used by federal agencies, NGOs, and extension services to inform policy and outreach decisions on the optimal use of specific organic amendments.
In this Research Topic, our goal is to provide robust, quantitative information explaining the impact of organic carbon and nutrient amendments on climate-smart agriculture outcomes. We particularly welcome contributions that employ recent technological advances in the study of organic soil amendments, especially advances in greenhouse gas monitoring and soil carbon stabilization. Areas for this Research Topic may include but are not limited to:
• Greenhouse gas emissions in cropping systems using organic amendments
• Nutrient contributions from organic amendments
• Soil water conservation and irrigation adjustments
• Nutrient availability and crop nutrition
• Yield improvements and stability
• Organic amendment comparisons
• Crop nutrient uptake, partitioning, and translocation
• Temporal dynamics of nutrient acquisition by roots
• Evaluation of the biostimulant potential of different organic amendments
Keywords: climate-smart agriculture, soil health, organic amendments, compost, biochar, greenhouse gas emissions, organic matter, carbon sequestration
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
