- Location
- Lincolnshire
Your all assuming soil is heavier at depth, on some of my blue clay soils a metre down is red silt (you only see it when putting in land drains) and would love to have a plough that worked to 4 foot deep.
Your all assuming soil is heavier at depth, on some of my blue clay soils a metre down is red silt (you only see it when putting in land drains) and would love to have a plough that worked to 4 foot deep.
But doesn’t the microbiological activity break down solid organic matter and release CO2? Good for the soil from a farming perspective but is it increasing carbon level in the soil?It's certainly an interesting idea, although I am not sure that carbon sequestration is about effectively locking away the biologically active layer of your soil away 16" below ground. Carbon is continually cycled and I would guess that the best long term sequestration is achieved through increasing that cycling by building up microbiological activity and populations.
Because of carbon cycling there is CO2 release, however C levels in the soil still increase overall.But doesn’t the microbiological activity break down solid organic matter and release CO2? Good for the soil from a farming perspective but is it increasing carbon level in the soil?
Because the roots are bigger in DD crops?Because of carbon cycling there is CO2 release, however C levels in the soil still increase overall.
The root matter is retained in the soil in any type of tillage. Just the biological action is slower in DD because the soil is tighter.More carbon is retained as root matter is retained in the soil from crop to crop. This cycled by soil biology but there should be an overall gain.
It retains it, it just gets broken down quicker because you provide more surface area for the microbes to act on and the soil is freer for them to move about. From a farming perspective it could be considered to break down too fast and provide a sugar rush early in the growing season vs a more continual feed of carbon and nitrogen from delayed break down from reduced tillage.I’m no soil scientist but I thought that ploughing wouldn’t retain root matter to the same degree?
I’m only just starting on the DD journey but I will be interested to see how my soil C levels respond. Talking to long term DD practitioners improved soil C is a benefit.It retains it, it just gets broken down quicker because you provide more surface area for the microbes to act on and the soil is freer for them to move about. From a farming perspective it could be considered to break down too fast and provide a sugar rush early in the growing season vs a more continual feed of carbon and nitrogen from delayed break down from reduced tillage.
I agree with most of that. The concept of carbon oxidizing is nonsense though. Carbon requires thermal or biologic reaction to convert from an organic solid compound to CO2.One of the key components in the making of humus is glomalin, a lovely sticky material created by fungi, predominantly mycorrhizal fungi. These MF need living roots to associate with in order for them to thrive. Ploughing destroys them and lets excess air into the soil which both encourages bacteria to chomp away at humus and dead creatures and it also helps oxidise more soil carbon, thus reducing SOM. A living soil is a beautiful and complex ecosystem, why would you want to smash it up for short term gain?
why would you want to continually slag off other farmers crop establishment methods, making baseless allegations about their environmental impact, just because their overall farming system doesn't lend itself to your chosen crop establishment system ?
Nothing he said is wrong though.Edited that for you .
Nothing he said is wrong though.
WowOne group of people, who are so utterly convinced that their chosen way is the only way to save the planet that they aren't content just to live that way themselves but believe that it is their duty to vilify everyone else and harangue them until they see the light.
Are you vegans in disguise, sent undercover by AR to destroy UK ag from within ?
Christ, abit aggressive there. From reading your numerous posts on this forum you appear to think that U.K. ag is absolutely perfect and no problem is ours. There is many of us who are recognising mistakes of the past and trying to evolve on from them. That’s not to say we should demonise what has been done, but we can learn from it and hopefully keep improving both crops and the environment. Evolution not revolution.One group of people, who are so utterly convinced that their chosen way is the only way to save the planet that they aren't content just to live that way themselves but believe that it is their duty to vilify everyone else and harangue them until they see the light.
Are you vegans in disguise, sent undercover by AR to destroy UK ag from within ?