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Project properties |
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| Title | Assessing the role of cover crop biodiversity in improving soil structure and related ecosystem services in semiarid agro-ecosystems |
| Group | Soil Physics and Land Management group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Jantiene Baartman |
| Examiner(s) | Coen Ritsema |
| Contact info | jantiene.baartman@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2021/05/25 |
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| Description | The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, in particular the implementation of cover crops can substantially reduce emissions and sequester some of the CO2 removed from the atmosphere by plants, contributing to climate change mitigation. In addition, cover crops offer a range of ecosystem services, such as: i)enhancing soil fertility, biodiversity and crop productivity; ii) preventing soil erosion and water contamination; iii) increasing soil water infiltration and storage capacity; iv) supporting agroecosystems to be more resilient against the impacts of climate change; and v) reducing floods and decreasing sediment export downstream (Almagro et al ., 2016; 2017; Stavi et al., 2016; Díaz-Pereira et al., 2020). However, many of these ecosystem services offered by agricultural soils need to be optimized to reach societies that mitigate and adapt to climate change.
The objective of this topic is to assess the role of cover crop biodiversity in improving soil structure and related ecosystem services (e g erosion control, organic carbon sequestration, water retention, nutrient availability) in semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystems. To do it so, plant cover biodiversity and root traits from different natural cover crops as well as soil properties such as aggregate stability, porosity and organic carbon sequestration will be characterized in several rain fed woody cropping systems (almonds and olives) located in South Spain, where cover crops have been implemented for more than ten years. Research Objective/Question •Determine and identify the different species growing under different cover crops at different locations. •Determine different soil properties related to soil structure and carbon sequestration under different cover crops. •Identify the most appropriate species to be used as cover crops depending on the local conditions (e.g., climate, soil type, slope, soil degradation status)to maximize the capacity of semiarid agricultural ecosystems to provide essential services. What is expected from the student (type of research) •Interest in conducting field and laboratory work, particularly with soilsand sediments •Independence, responsibility and autonomy •Interest in learning methodological approaches for measuring soil CO2emissions, erosion rates, soil carbon stocks, and carbon balance assessments. •Experience in data management and statistical analyses •Basic Spanish skills and driving licence are desirable but not essential |
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