Investment
Investment
GRDC Code: QUT2401-001RTX
Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from the decomposition of crop residue
The grains baseline Greenhouse Gas (GHG) report indicated on-farm GHG emissions from crop residues account for 20.4% of total emissions, of which 89% is due to decomposition of residues left in the field. The lack of country specific crop residue decomposition data is a major deficiency in the National Inventory Report (NIR) which may lead to an overestimation of N2O emissions from agricultural soils. At present, the IPCC (2006) default value for N2O Emissions Factor (EF) from crop residues (1%) is used in the NIR, and while the disaggregated EF value for dry climates (0.5%) is due to be adopted in the 2024 NIR, there are opportunities for this value to be further disaggregated (based on environmental or management-related factors). For EF revisions to be considered and included in the NIR, they must be underpinned by sound scientific evidence, including robust field-based measurements.
The Australian Government reports on its emissions inventory to the UN annually and is free to use country specific data in its calculations. There is a dearth of information or field-based data, particularly within the Australian context, on N2O emissions from crop residue decomposition, meaning there remain critical knowledge gaps. This investment will generate the underpinning scientific evidence necessary for a revision of EFs to be considered and potentially accepted for use in the NIR. Quantification of GHG emissions from crop residues using field-based measurements and crop attribute data that feed into GHG inventory calculations across a cross-section of crop types (cereals, oilseeds, legumes), climates and soils will better reflect the carbon footprint of Australian grain growers and the sustainability credentials of the Australian grains industry.
The Australian Government reports on its emissions inventory to the UN annually and is free to use country specific data in its calculations. There is a dearth of information or field-based data, particularly within the Australian context, on N2O emissions from crop residue decomposition, meaning there remain critical knowledge gaps. This investment will generate the underpinning scientific evidence necessary for a revision of EFs to be considered and potentially accepted for use in the NIR. Quantification of GHG emissions from crop residues using field-based measurements and crop attribute data that feed into GHG inventory calculations across a cross-section of crop types (cereals, oilseeds, legumes), climates and soils will better reflect the carbon footprint of Australian grain growers and the sustainability credentials of the Australian grains industry.
- Project start date:
- 01/02/2024
- Project end date:
- 31/03/2027
- Crop type:
-
- All Crops
- Organisation
- Queensland University of Technology
- Region:
- North, South, West
- Project status
-
Active
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Media Releases
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