Carbon storage capacity of agricultural and grassland ecosystems in a geothermal block

Abstract

Agricultural and grassland ecosystems in the geothermal block managed by the Philippine National Oil Company in Leyte, Philippines were investigated to generate indicative estimates of the carbon storage capacity of major crops and dominant grass species. Wetland rice, sugarcane, banana and coconut showed highly contrasting C storage capacities. Wetland rice and ratoon sugarcane stored 3.1 and 13.1 t C ha-1, respectively. Banana stored 5.7 t C ha-1 while nut-bearing coconut stored 24.1 t C ha-1. Of the four agricultural crops examined, coconut was the most stable for C storage, as it is a perennial. Imperata cylindrica (cogon) and Saccharum spontaneum (talahib) were the dominant species in the grassland ecosystem. S. spontaneum and I. cylindrica stored 13.1 and 8.5 t C ha-1, of which 87% and 60%, respectively, were stored in the shoot system. Due to the common practice of burning crop residues (wetland rice and sugarcane) and controlled burning of grasslands (cogon and talahib), these species were likely to lose a significant portion of their C.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Agricultural Scientist

ISSN

317454

Page

2018-08-01

Document Type

Article

Subject

Carbon dioxide, Carbon storage, Geothermal power, Grassland and agricultural ecosystems

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