Agricultura (Oct 2019)
Potential soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration in future land use under stress of climate change and water deficiency in northern Nile Delta, Egypt
Abstract
Quantification the effect of agricultural cropping systems on soil carbon and nitrogen is important to farmers and policymakers because of its importance to climate change mitigation and improving soil quality and productivity. This is very important in the Northern Nile Delta, Egypt under the challenges of climate change and water deficiency because of construction of Ethiopian Dam. We measured the soil carbon and nitrogen stocks and fractions to 1m depth under rice and corn cropping systems in an area in this area. As well, soil organic and inorganic carbon (SOC and SIC) were measured weekly during growing season in a corn and rice system. In the studied cropping system, there was an obvious increment in soil carbon and nitrogen and their fractions, especially in surface soil. Monitoring during growing season showed increasing of SOC more than 200% than initial time in rice comparing to 70% in corn. Instead, SIC was declined in both systems. The results appeared that there is a potentiality to increase soil C and N sequestration in this area if the rice system converted to corn which considers a kind of adaptation to climate change and mitigate the pressure of water deficiency in this vital area.
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