Calculation of carbon sequestration in soil based on actual crop yield and soil-climatic conditions

Abstract

The concept of carbon sequestration is widely misunderstood, leading to misleading conclusions that are reflected in unrealistic climate change mitigation strategies. Most studies presented as carbon sequestration do not understand the term carbon sequestration in accordance with the IPCC definition. Most often, carbon sequestration is equated with carbon stocks or carbon balance. As a result, carbon sequestration models continue to be developed worldwide that have little in common with sequestration. Our methodology for calculating carbon sequestration is based on a definition grounded in the actual removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere by plants and its retention in the soil. The input data include real values for the quantity and quality of incoming biomass in relation to the plant, as well as real data on the main factors determining the geographical distribution of carbon on Earth in relation to the soil, such as temperature, precipitation, and clay content. Testing of the methodology on real field plots in practice has shown that the results are compatible with global sequestration prediction models or closely approximate them. Simultaneously, a scale for assessing carbon sequestration was developed, which is still absent in existing models. The methodology will be part of the digital advisory platform AgroAssistent, which will serve common farming practice within Slovakia.