Investigating GHG emission savings from paludiculture practices
Part of the ‘Lowland Peat 2’ Project
The Defra research project ‘Lowland Peat 2’ aims to provide policymakers and farmers with best practice advice on mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculturally used peatlands. The project commissioned ADAS to understand the implications of different water levels on crop yield and quality.
For this assessment, the ADAS horticulture team undertook:
- A literature review to assess the practical and economic potential of high water table/paludiculture management.
- Field trials and lab assessments to quantify potential trade-offs in crop yields, such as disease risk and changes to rooting behaviour.
Actions taken
Working with G’s Fresh, a large grower operating on organic soil, we established a replicated and controlled water table manipulation experiment in the field. The Lowland Peat 2 project lead, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, also established an automated chamber system to measure GHG fluxes.
The experiments incorporated a control, and medium, high, and alternating (‘winter re-wetting’) water table treatments. ADAS measured key parameters relating to crop health and yield, including rooting and disease susceptablity. In the meantime, project partners measured soil condition and trafficability, water balance and availability.
Results
We concluded that although there is considerable potential, paludiculture does not yet offer an economically viable, large-scale solution to high GHG emissions from cultivated lowland peats. Click here to read our project literature review. This research has formed the foundation of additional research and development work, including the Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) and Lowland Peat 3. If challenges can be overcome, there is the potential for paludiculture to make a valuable contribution to UK climate change mitigation while also maintaining the economic output and extending the lifetime of agriculturally productive lowland peat regions.
Visit the Lowland Peat project website for more information about the full Lowland Peat project.
Project lead
Islam Abdel-Aziz
Horticulture Consultant – ADAS Sustainable Agricultural Systems