COMBINING FIELD EXPERIMENT AND MODELLING TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECT OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON N20 EMISSIONS IN MISCANTHUS x GIGANTEUS

摘要

The cultivation of Mhcanthus x giganteus as a renewable carbon source expands in Europe and is expected to contribute to climate change mitigation. Crop harvest occurs either in autumn or winter. Late harvest in winter, after senescence, results in anaccumulation of leaves on the soil in the form of a thick mulch (Amougou el al., 2012). Such a mulch strongly modifies the soil environment and nitrogen and carbon cycles. However its influence on N_2O emissions, the largest contributor to global warming from agriculture, is poorly known. We combined a field experiment and simulations with the STICS soil-crop model (Brisson et al, 2003) to better understand how late harvest and the resulting mulch influence N,0 emissions through changes in soil properties and N_2O production processes.