Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Up to present, with reference to modeling application in Italian agricultural fields
only few works have been published. Lugato et al. (
2006
,
2007
) extensively tested
the SOC Century model using the long-term dataset of the University of Padova. The
model was very accurate in simulating different agricultural managements involv-
ing a wide range of crop rotations and type of organic and mineral fertilizations.
Furthermore, the authors made an analysis of the scenario (Lugato and Berti
2008
),
showing that recommended management practices could affect the C balance more
strongly than climate change. Conversion to grassland was the most promising prac-
tice for sequestering C, allowing an average accumulation of 2.5 and 14 t C ha
−
1
at
the end of the first Kyoto commitment period (2012) and in 2080, respectively.
The long-term dataset of the University of Bologna (Cadriano) was used by Plaza
et al. (
2012
) to evaluate the performances of the process-based C model CQUESTR.
The results indicated that the model was able to predict the SOC trend with a reason-
able degree of accuracy, but further improvements may result from a better param-
eterization of the chemical composition and degradability of organic amendments.
Despite other model applications have been applied locally also in Mediterranean
areas (as illustrates specifically in the next paragraph), territorial simulations at high
spatial resolution are still lacking in Italy. As a deliverable of the project Carboitaly,
Lugato et al. (
2010
) developed a platform of simulation to run DNDC for the entire
national territory on a grid of 1 km
2
, linking the model with geographical databases.
The main outcomes showed that N
2
O emissions were generally low (<0.5 kg N ha
−
1
)
with a simulated emission factor from fertilizers of 0.008, lower than the IPCC default
of 0.0125 kg N
2
O-N kg
−
1
N. Cumulative emissions, covering 52 % of the arable land
and 26 % of the woodland crops simulated, were 1.52 (0.04) and
−
0.08 (0.001) Mt
of CO
2
eq for N
2
O and CH
4
, respectively (negative values indicate CH
4
oxidation).
−
1
) in the grain maize with alternative management prac-
tices: conventional (
left
) versus reduced tillage (
right
)
Fig. 10.1
Annual CO
2
fluxes (kg C ha
