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Monitoring of CO2 Flux and Contribution for Components in the Soil- Plant System in a Grassland from Northeastern Mexico

Author(s): Armando López-Santos, Martín Cadena-Zapata, Alejandro Zermeño-González, Guillermo González-Cervantes, José Alexander Gil-Marín, Ignacio Sánchez-Cohen
1Unidad Regional Universitaria de Zonas Áridas de la UACh (alopez@chapingo.uruza.edu.mx), 2 División de Ingeniería UAAAN, Buenavista, Saltillo, Coah. Méx., 3 Centro Nacional de Investigación Interdisciplinario en Relaciones Agua Suelo Planta Atmósfera del

Keyword(s): Key words: Eddy Covariance, Rural Production Systems, CO2 flux.

Article:

Poster:

Session: Poster session 3

Abstract The monitoring and quantification of CO2 released to

the atmosphere by the rural production systems is an uprising need when facing the actual challenge of global

warming. It is known, that in the last decade the change of land use and silviculture activities have contributed in a

significant manner in the net emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere. However, is not quite clear the magnitude of the

contribution of each individual ecosystem, and even it is least known the contribution of the separate action of the

soil-plant system components.
There are three methods for monitoring and quantifying the CO2 flux in an

extensive open area condition: i) Open or close use of interchange gas chambers; ii) Using the technique of the

Bowen Relation Method; and iii) Using the Eddy Covariance Method. In this experiment, the last mentioned was

used for its high reliability in the measurements of mass and energy flux in extensive land conditions.

The experiment was carried out at Rancho “Los Angeles” Municipality of Saltillo, Coahuila, México (25º 6.650’ N

and 100º 59.413’ W). It was measured the CO2 flux, in plots of 2.4 ha after removing the native vegetation,

dominated by three families (Chenopodacea, Euphorbacea y Asteraceae), using two tillage treatments: vertical tillage

by chiseling (VT) and conventional tillage by disc ploughing (CT), the flux was measured as well in a reference plot

without tillage treatment (NT). In all plots it was determined the magnitude of flux for each component at the soil-

plant system.
The results showed that under the predominant climatic conditions at Autumn 2006, when

separating the components of the soil-plant system from the CO2 total flux monitored (FCO2tm), the more

important contribution came from the soil at both tillage methods used (FCO2sLV=66 % and FCO2sLC=74 %).

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Monitoring of CO2 Flux and Contribution for Components in the Soil- Plant System in a Grassland from Northeastern Mexico