Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Corn and Wheat Under Varying Organic Management Practices.

As the demand for organically produced food increases, management practices must be thoroughly investigated for their ability to protect the environment while maintaining or improving yield. However, agriculture is reported to be responsible for high amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions due to tillage and fertilizer usage. This research was conducted at the Bradford Research Center, University of Missouri, from 2012-2014. The objective of this study was to test the effect of management practices, including tillage, cover crops, and compost rate on CO2 and N2O emissions from corn (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticeae Triticum L.). Main treatments included tillage without cover crop, tillage with cover crop, and no-till with cover crop. Each of these was then divided into subplots with no compost added, the recommended amount of compost, and 1.5 times the recommended amount of compost. Greenhouse gas sampling was conducted using the GRACEnet protocol and sampling events were based on implementation of a management practice or rainfall events.