Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes

Spanish National Research Council | CSIC · Experimental Station of Aula Dei

In addition to the weather conditions, agronomic practices can have a major influence on maize crop yield and contamination with mycotoxins. In this work, the effect of different irrigation systems (flood vs. sprinkler irrigation), sprinkler irrigation management (low vs. high frequency, daytime vs. nighttime irrigation) and tillage practices (conv...

Microbial communities inhabiting hypersaline wetlands, well adapted to the environmental fluctuations due to flooding and desiccation events, play a key role in the biogeochemical cycles, ensuring ecosystem service. To better understand the ecosystem functioning, we studied soil microbial communities of Salineta wetland (NE Spain) in dry and wet se...

Aims: Improving the management of crop residues is essential for water and soil conservation and for increasing soil C and N levels in dryland agroecosystems. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the decomposition dynamics and nutrient release from crop residues from different cropping systems in a semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystem....

The intensification of agricultural systems has caused a noticeable impact on agro-ecosystem services. Thus, the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices such as crop diversification and reduction of external inputs represent an alternative strategy to minimize the impacts of intensive agricultural systems to the environment. This study...

The irrigation systems of the Ebro valley can lead to high N2O emissions. The effects that crop diversification, such as double cropping in combination with conservation tillage and different N fertilizer ratios, has on soil N2O emissions have not been extensively studied in this region. The goal of this research was to measure N2O soil emissions a...

Maize is a major irrigated crop in Mediterranean areas and its typical intensive management may impact soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. In these irrigated continuous maize systems, the legumes incorporation as well as adjusted nitrogen (N) fertilization might be interesting strategies to reduce soil N 2 O emissions. The objective of this study...

Predicting the regional net greenhouse gas emissions (Net GHG) of grasslands is increasingly important, as these are one of the most globally widespread vegetation types, providing several ecosystem services. In this study, we assessed the regional soil organic carbon (SOC) change over a 30-year period (1981–2010), and the annual GHG balance for 40...

Sustainable agriculture has been identified as key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to end poverty and hunger and address climate change while maintaining natural resources. Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is a key soil function for ecosystem services, and storing carbon (C) in soil by changing...

Agricultural intensification is a highly specialized agri-food system that has contributed to raising food production worldwide due to progress in agricultural machinery and technologies, the use of improved cultivars, and external inputs such as fertilizers, irrigation, and pesticides [...]

Temperate grassland soils store significant amounts of carbon (C). Estimating how much livestock grazing and manuring can influence grassland soil organic carbon (SOC) is key to improve greenhouse gas grassland budgets. The Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model, although originally developed and parameterized to model the turnover of organic C in arable...

Simulation models represent soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in global carbon (C) cycle scenarios to support climate-change studies. It is imperative to increase confidence in long-term predictions of SOC dynamics by reducing the uncertainty in model estimates. To do this, we evaluated SOC simulated from an ensemble of 26 process‐based C models b...

Temperate grasslands are of paramount importance in terms of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Globally, research on SOC dynamics has largely focused on forests, croplands and natural grasslands, while intensively managed grasslands has received much less attention. In this regard, we aimed to improve the prediction of SOC dynamics in managed gra...

Agricultural activities represent a significant fraction of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere, with a preponderant impact on nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) fluxes. The production of these gases in the soil is controlled by different soil characteristics (O2 availability, mineral N content, temperature, pH, organic carbo...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of 21 years of tillage and N fertilization and the conversion from a rainfed to an irrigated cropping system on soil organic C (SOC). The study was carried out in NE Spain in a long-term tillage and N rate field experiment established in 1996 under barley rainfed conditions which in 2015 was converte...

In the European Union, various crop diversification systems such as crop rotation, intercropping and multiple cropping, as well as low-input management practices, have been promoted to sustain crop productivity while maintaining environmental quality and ecosystem services. We conducted a data analysis to identify the benefits of crop associations,...

Irrigation as well as soil tillage management are considered two possible strategies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH 4) emissions from the soil in Mediterranean agroecosystems. The objective of this work was to assess the impact of the irrigation system (i.e. flood, F; and sprinkler, S) and the soil tillage system (i.e. conventional...

Irrigation and soil management can impact soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Flood and sprinkler irrigation systems together with conventional tillage are the main practices used in the high yielding maize systems in Mediterranean Spain. The objective of this field work was to quantify the effect of the irrigation system (i.e., flood, F; and sprin...

Simulation models represent soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in global carbon (C) cycle scenarios to support climate-change studies. It is imperative to increase confidence in long-term predictions of SOC dynamics by reducing the uncertainty in model estimates. We evaluated SOC simulated from an ensemble of 26 process-based C models by comparing...

In the last few decades, various crop diversification strategies and management practices have been promoted to improve or at least maintain environmental quality and agroecosystem services. We conducted a data-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of alternatives for crop diversification and environmentally friendly farming management for arable...

This report addresses the following questions: What are the reasons why measures to protect land and especially soils are not fully taken up by land managers? What are the barriers hindering the implementation of sustainable soil management (SSM) measures and the reasons behind them?

Major constraints to rainfed production systems in the world’s drylands include low and highly variable rainfall, nutrient deficiencies and land degradation by wind and water erosion. Although the same principles to cope with these limitations could be in theory applied to all dryland situations, there is no a universal recipe for sustainable dryla...

For quite a long time, soil organic carbon stock (SOCS) has reduced from reconverting forest areas into agricultural land or by inadequate agronomic practices. However in recent decades in Mediterranean areas, abandonment of agricultural areas due to lack of economic profits and to promoting tourism has fostered a change in land use that has impact...

In irrigated Mediterranean conditions there is a lack of knowledge about the best combination of tillage and N fertilization practices to reduce soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions while maintaining maize productivity. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of different soil management practices and synthetic N fertilization rates on so...

There is growing international interest in better managing soils to increase soil organic carbon content to contribute to climate change mitigation, to enhance resilience to climate change and to underpin food security, through initiatives such as international “4p1000″ initiative and the FAO's Global assessment of soil organic carbon sequestration...

This report presents evidence of the societal challenges of transboundary impacts, the drivers, and consequences of soil degradation, as well as data and knowledge gaps. The message conveyed by the report is that there is clear evidence of transboundary impacts and drivers of soil degradation and that it has physical, ecological, economic and socia...

Mediterranean rainfed areas are transformed into irrigation to stabilize or increase crop yields. The gradual occupation of irrigation leads to an increase in nitrogen use and intensity of tillage. The aim of this work was to evaluate the combined impact of tillage systems and mineral N fertilization rates on maize grain yield, water and nitrogen u...

Irrigation management may influence soil greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Solid-set sprinkler irrigation systems allow to modify the irrigation time and frequency. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of two irrigation times (daytime, D; nighttime, N) and two irrigation frequencies (low, L; high, H) on soil carbon dioxide (CO2), me...

In newly irrigated Mediterranean agroecosystems, the combined effect of tillage and N fertilization on soil carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes is at present poorly understood. The goal of this study was to quantify both soil CO2 and CH4 emissions as well as crop performance under different tillage systems and N fertilization rates during...

Most emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) are linked to the use of nitrogen (N) fertiliser in agriculture, highlighting a need for agricultural management practices that reduce emissions while maintaining agronomic productivity. A new study has assessed the long-term impact of conventional tillage (CT — where soil is prepared for agriculture via mechan...

Soil organic C (SOC) stock assessments at the regional scale under climate change scenarios are of paramount importance in implementing soil management practices to mitigate climate change. In this study, we estimated the changes in SOC sequestration under climate change conditions in agricultural land in Spain using the RothC model at the regional...

Tillage and organic fertilization impact short-term soil CO2 fluxes. However, the interactive effect of these two management practices has been rarely studied under field conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of tillage (NT, no-tillage, and CT, conventional tillage) and fertilization strategy (PS, pig slurry, and MF, mi...

There is a strong need to identify agricultural management practices that maintain agronomic productivity while diminishing soil N2O emissions. The yield-scaled N2O emissions (YSNE) indicator can help to evaluate the adequacy of a given agricultural practice under both aspects. Long-term (18-yr) soil water and mineral N dynamics, crop biomass and y...

The soils of the Mediterranean Basin are the products of soil processes that have been governed by a unique convergence of highly differentiated natural and anthropogenic drivers. These soils are expected to be dramatically affected by future climate and societal changes. These changes imply that suitable adaptive management strategies for these re...

Tillage and organic fertilization impact short-term soil CO2 fluxes. However, the interactive effect of these two management practices has been rarely studied under field conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of tillage (NT, no-tillage, and CT, conventional tillage) and fertilization strategy (PS, pig slurry, and MF, mi...

The main objective of this study was to determine soil carbon (C) dynamics in different land uses in a southern European dryland agroecosystem. In order to address this objective, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and soil carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions were measured over 18 months (Dec. 2011-Jun. 2013) in a representative dryland...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) management is key for soil fertility and for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, particularly in desertification-prone areas such as Mediterranean croplands. Industrialization and global change processes affect SOC dynamics in multiple, often opposing, ways. Here we present a detailed SOC balance in Spanish cropla...

View recording: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2017am/videogateway.cgi/id/31975?recordingid=31975 Soil tillage and N fertilization play an important role on the agronomic and environmental sustainability of dryland Mediterranean agriculture. A series of long-term field experiments were established in NE Spain to compare different tillage systems...

Poster

En los ambientes mediterráneos de secano, en los que la productividad se ve limitada por la disponibilidad hídrica, la siembra directa es una técnica ventajosa para la conservación de agua en el suelo y su utilización de forma más eficiente por parte del cultivo, llevando a mayores rendimientos que el laboreo convencional. Esa mayor productividad e...

The aim of this study was to determine the most appropriate soil management to reduce the structural degradation of soils susceptible to crusting in Mediterranean areas recently transformed into irrigation. A long-term field experiment (LTE) under rainfed conditions was established in 1996 in NE Spain to compare three tillage systems (no-tillage, N...

In Mediterranean agroecosystems, limited information exists about possible impacts of climate change on soil N2O emissions under different land uses. This paper presents a modelling study with a dual objective. Firstly, the biogeochemical Daycent model was evaluated to predict soil N2O emissions in different land uses in a typical Mediterranean agr...

Core Ideas Sowing delay and cultivar effects on cereal production and water and N use efficiencies were studied. Sowing delay increased grain yield due to greater number of grains per m2. Sowing delay maximized the efficiency in the use of resources. The effect of delaying sowing date and maturity class on no‐till (NT) winter cereal performance wa...

Revisión de las principales estrategias de reducción de GEI en sistemas agrícolas mediterráneos, tanto agronómicas como estructurales. Evaluación de barreras y oportunidades de implementación.

V Workshop sobre Mitigación de Emisión de Gases de Efecto Invernadero provenientes del Sector Agroforestal. Remedia Workshop.

INTRODUCCIÓN METODOLOGÍA Reducir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) del suelo a la atmósfera en los sistemas agrícolas mediterráneos implica identificar cuáles son las prácticas de manejo que no solo lleven a esa disminución sino también que permitan mantener los rendimientos óptimos de los cultivos. Por ello, el objetivo de este tr...

Tillage and N fertilization strategies including mineral and organic sources need to be studied in combination given their importance on the production cost that farmers face and their potential interaction on crop performance. A four-year (2010–2014) experiment based on barley monocropping was carried out in NE Spain in a typical rainfed Mediterra...

An integrated assessment of the potential of different management practices for mitigating specific components of the total GHG budget (N2O and CH4 emissions and C sequestration) of Mediterranean agrosystems was performed in this study. Their suitability regarding both yield and environmental (e.g. nitrate leaching and ammonia volatilization) susta...

Agriculture in the Mediterranean basin is currently contributing to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and in the future is expected to be strongly affected by climate change. Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) via soil organic matter (SOM) improvement is widely regarded as a way to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. Using as a case study the...

19th Nitrogen Workshop

In this work, appropriate management practices for crop production under the variable climate conditions of the Mediterranean region, in particular rainfall, were tested with the use of a modelling system applied to long-term (i.e. 18 years) field data. The calibration of the CropSyst model was performed using data collected from 1996 to 1999 at th...

A portfolio of agricultural practices is now available that can contribute to reaching European mitigation targets. Among them, the management of agricultural soils has a large potential for reducing GHG emissions or sequestering carbon. Many of the practices are based on well tested agronomic and technical know-how, with proven benefits for farmer...

Core Ideas Soil GHG emissions were quantified in four fertilization scenarios in irrigated corn. Fertilization scenarios had minor effect on CO 2 and CH 4 emissions. Soil mineral N level affected N 2 O emissions and yield‐scaled N 2 O emissions. Agricultural soils emit greenhouse gases (GHG). Excessive application of N fertilizer may lead to the a...

This study focuses on the quantification of soil water storage and crop yield under different tillage systems in dryland semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Three long-term tillage experiments based on cereal production were initiated in 1987, 1990 and 1992, at three different locations in the Ebro river valley (NE Spain): El Canós, Selvanera and Ag...

Soil organic carbon stock (SOCS) assessments at a national level are essential in the climate change mitigation role. Our study provides the first assessment of the SOC stored in entire Spanish surface soils obtained from one sampling protocol within a regular sampling framework in a short edaphic time. In this study, we analysed topsoil samples (0...

Dryland areas cover about 41 % of the Earth’s surface and sustain over 2 billion inhabitants. Soil carbon (C) in dryland areas is of crucial importance to maintain soil quality and productivity and a range of ecosystem services. Soil mismanagement has led to a significant loss of carbon in these areas, which in many of them entailed several land de...

Deficit irrigation (DI) strategies using moderately saline waters save water, but may enhance soil salinization. Based on data gathered during years 2007–2012 in three drip-irrigated grapevine, peach, and nectarine crops subjected to several irrigation and soil-mulching treatments, we assessed trends in root-zone soil salinity [saturation extract e...