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Project
Schokbestendige en duurzame landbouw in een veranderend klimaat: inzichten in stikstof-koolstof interacties en de invloed op de ontwikkelingen en productiviteit van landbouwgewassen.
): Carbon-nitrogen dynamics in plants have been frequently investigated, but in this research project they receive renewed attention in the context of climate change. Agricultural crop production is more than ever vulnerable due to imminent climatic changes. Changes in water availability and temperature imply challenges for crops. Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]e) on the other hand mean reinforcement of the carbon source for crops, which should be used optimally. Yet, crops do not always benefit fully from the CO2 fertilization effect, probably due to limited crop sink strength (capacity to invest carbon in growth and development), for which nitrogen shortage is at least partly responsible. Next to down-regulation of photosynthesis, crops also show decreased nitrogen content under [CO2]e, which compromises nutritional quality. Also, environmental constraints and exhaustible resources urge for agricultural management that is tailored to the truly consumption of these resources by crops. Several mechanisms that play a role in the interactions between carbon and nitrogen will be tested in a greenhouse under different conditions of CO2, nitrogen and water. The gained insights in physiological processes will then be used to understand field observations. Both will help our understanding of truly mechanisms, which will be translated to mathematical equations for a crop-soil model that can help in the design of sustainable management for resilient agriculture in the future.
Date:1 Oct 2014 → 30 Sep 2015
Keywords:Carbon Nitrogen Interactions, Modelling, Climate Change, Elevated Co2 Concentration, Greenhouse And Growth Chamber Experiment
Disciplines:Other engineering and technology