No-till farming may reduce global warming

A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study suggests no-till farming might reduce the effects of global warming.

University researchers and Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists in Tennessee say no-till farming helps store carbon in fields and that can help countries meet targeted reductions in atmospheric carbon dioxide, reducing the effects of global warming.

Some carbon is found in soil as organic matter and no-till farming can potentially increase the accumulation of organic carbon in soil.

"Our research focuses on the feasibility of different sequestration schemes for reducing natural emissions of carbon dioxide or enhancing the natural uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide," said Atul Jain, a professor of atmospheric sciences and lead author of the study. "Converting from conventional plow tillage to no-till practice is among the most cost-effective ways to reduce the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

The research appears in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International