CAN CATCH CROPS BE AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN CARBON DIOXIDE SEQUESTRATION?

The sequestration of carbon dioxide in the biomass of plants, especially the ones which can be cultivated as catch crops is described. It has been shown that the cultivation of catch crops may play an important role in the mitigation of CO2 emissions. A study on the importance of catch crops (in relation to the main crop) in carbon dioxide sequestration was conducted over the period of 2016-2018 under the soil and climatic conditions of the central Lublin region, Poland. Subsequently, ploughed-in catch crop biomass is a kind of 'soil CO2 bank' It was proven that in the case of successful catch crops one can expect carbon dioxide sequestration by these crop cultures to be at a level from 4 to 6 tons CO2 ha-1·yr-1. The quantity of CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere by a catch crop is directly proportional to biomass yield produced by it. The following species, which are resilient to adverse weather conditions during seeding and initial plant growth, proved to be particularly useful in carbon dioxide sequestration by catch crops: white mustard, tansy phacelia, winter rye, winter wheat + winter vetch mixture. Catch crops also positively affect the amount of soil organic C compared to soils where they are not grown. Based on the obtained study results, it can be tentatively stated that catch crops are an important factor in carbon dioxide sequestration in broadly understood agricultural activity. It is advisable to promote catch crops on a wide scale due to relatively small costs of such crops compared to the benefits arising from them (phytosanitary effects on soil, CO2 sequestration, and soil carbon storage). It is however necessary to conduct further research in this area in order to determine the suitability of specific catch crop species for CO2 sequestration in various climatic and soil zones.