TY - JOUR

T1 - Modelling the response of yields and tissue C : N to changes in atmospheric CO2 and N management in the main wheat regions of western Europe

AU - Olin, S.

AU - Schurgers, Guy

AU - Lindeskog, M.

AU - Warlind, D.

AU - Smith, B.

AU - Bodin, P.

AU - Holmer, J.

AU - Arneth, A.

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - Nitrogen (N) is a key element in terrestrial ecosystems as it influences both plant growth and plant interactions with the atmosphere. Accounting for carbon–nitrogen interactions has been found to alter future projections of the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle substantially. Dynamic vegetation models (DVMs) aim to accurately represent both natural vegetation and managed land, not only from a carbon cycle perspective but increasingly so also for a wider range of processes including crop yields. We present here the extended version of the DVM LPJ-GUESS that accounts for N limitation in crops to account for the effects of N fertilisation on yields and biogeochemical cycling. The performance of this new implementation is evaluated against observations from N fertiliser trials and CO2 enrichment experiments. LPJ-GUESS captures the observed response to both N and CO2 fertilisation on wheat biomass production, tissue C to N ratios (C: N) and phenology.To test the model’s applicability for larger regions, simulations are subsequently performed that cover the wheatdominated regions of western Europe. When compared to regional yield statistics, the inclusion of C–N dynamics in the model substantially increase the model performance compared to an earlier version of the model that does not account for these interactions. For these simulations, we also demonstrate an implementation of N fertilisation timing for areas where this information is not available. This feature is crucial when accounting for processes in managed ecosystems in large-scale models. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for C–N interactions when modelling agricultural ecosystems, and it is an important step towards accountingfor the combined impacts of changes in climate, [CO2] and land use on terrestrial biogeochemical cycles.

AB - Nitrogen (N) is a key element in terrestrial ecosystems as it influences both plant growth and plant interactions with the atmosphere. Accounting for carbon–nitrogen interactions has been found to alter future projections of the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle substantially. Dynamic vegetation models (DVMs) aim to accurately represent both natural vegetation and managed land, not only from a carbon cycle perspective but increasingly so also for a wider range of processes including crop yields. We present here the extended version of the DVM LPJ-GUESS that accounts for N limitation in crops to account for the effects of N fertilisation on yields and biogeochemical cycling. The performance of this new implementation is evaluated against observations from N fertiliser trials and CO2 enrichment experiments. LPJ-GUESS captures the observed response to both N and CO2 fertilisation on wheat biomass production, tissue C to N ratios (C: N) and phenology.To test the model’s applicability for larger regions, simulations are subsequently performed that cover the wheatdominated regions of western Europe. When compared to regional yield statistics, the inclusion of C–N dynamics in the model substantially increase the model performance compared to an earlier version of the model that does not account for these interactions. For these simulations, we also demonstrate an implementation of N fertilisation timing for areas where this information is not available. This feature is crucial when accounting for processes in managed ecosystems in large-scale models. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for C–N interactions when modelling agricultural ecosystems, and it is an important step towards accountingfor the combined impacts of changes in climate, [CO2] and land use on terrestrial biogeochemical cycles.

U2 - 10.5194/bg-12-2489-2015

DO - 10.5194/bg-12-2489-2015

M3 - Journal article

VL - 12

SP - 2489

EP - 2515

JO - Biogeosciences

JF - Biogeosciences

SN - 1726-4170

IS - 8

ER -