Chloe Ducholke | ALES Graduate Seminar

Event details: A graduate exam seminar is a presentation of the student’s final research project for their degree.
This is an ALES MSc Final Exam Seminar by Chloe Ducholke. This seminar is open to the general public to attend.

MSc with Drs. Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez and Linda Gorim.

Thesis Topic: Modelling Beneficial Management Practices in Agriculture in Western Canada to Observe Impacts on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Sustainability

Abstract:

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other detrimental environmental effects of agriculture is a goal paramount to societal stability and prosperity. Understanding the advantages and constraints of beneficial management practices (BMPs) to the fullest extent is imperative for effectively selecting the right interventions tailored to specific farming scenarios. Scenarios modelled many BMP’s using Holos and focused on the Canadian Prairies. Significant GHG reductions were observed. The average reduction in emissions from a regime of high N inputs to conservative inputs was 26% CO₂e. Across a variety of soil types and fertilizer regimes, the average reduction by switching to no-till from intensive tillage was 24.9% CO₂e. In addition, for beef cattle use of a high protein diet enabled a reduction of 33% CO₂e. The GHG emissions estimates from the Holos model suggest that implementation of beneficial management practices can play a large and important role in reducing emissions in agriculture.