Open AccessPhytosequestration: Carbon Biosequestration by Plants and the Prospects of Genetic Engineering
Author(s) -
Christer Jansson,
Stan D. Wullschleger,
Udaya C. Kalluri,
Gerald A. Tuskan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.761
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1525-3244
pISSN - 0006-3568
DOI - 10.1525/bio.2010.60.9.6
Subject(s) - carbon sequestration , biomass (ecology) , environmental science , greenhouse gas , photosynthesis , biochar , biofuel , soil carbon , bioenergy , carbon assimilation , carbon dioxide , atmospheric carbon cycle , fossil fuel , terrestrial plant , carbon fibers , agroforestry , agronomy , soil water , ecology , biology , waste management , botany , soil science , engineering , pyrolysis , materials science , composite number , composite material
Photosynthetic assimilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide by land plants offers the underpinnings for terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration. A proportion of the C captured in plant biomass is partitioned to roots, where it enters the pools of soil organic C and soil inorganic C and can be sequestered for millennia. Bioenergy crops serve the dual role of providing biofuel that offsets fossil-fuel greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequestering C in the soil through extensive root systems. Carbon captured in plant biomass can also contribute to C sequestration through the deliberate addition of biochar to soil, wood burial, or the use of durable plant products. Increasing our understanding of plant, microbial, and soil biology, and harnessing the benefits of traditional genetics and genetic engineering, will help us fully realize the GHG mitigation potential of phytosequestration.
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