Texas A&M AgriLife and University of Texas-El Paso researchers are studying the effects of abiotic carbon dioxide on dryland systems.
Arid agricultural soils are very vulnerable to salt accumulation, and once a soil becomes salty, it is almost useless for crop production.
The National Science Foundation, NSF, awarded researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso, UTEP, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso a $1.18 million grant for a collaborative effort to gain a better understanding of abiotic carbon dioxide, or CO2, dynamics in dryland systems.
This collaborative effort is among the first in the Rio Grande Valley to define critical linkages between flood irrigation, salt loading and abiotic carbon dioxide exchange with the atmosphere.
Intensification of dryland agriculture leads to water depletion and pushes farmers to rely more heavily on groundwater. Groundwater is more mineral-rich than surface water and leads to faster carbonate and salt accumulation.
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