The increased carbon leads to improved soil fertility, an increased water-holding capacity, reduced soil erosion, restoration of degraded lands, improved water quality, and improved wildlife habitat at the same time that it mitigates the greenhouse effect. This is a win- win scenario with many benefits to agriculture, as well as to society in general. As outlined in both of the books, we know a great deal about the processes and what is needed to sequester carbon in soils, the overall carbon cycle, and the linkage of the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, yet there are still many areas that require more research. As stated above, there is an interaction of the carbon and nitrogen cycles. We need to have nitrogen and phosphorus for plant growth, but we need to develop mechanisms to add nitrogen in organic forms, through fixation by plants, or in slow-release forms that mineralize to ammonium while minimizing the amounts present in the nitrate form.
Research is needed in the efficiency of fertilizer use.
Fertilization will not be done as a means to increase carbon sequestration but to increase agriculture production, but that still means we need to do a full accounting. There are many other knowledge gaps that have been identified in our meetings and it is these gaps which point future research needs. In 1996, we identified some areas where these gaps exist. Questions arising from these knowledge gaps have been answered in part over the last few years, but many still require further research. We know the value of conservation tillage but still need to look at the potential benefits of different types of tillage systems in different agro-ecological zones, with different crops and crop rotations, and on different soils.