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Authors: Līga Lepse and Sandra Dane, APP Institute of Horticulture

Climate change is considered to be one of the "achievements" of modern society and human development with undesirable side effects. The most tangible and economically significant is the greenhouse effect, which is largely the result of increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. There are two solutions to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere: one is to limit these atmospheric emissions; the other is to accumulate GHGs in the atmosphere. In the case of the second solution, in agriculture and forestry, GHGs can be accumulated in the soil or perennial plantings (forests, gardens). International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines mention that GHG containment and ecosystem adaptation and management mechanisms to current climate change is one of the objectives of future economic activity [1]. As the LULUCF sector (land use, land-use change and forestry) is responsible for 24 % of direct GHG emissions globally, GHG mitigation actions in this sector could have a significant impact on the climate change process. It is estimated that the LULUCF sector in Latvia is responsible for 22,3 % of GHG emissions, which is also a significant percentage of the total GHG emissions[1].

Between 2014 and 2021, a number of significant projects have been implemented in Latvia in the LULUCF sector on GHG emissions and accumulation in the sector. Examples include LIFE REstore[2], “Improvement of accounting system and methodologies for estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and CO2 removals from croplands and grasslands”[3] and the LLI-49 project CATCH POLLUTION" Catch crops and their growing potentials”[4]. A brief description of the results shows that the accumulation of nitrate compounds and CO2, as well as emissions, vary between crops depending on the biomass they produce (both surface and underground), organic characteristics and the type of tillage.

Studies have also been carried outside Latvia on the reduction of GHG emissions and CO2 removal in the LULUCF sector, specifically in agriculture. In recent decades, there have been a relatively large amount of research on the impact of green manure or catch crops not only on soil properties, but also on the usefulness of their application in the context of climate change. The use of green manure in agriculture is nothing new, it is a technology that has been used for centuries to increase soil fertility. Recently, however, this technological solution has been given additional importance in mitigating climate change. This article will pay more attention to the possibility of using catch crops as one of the functional groups of green manure plants in the provision of agroecological services. Based on research results and experience in Latvia and elsewhere in the world, the efficiency of these plants in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulation in the soil will also be discussed.