Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping
The Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping (CHCx3) is a four-year, 22-partner project, led by NIAB's Dr Lydia Smith.
The research aims to help UK farmers and growers target Net Zero and build farming resilience through diversifying their arable and forage cropping. It will enable new revenue sources through a carbon marketplace and support enhanced value chains for industries such as textiles and construction.
The project is focusing on four cropping options: cover crops; annual fibre crops; perennial food, feed, and forage cropping; and perennial biomass crops. Field trials and demonstrations will examine the effect of cultivation systems and agronomy on economic returns and environmental outcomes, with practical outputs including crop guides, web tools and apps.
Objectives
Evaluate food, forage, and industrial cropping options with potential to enhance atmospheric carbon capture, and sequestration in the soil and crop-based products
Optimise production of renewable biomaterials for fibre, textiles, and construction, and build value chains
Establish a UK Knowledge Hub providing resources to support effective uptake and utilisation of crops with high carbon capture potential
Quantify carbon removals, consistent with emerging standards for measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification
Develop carbon insetting/offsetting platforms, achieving revenue generation for farmers and supporting corporate sustainability
Updates
Exploring the Potential for ‘perennial wheat in the UK
Phil Howell, NIAB
Cereal crops dominate UK arable land, requiring annual tillage and leading to high costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil health concerns. Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) is a perennial grass species, native to central/south-west Europe and western Asia, and is used as a forage crop for grazing or cutting, although its fairly slow re-growth means it is best suited to annual harvesting.
The Land Institute has spent many years developing IWG as a dual-purpose crop with its Grain sold under the trade name ‘Kernza’. Its extensive root system has highlighted IWG’s potential to increase the resilience of forage cropping systems to drought, whilst helping to improve soil structure, reduce erosion risk and build soil organic matter. Additionally, its suitability to local conditions and environmental benefits make it promising for high carbon capture cropping systems.
Field trials with Kernza cultivars at two locations will assess agronomic aspects and soil properties over four years as part of the CHCx3 project.
Establishing Hemp and Flax as Viable Choices for UK Growers
Through the CHCX3 project, Elsoms Seeds Ltd, in collaboration with the University of York, is conducting trials across the UK to evaluate Hemp and Flax varieties under various conditions. The objective of the project is to provide UK farmers with practical data to make informed decisions about crop selection for their rotations. This research will gather on-farm information across different soil types, rotations, precipitation levels, and cultivation techniques. This data will inform a recommended list of varieties and an agronomy guide for potential commercial growers. By connecting farmers, machinery specialists, processors, and end users, the project aims to disseminate valuable information throughout the supply chain, promoting the adoption of Hemp and Flax as sustainable alternatives in various industries.
Heather Oldfield, Elsoms Seeds
High hopes for strong carbon storage potential of biomass crops
Miscanthus specialist, Terravesta, is one of 22 partners in the CHCX-3 study and is working with NIAB to test the soil where Miscanthus crops grow. Through soil sampling, they aim to standardise carbon measurements across a range of crops, including Miscanthus.
Terravesta