Carbon (C) mineralization of crop residues is an important process occurring in soil which is helpful in predicting CO emission to the atmosphere and nutrient availability to plants. A laboratory experiment was conducted in which C mineralization of residues of rice (), wheat (), maize (), mungbean () and their mixtures was applied to the soil surface or incorporated into an Alfisols from Northwest India. C mineralization was significantly affected by residue placement and type and their interactions. Rice residue had a higher decomposition rate (k = 0.121 and 0.076 day) than wheat (0.073 and 0.042 day) and maize residues (0.041 day) irrespective of placements. Higher decomposition rates of rice and wheat were observed when placed on soil surface than incorporated in the soils. Additive effects of the contribution of each residue type to C mineralization of the residue mixture were observed. When mungbean residue was added to the rice/wheat or maize/wheat mixture, decomposition of the residue mixture was enhanced. Crop residues with low N and high C/N ratio such as maize, wheat, rice and their mixtures can be applied on the soil surface for faster C and N mineralization, thereby helping to manage high volumes of residues under conservation agriculture-based practices in northwest India.

Wooden construction elements often exhibit lower life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than conventional counterparts ('material substitution effect'). Moreover, the building stock represents a carbon (C) sink if timber inflows (construction) surpass outflows (demolition) ('C-stock effect'). A dynamic stock model incorporating these effects is applied to quantify potential climate benefits of wood construction in Austria's residential building sector. If present trends are maintained, culminating in a wood construction share (WCS) of 50% during 2050-2100, building shells could contain three times as much C in 2100 as today. Annual timber demand for residential construction could double, but would remain well below Austria's current net exports. Compared to a baseline scenario with constant WCS (22%), cumulated GHG savings from material substitution until 2050 are estimated 2 to 4.2 Tg CO-equivalent - clearly less than savings from C-stock expansion (9.2 Tg). Savings from both effects would double in a highly ambitious scenario (WCS=80% during 2050-2100). The applied 'Stock Change Approach' is consistent with IPCC Guidelines, but the above-mentioned savings from C-stock changes would not materialize under the current default GHG inventory accounting approach. Moreover, savings from C-stock effects must eventually be weighed against forest C-stock changes, as growing domestic demand might stimulate wood harvesting.