Using Holos 4 to Model Regenerative Agricultural Practices for Carbon Sequestration
Abstract
Carbon sequestration has the potential to be an important part of sustainable agriculture through regenerative agriculture. A pilot study was initiated in 2025 to sample soil organic carbon, nitrogen (total nitrogen), and bulk density in farms located in southern Ontario, Canada. The study area identified for the pilot was in Brant and Norfolk Counties (Ontario, Canada). This pilot endeavored to collect field data and use modeling to predict soil organic carbon gains of using regenerative agriculture. Therefore, the software was deployed to test for different scenarios where positive soil organic carbon change could occur, linked to management practices. Two farms were included in the study, and their agricultural practices were modeled in Holos 4 to determine the potential for carbon sequestration given some changes. Soil texture differed at each location, comprising sandy loam, clay loam, and sand in three fields, although the farms incorporated similar best management practices for the pilot study. Since these farms were already using reduced tillage or no-tillage, legume-based cover crops (forage radishes, crimson clover, and hairy vetch) were recommended for best management practices along with a turkey compost amendment and half nitrogen fertilizer application for corn. For the two Gray Brown Luvisols (Canadian System of Soil Classification) deployed in this pilot, texture had important implications for modeled soil organic carbon content in sandy and clayey soils. This resulted in different soil organic carbon content in these soils, with greater amounts (3.69– 5.33 Mg CO₂e/ha per year) measured and modeled in the clayey soil.
Document Type: Original article
Cited as: Thornbush, M., Zhang, M., Mandel, C., Andrews, E., Kempton, E., Rehman, M. M. U. Using Holos 4 to Model Regenerative Agricultural Practices for Carbon Sequestration. Sustainable Earth Resources Communications, 2026, 2(1): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.46690/serc.2026.01.01
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46690/serc.2026.01.01Keywords:
Greenhouse gas/ GHG modeling, GHG accounting, climate change mitigation, soil carbon capture and storage, agricultural soils, Ontario soilsReferences
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mary Thornbush, Michael Zhang, Cooper Mandel, Ethan Andrews, Ellen Kempton, Muhammad Muneeb Ur Rehman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.