Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management
Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) are strongly affected by land management but few long-term comparative studies have surveyed changes throughout the whole soil profile. We quantified 25-year SOC and SON changes to 1 m in 10 replicate ecosystems at an Upper Midwest, USA site. W...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| author | S. Carolina Córdova Alexandra N. Kravchenko Jessica R. Miesel G. Philip Robertson |
| author_facet | S. Carolina Córdova Alexandra N. Kravchenko Jessica R. Miesel G. Philip Robertson |
| author_sort | S. Carolina Córdova |
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| description | Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) are strongly affected by land management but few long-term comparative studies have surveyed changes throughout the whole soil profile. We quantified 25-year SOC and SON changes to 1 m in 10 replicate ecosystems at an Upper Midwest, USA site. We compared four annual cropping systems in maize (Zea mays)-soybean (Glycine max)-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotations, each managed differently (Conventional, No-till, Reduced input, and Biologically based); in three managed perennial systems (hybrid Poplar (Populus × euramericana), Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and Conifer (Pinus spp.); and in three successional systems (Early, Mid- and Late succession undergoing a gradual change in species composition and structure over time). Both Reduced input and Biologically based systems included winter cover crops. Neither SOC nor SON changed significantly in the Conventional or Late successional systems over 25 years. All other systems gained SOC and SON to different degrees. SOC accrual was fastest in the Early successional system (0.8 ± 0.1 Mg C ha−1 y−1) followed by Alfalfa and Conifer (avg. 0.7 ± 0.1 Mg C ha−1 y−1), Poplar, Reduced input, and Biologically based systems (avg. 0.4 ± 0.1 Mg C ha−1 y−1), and Mid-successional and No-till systems (0.3 and 0.2 Mg C ha−1 y−1, respectively). Over the most recent 12 years, rates of SOC accrual slowed in all systems except Reduced input and Mid-successional. There was no evidence of SOC loss at depth in any system, including No-till. Rates of SON accrual ranged from 64.7 to 0.8 kg N ha−1 y−1 in the order Alfalfa ≥ Early successional > Reduced input and Biologically based ≥ Poplar > No-till and Conifer > Mid-successional systems. Pyrogenic C levels in the Conventional, Early, and Late successional systems were similar despite 17 years of annual burning in the Early successional system (∼ 15 % of SOC to 50 cm, on average, and ∼40 % of SOC from 50 to 100 cm). Results underscore the importance of cover crops, perennial crops, and no-till options for sequestering whole profile C in intensively managed croplands. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-7c38cb2f9e3547f58fdb67b69c008a4f2025-01-10T04:36:42ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592025-01-01453117133Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation managementS. Carolina Córdova0Alexandra N. Kravchenko1Jessica R. Miesel2G. Philip Robertson3W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA; Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, MI 48824, USA; Corresponding authors.Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, MI 48824, USADepartment of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USAW.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA; Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, MI 48824, USA; Corresponding authors.Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) are strongly affected by land management but few long-term comparative studies have surveyed changes throughout the whole soil profile. We quantified 25-year SOC and SON changes to 1 m in 10 replicate ecosystems at an Upper Midwest, USA site. We compared four annual cropping systems in maize (Zea mays)-soybean (Glycine max)-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotations, each managed differently (Conventional, No-till, Reduced input, and Biologically based); in three managed perennial systems (hybrid Poplar (Populus × euramericana), Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and Conifer (Pinus spp.); and in three successional systems (Early, Mid- and Late succession undergoing a gradual change in species composition and structure over time). Both Reduced input and Biologically based systems included winter cover crops. Neither SOC nor SON changed significantly in the Conventional or Late successional systems over 25 years. All other systems gained SOC and SON to different degrees. SOC accrual was fastest in the Early successional system (0.8 ± 0.1 Mg C ha−1 y−1) followed by Alfalfa and Conifer (avg. 0.7 ± 0.1 Mg C ha−1 y−1), Poplar, Reduced input, and Biologically based systems (avg. 0.4 ± 0.1 Mg C ha−1 y−1), and Mid-successional and No-till systems (0.3 and 0.2 Mg C ha−1 y−1, respectively). Over the most recent 12 years, rates of SOC accrual slowed in all systems except Reduced input and Mid-successional. There was no evidence of SOC loss at depth in any system, including No-till. Rates of SON accrual ranged from 64.7 to 0.8 kg N ha−1 y−1 in the order Alfalfa ≥ Early successional > Reduced input and Biologically based ≥ Poplar > No-till and Conifer > Mid-successional systems. Pyrogenic C levels in the Conventional, Early, and Late successional systems were similar despite 17 years of annual burning in the Early successional system (∼ 15 % of SOC to 50 cm, on average, and ∼40 % of SOC from 50 to 100 cm). Results underscore the importance of cover crops, perennial crops, and no-till options for sequestering whole profile C in intensively managed croplands.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706124003628AgricultureCover cropsEcological successionForest soilsNo-tillPyrogenic carbon |
| spellingShingle | S. Carolina Córdova Alexandra N. Kravchenko Jessica R. Miesel G. Philip Robertson Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management Geoderma Agriculture Cover crops Ecological succession Forest soils No-till Pyrogenic carbon |
| title | Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management |
| title_full | Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management |
| title_fullStr | Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management |
| title_short | Soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management |
| title_sort | soil carbon change in intensive agriculture after 25 years of conservation management |
| topic | Agriculture Cover crops Ecological succession Forest soils No-till Pyrogenic carbon |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706124003628 |
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