Natural 13C abundance as a tracer for studies of soil organic matter dynamics

Balesdent, Jérôme; Mariotti, André; Guillet, B.

doi:10.1016/0038-0717(87)90120-9

Cited by 641 publications

(449 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…δ 13 C values showed a consistent increase (7.0 ‰) with depth in the forest soil profile (Table 2). This has been noted previously (Vitorello et al, 1989;Martin et al, 1990;Desjardins et al, 1994) and may be related to the isotopic fractionation occurring during humification (Balesdent et al, 1987;Martin et al, 1990).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum L.), a frequently used grass for cover crops (Opara-Nadi, 1993;Scopel et al, 2004), was introduced in NE Argentina in the last few years, Soil C balance under grasses depends on the stability of the SOM derived from the previous vegetation, the rates of SOM input from the new established grass and its stability. When trees and shrubs (dominantly C 3 species) are replaced by grasses (predominantly C 4 ) it is possible to determine the origin of the SOM from its isotopic composition (Balesdent et al, 1987;Chonè et al, 1991;Bonde et al, 1992;McDonagh et al, 2001;Roscoe et al, 2004;Desjardins et al, 2004;Schwendenmann & Pendall, 2006). Furtherover, the use of 13 C natural abundance technique together with simple mathematical approaches have further improved SOM turnover studies (Noordwijk et al, 1997;Bernoux et al, 1998;Wynn et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Measurements of natural δ 13 C abundance were used to establish the origin of the SOM in each system using the technique developed by Cerri et al (1985) and Balesdent et al (1987). The proportion of soil C derived from elephant grass residues (α P ) was calculated as:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in soil organic matter under different land management in misiones province (Argentina)

Píccolo

Andriulo

Mary³

2008

Sci. agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.)

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Highly weathered tropical soils rapidly loose soil organic matter (SOM) and may be affected by water erosion and soil compaction after deforestation and intensive cultivation. With the main objective to estimate the SOM balances in a subtropical soil we determined the dynamics of SOM in a degraded yerba mate (Ilex paraguaiensis Saint Hil.) plantation introduced after deforestation and with elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum L.) as a cover crop. The study site was in Misiones, Argentina, and we use the natural 13 C abundance methodology and a descriptive model. The study was conducted on three contiguous 50 × 100 m plots of a typic Kandihumult soil with: (i) native forest, (ii) 50 years of continuous yerba mate monoculture with intensive tillage, and (iii) yerba mate associated with elephant grass as a cover crop and no tillage. We determined bulk density, carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and 13 C content of the soil (0 -0.05, 0.05 -0.15 m layers) and the grass biomass. Yerba mate monoculture reduced soil C and N content as well as porosity at 0 -0.15 m depth by 43 and 23%, respectively, as compared to the native forest. After ten years of yerba mate -elephant grass association soil C and N contents at the same depth increased by 19 and 12%, respectively, compared to the yerba mate monoculture, while soil porosity remained similar. Total C input, 13 C, and soil organic C were incorporated into a three compartment model to evaluate elephant grass C dynamics. Through the natural 13 C abundance methodology we tracked the elephant grass C incorporation and the "old" soil C loss, and determined the model parameters -humification (k 1 ) and mineralization (k) coefficients and stable C (C s )-unambiguously. The high k 1 and k predicted by the model are probably explained by elephant grass root system incorporation under no tillage and humid subtropical climate, respectively. In soil under yerba mate monoculture, C s was counted as 91% of the total soil organic C. Key words: Ilex paraguaiensis, Pennisetum purpureum, natural 13 C abundance, soil carbon, modelling MUDANÇAS NA MATÉRIA ORGÂNICA EDAFICA SOB DIFERENTES MANEJOS DE SOLO NA PROVÍNCIA DE MISIONES (ARGENTINA)RESUMO: Os solos altamente intemperizados dos trópicos perdem rapidamente matéria orgânica do solo (SOM) e podem ser afetados pela erosão hídrica e compactação depois de seu deflorestamento e agricultura contínua. O objetivo foi determinar a dinâmica da matéria orgânica do solo com capimelefante (Pennisetum purpureum L.) em um Kandihumult da província de Misiones (Argentina) após desmatamento e cultivo contínuo de erva-mate (Ilex paraguaiensis Saint Hil.), utilizando a metodologia da abundância natural em carbono 13 ( 13 C) e um modelo descritivo. O estudo foi conduzido em três parcelas contíguas de 50 × 100 m. As situações comparadas foram: (a) floresta nativa, e (b) local com 50 anos de monocultivo intensivo de erva-mate, e (c) erva-mate associada com capim-elefante como cultivo de cobertura sob plantio direto. Determinaram-se os conteúdos de carbono (C),...

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in soil organic matter under different land management in misiones province (Argentina)

Píccolo

Andriulo

Mary³

2008

Sci. agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.)

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“…Miscanthus grown in most temperate zones provides an ideal model for isotopic partitioning of new and old C; the natural abundance of 13 C isotopes in Miscanthus biomass (a C4 crop) is different to the 13 C abundance in soils created from C3 plant matter [23]. This allows pre-existing C to be quantified separately to the Miscanthus-derived C, in both CO 2 emissions and soil C. Using this approach, quantifying the Miscanthus-derived C in soil is relatively simple and repeated sampling allows for simple linear rates of net Miscanthus C sequestration to be estimated [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Inputs from Miscanthus Displace Older Soil Organic Carbon Without Inducing Priming

et al. 2016

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The carbon (C) dynamics of a bioenergy system are key to correctly defining its viability as a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuel energy sources. Recent studies have quantified the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of these bioenergy crops, often concluding that C sequestration in soils plays a primary role in offsetting emissions through energy generation. Miscanthus is a particularly promising bioenergy crop and research has shown that soil C stocks can increase by more than 2 t C ha −1 yr −1 . In this study, we use a stable isotope ( 13 C) technique to trace the inputs and outputs from soils below a commercial Miscanthus plantation in Lincolnshire, UK, over the first 7 years of growth after conversion from a conventional arable crop. Results suggest that an unchanging total topsoil (0-30 cm) C stock is caused by Miscanthus additions displacing older soil organic matter. Further, using a comparison between bare soil plots (no new Miscanthus inputs) and undisturbed Miscanthus controls, soil respiration was seen to be unaffected through priming by fresh inputs or rhizosphere. The temperature sensitivity of old soil C was also seen to be very similar with and without the presence of live root biomass. Total soil respiration from control plots was dominated by Miscanthus-derived emissions with autotrophic respiration alone accounting for ∼50 % of CO 2 . Although total soil C stocks did not change significantly over time, the Miscanthus-derived soil C accumulated at a rate of 860 kg C ha −1 yr −1 over the top 30 cm. Ultimately, the results from this study indicate that soil C stocks below Miscanthus plantations do not necessarily increase during the first 7 years.

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“…The fraction of maize-derived total SOC (f M ) was estimated by isotope mass balance as described by Balesdent et al (1987):…”

Section: Estimation Of C3-and C4-derived Socmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fate of straw- and root-derived carbon in a Swedish agricultural soil

2017

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To maximise carbon (C) storage in soils, understanding the fate of C originating from aboveground and belowground residues and their interaction with fertiliser under field conditions is critically important. The use of 13 C natural abundance provides unique opportunities to separate both C sources. We investigated the effect of 16 years of C3 straw and C4 root input, with and without nitrogen (N) addition, on SOC stocks and C distribution in soil fractions in the long-term frame trial at Ultuna, Sweden. The straw C input was fixed at 1.77 Mg ha −1 year −1 , while the root input depended on maize plant growth, enabling studies on how N fertilisation affected (i) stabilisation of residues and (ii) plant C allocation to belowground organs. Four treatments were investigated: only maize roots (Control), maize roots with N (Control + N), maize roots and straw (Straw) and maize roots, straw and N (Straw + N). After 16 years, 5.6-8.9% of the total SOC stock in the 0-20 cm soil layer was maize-derived. In all four treatments, the relatively labile SOC fractions decreased, while the proportion of more refractory fractions increased. Based on allometric calculation of root inputs, retention of maize roots was 38, 26, 36 and 18% in the Control, Control + N, Straw and Straw + N treatments, respectively. The estimated retention coefficient of C3 straw in the Straw + N treatment was higher than that in the Straw-N treatment. We interpreted these results thus (1) roots were better stabilised in the soil than straw; (2) N fertilisation caused a shift in root to shoot ratio, with relatively more roots being present in Ndeficient soil; and (3) N fertilisation caused greater stabilisation of residues, presumably due to increased microbial C use efficiency.

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Natural 13C abundance as a tracer for studies of soil organic matter dynamics

Cited by 641 publications

References 17 publications

Changes in soil organic matter under different land management in misiones province (Argentina)

Changes in soil organic matter under different land management in misiones province (Argentina)

Carbon Inputs from Miscanthus Displace Older Soil Organic Carbon Without Inducing Priming

Fate of straw- and root-derived carbon in a Swedish agricultural soil

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