Soil organic C in the tallgrass prairie-derived region of the corn belt: effects of long-term crop management

Huggins, David R.; Buyanovsky, G. A.; Wagner, George H.; Brown, Jonathan R.; Darmody, Robert G.; Peck, T. R.; Lesoing, Gary; Vanotti, Matías B.; Bundy, Larry G.

doi:10.1016/s0167-1987(98)00108-1

Cited by 164 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Annual inputs from agriculture to more recalcitrant SOM pools as compared to that derived from native vegetation have often been reported to be minimal (Balesdent et al, 1990;Huggins et al, 1998;Poirier et al, 2006). Contributing factors are reductions in quantity of annual C inputs, decreases in recalcitrant inputs (e.g., lignin), and/or increases in disturbance or erosion that result from a switch from native to agricultural conditions (Hassink, 1997;Huggins et al, 1998;Krull et al, 2003). In part, this may explain why management factors, particularly tillage and cropping intensity, were not very significant factors influencing soil C and N properties as compared to MAT and MAP across the four study sites (Table 3).…”

Section: Future Climate: Soil C and N Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change Predicted to Negatively Influence Surface Soil Organic Matter of Dryland Cropping Systems in the Inland Pacific Northwest, USA

2017

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Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key indicator of agricultural productivity and overall soil health. Currently, dryland cropping systems of the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW) span a large gradient in mean annual temperature (MAT) and precipitation (MAP). These climatic drivers are major determinants of surface SOM dynamics and storage characteristics. Future climate change projections through 2070 indicate significant shifts in MAT and MAP for the iPNW. We assessed surface (0-10 cm) soil organic C and N as well as active and recalcitrant fractions of SOM within long-term experiments representing different tillage regimes and cropping intensities across the current climatic gradient of the iPNW. We discovered that current levels of soil C and N as well as various SOM fractions were positively correlated with MAP and negatively correlated with MAT. Furthermore, these climatic drivers were more influential than either tillage regime or cropping intensity in determining SOM levels and characteristics. Soil organic C and total N as well as the hydrolyzable and non-hydrolyzable fractions were negatively correlated with the current ratio of MAT to MAP, called the climate ratio. Future climate projections (2030 and 2070) forecast an increase of the climate ratio, thus predicting declines in surface SOM and associated soil health across the iPNW.

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Section: Future Climate: Soil C and N Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change Predicted to Negatively Influence Surface Soil Organic Matter of Dryland Cropping Systems in the Inland Pacific Northwest, USA

2017

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“…Crop residue return to the soil is essential for maintaining soil fertility and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in agroecosystems (Huggins et al 1998;Paustian et al 1997;Follett 2001) and increasing the amount of residue returned to the soil results in greater SOC stocks (Huggins et al 1998). Climate change scenarios predict an increase in mean annual temperature with an increase in precipitation variability that will likely result in lower SOC stocks in semiarid regions due to decreased residue returned to the soil either from crop water stress (CAST 2011) and decreased crop productivity or from flooding and subsequent crop failure (Follett et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lignin biochemistry and soil N determine crop residue decomposition and soil priming

et al. 2015

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“…Therefore, a shift from high physical disturbance conventional tillage (CT) to reduced tillage (RT) to no-tillage (NT) can increase SOC storage (Allmaras et al 2000;Huggins et al 2007). Crop rotations that increase carbon (C) inputs from roots and residues can also increase the storage of SOC (Huggins et al 1998;Huggins et al 2007).In addition to SOC storage, reduction of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions also contributes to mitigate the climate impact of agriculture. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (2011), agriculture contributes 7.4% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, with approximately 70% due to N 2 O production from agricultural soil management (e.g., nitrogen [N] fertilizer).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon storage and nitrous oxide emissions of cropping systems in eastern Washington: A simulation study

Stöckle¹,

Higgins²,

Kemanian³

et al. 2012

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

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Conservation tillage is an agricultural strategy to mitigate atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In eastern Washington, we evaluated the long-term effects of conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and no-tillage (NT) on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions at three dryland and one irrigated location using the cropping systems simulation model CropSyst. Conversion of CT to NT produced the largest relative increase in SOC storage (ΔSOC, average yearly change relative to CT) in the top 30 cm (11.8 in) of soil where ΔSOC ranged from 0.29 to 0.53 Mg CO 2 e ha -1 y -1 (CO 2 e is carbon dioxide [CO 2 ] equivalent of SOC; 0.13 to 0.24 tn CO 2 e ac -1 yr -1). The ΔSOC were less with lower annual precipitation, greater fallow frequency, and when changing from CT to RT. Overall, ΔSOC decreased from the first to the third decade after conversion from CT to NT or RT. Simulations of ΔSOC for the conversion of CT to NT based on a 0 to 15 cm (0 to 5.9 in) soil depth were greater than the ΔSOC based on a 0 to 30 cm depth, primarily due to differences among tillage regimes in the depth-distribution of carbon (C) inputs and the resultant SOC distribution with depth. Soil erosion rates under CT in the study region are high, posing deleterious effects on soil quality, productivity, and aquatic systems. However, an analysis that includes deposition, burial, and sedimentation on terrestrial and aquatic systems of eroded SOC indicates that the substantial erosion reduction obtained with RT and NT may result only in minor additional SOC oxidation as compared to CT. Simulated N 2 O emissions, expressed as CO 2 equivalent, were not very different under CT, RT, and NT. However, N 2 O emissions were sufficiently high to offset gains in SOC from the conversion of CT to RT or NT. Thus, reducing tillage intensity can result in net C storage, but mitigation of GHG is limited unless it is coupled with nitrogen (N) fertilizer management to also reduce N 2 O emission. . Tillage operations that mix crop residues with soil and decrease soil aggregation facilitate microbial degradation of soil organic matter (Balesdent et al. 2000;Six et al. 2004a). Therefore, a shift from high physical disturbance conventional tillage (CT) to reduced tillage (RT) to no-tillage (NT) can increase SOC storage (Allmaras et al. 2000;Huggins et al. 2007). Crop rotations that increase carbon (C) inputs from roots and residues can also increase the storage of SOC (Huggins et al. 1998;Huggins et al. 2007).In addition to SOC storage, reduction of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions also contributes to mitigate the climate impact of agriculture. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (2011), agriculture contributes 7.4% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, with approximately 70% due to N 2 O production from agricultural soil management (e.g., nitrogen [N] fertilizer). Crop management and N fertilization strategies that limit the availability of mineral N for N 2 O production can he...

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Soil organic C in the tallgrass prairie-derived region of the corn belt: effects of long-term crop management

Cited by 164 publications

References 49 publications

Climate Change Predicted to Negatively Influence Surface Soil Organic Matter of Dryland Cropping Systems in the Inland Pacific Northwest, USA

Climate Change Predicted to Negatively Influence Surface Soil Organic Matter of Dryland Cropping Systems in the Inland Pacific Northwest, USA

Lignin biochemistry and soil N determine crop residue decomposition and soil priming

Carbon storage and nitrous oxide emissions of cropping systems in eastern Washington: A simulation study

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