SOIL ORGANIC MATTER CHARACTERISTICS AFTER LONG-TERM CROPPING TO VARIOUS SPRING WHEAT ROTATIONS

1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. H. JANZEN

Soil from a long-term crop rotation study conducted at Lethbridge, Alberta was analyzed to determine the influence of various spring wheat rotations with and without perennial forages on total and mineralizable soil organic matter contents. Crop rotations considered included: continuous wheat (W), fallow-wheat (FW), fallow-wheat-wheat (FWW), and fallow-wheat-wheat-forage-forage-forage (FWWAAA) in which the forage was a mixture of alfalfa and crested wheat grass. The organic C and N contents of soil after 33 yr of cropping were highest in treatments W and FWWAAA, and decreased with increasing frequency of fallow in the rotation. The inclusion of the perennial forage in the rotation did not increase organic C and N levels above those observed in the continuous wheat treatment (W). Differences in levels of mineralizable organic matter among treatments, as measured in laboratory incubations, were much greater than differences in total organic matter content among treatments. In the surface soil layer (0–15 cm), N mineralization was significantly higher in treatment W than in treatments FWW and FWWAAA, and was more than twice that observed in treatment FW. In the subsurface soil layer (15–30 cm), N mineralization was greatest in treatment FWWAAA when sampled just after the plowdown of forage. Effects of crop rotation on C mineralization were similar to those observed for N. Levels of mineralized organic matter were closely related to levels of "light fraction" material (specific gravity < 1.59 g cm−3), which is believed to consist primarily of incompletely decomposed organic matter of plant origin. Differences in amounts of mineralizable organic matter among treatments were attributed to varying frequencies and patterns of crop residue additions. The pronounced effects of crop rotation on the distribution of organic matter among labile and humified organic matter will have a strong impact on soil fertility and may need to be taken into consideration in the development of fertilizer recommendations. It was concluded that inclusion of perennial forages in spring wheat rotations for the purpose of enhancing soil fertility and organic matter levels was not justified under semiarid conditions. Key words: Carbon, nitrogen, mineralization

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuelle Mercês Barros Soares ◽  
Ivo Ribeiro Silva ◽  
Nairam Félix Barros ◽  
Rafael Silva Teixeira ◽  
Sebastião Fonseca ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of eucalyptus plantations on total organic C (TOC) and total N (TN) stocks as well as the C and N in the fulvic acid (FA), humic acid (HA), humin (HU), light organic matter (LOM) and microbial biomass (MB) fractions in soils with different textures in the eastern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Soil samples were collected from the 0-10-cm, 10-20-cm, 20-40-cm, 40-60-cm and 60-100-cm soil layers in a completely randomized experimental design with subdivided plots. Under the eucalyptus plantation, clay loam soil presented lower HA, HU and MB C stocks in the 0-100-cm soil layer compared to reference vegetation, whereas sandy soil presented higher and C and N in HA and LOM as well as C in MB. The observed increase in TOC in eucalyptus plantations was more pronounced in the surface soil layer (0-10 cm), i.e., approximately 150% higher than under native vegetation, which was probably due to the high contribution of the eucalyptus litter. Differences in C and N stocks in soil organic matter (SOM) fractions between eucalyptus plantations and areas with reference vegetation were more pronounced in sandy soil, showing the capacity of the clay fraction to protect SOM.


2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. E. McArthur ◽  
P M Huang ◽  
L M Kozak

Research has suggested a link between the bioavailability of soil Cd and total soil organic matter. However, some research suggested a negative relationship between total soil organic matter and bioavailable soil Cd while other research suggested a positive relationship. This study investigated the relationship between soil Cd and both the quantity and quality of soil organic matter as influenced by long-term cultivation. Two Orthic Chernozemic surface soil samples, one from a virgin prairie and the other from an adjacent cultivated prairie, were collected from each of 12 different sites throughout southern Saskatchewan, Canada. The samples were analyzed for total organic C, total Cd, Cd availability index (CAI), and pH. The nature of the soil organic matter was investigated with 13C Cross Polarization Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (13C CPMAS NMR). The total soil Cd, CAI, and total soil organic C of the cultivated soils were significantly lower than those of the virgin soils whereas the opposite trend was observed for the soil pH and the aromaticity of the organic C. The reduced CAI in the cultivated soils was related to the increase in both the soil pH and the aromaticity of the organic C. No relationship was found between the CAI and the soil organic C content, but a significant positive correlation was found between total organic C and total Cd in both the virgin and the cultivated soils. As well, a significant positive correlation was found between the fraction of total Cd removed from the soil after long-term cultivation and the corresponding fraction of organic C removed. Key words: Long-term cultivation, soil organic matter, 13C CPMAS NMR, cadmium


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Santos Moreira ◽  
Marcio Koiti Chiba ◽  
Isabella Clerici De Maria ◽  
Caio César Zito Siqueira ◽  
Aildson Pereira Duarte ◽  
...  

Soil organic matter is considered a key attribute for a sustainable agricultural production and is influenced by the quantity and quality of the crop residue deposited on the soil surface. Therefore, different crop rotations could change the soil organic matter pools. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the soil carbon pools obtained by chemical and physical fractionation methods and the humification index under different crop rotations in a no-till system. We test the following hypothesis: a) the distribution of C and N among the soil organic matter fractions depends on plant species rotation schemes and; b) labile fractions are more sensitive to the input of crop residues and therefore, more suitable for evaluating the impact of different crop rotations in the soil organic matter quality. We evaluated four crop sequences (corn/corn/corn; corn/wheat/corn; soybean/wheat/corn and soybean/corn/corn) in a no-till system. A five-year reforested area was used as reference. We determined the total C and N contents, the mineral-associated C and N, the light fraction of C and N, the labile carbon extracted with KMnO4 and the soil organic matter humification index. We found narrow differences between the crop rotation systems in the total C and N levels, the mineral-associated C and N fractions and the labile C extracted with KMnO4. The diversification of the agricultural system with soybean in crop rotation favored the accumulation of light fraction C and N in the soil that were more efficient to provide information about the changes in the soil organic matter quality.


Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 435 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
K. Y. Chan

The Australian cereal belt stretches as an arc from north-eastern Australia to south-western Australia (24˚S–40˚S and 125˚E–147˚E), with mean annual temperatures from 14˚C (temperate) to 26˚C (subtropical), and with annual rainfall ranging from 250 mm to 1500 mm. The predominant soil types of the cereal belt include Chromosols, Kandosols, Sodosols, and Vertosols, with significant areas of Ferrosols, Kurosols, Podosols, and Dermosols, covering approximately 20 Mha of arable cropping and 21 Mha of ley pastures. Cultivation and cropping has led to a substantial loss of soil organic matter (SOM) from the Australian cereal belt; the long-term SOM loss often exceeds 60% from the top 0–0.1 m depth after 50 years of cereal cropping. Loss of labile components of SOM such as sand-size or particulate SOM, microbial biomass, and mineralisable nitrogen has been even higher, thus resulting in greater loss in soil productivity than that assessed from the loss of total SOM alone. Since SOM is heterogeneous in nature, the significance and functions of its various components are ambiguous. It is essential that the relationship between levels of total SOM or its identif iable components and the most affected soil properties be established and then quantif ied before the concentrations or amounts of SOM and/or its components can be used as a performance indicator. There is also a need for experimentally verifiable soil organic C pools in modelling the dynamics and management of SOM. Furthermore, the interaction of environmental pollutants added to soil, soil microbial biodiversity, and SOM is poorly understood and therefore requires further study. Biophysically appropriate and cost-effective management practices for cereal cropping lands are required for restoring and maintaining organic matter for sustainable agriculture and restoration of degraded lands. The additional benefit of SOM restoration will be an increase in the long-term greenhouse C sink, which has the potentialto reduce greenhouse emissions by about 50 Mt CO2 equivalents/year over a 20-year period, although current improved agricultural practices can only sequester an estimated 23% of the potential soil C sink.


2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Paul ◽  
H. P. Collins ◽  
K. Paustian ◽  
E. T. Elliott ◽  
S. Frey ◽  
...  

Factors controlling soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics in soil C sequestration and N fertility were determined from multi-site analysis of long-term, crop rotation experiments in Western Canada. Analyses included bulk density, organic and inorganic C and N, particulate organic C (POM-C) and N (POM -N), and CO2-C evolved during laboratory incubation. The POM-C and POM-N contents varied with soil type. Differences in POM-C contents between treatments at a site (δPOM-C) were related (r2= 0.68) to treatment differences in soil C (δSOC). The CO2-C, evolved during laboratory incubation, was the most sensitive indicator of management effects. The Gray Luvisol (Breton, AB) cultivated plots had a fivefold difference in CO2-C release relative to a twofold difference in soil organic carbon (SOC). Soils from cropped, Black Chernozems (Melfort and Indian Head, SK) and Dark Brown Chernozems (Lethbridge, AB) released 50 to 60% as much CO2-C as grassland soils. Differences in CO2 evolution from the treatment with the lowest SOM on a site and that of other treatments (δCO2-C) in the early stages of the incubation were correlated to δPOM-C and this pool reflects short-term SOC storage. Management for soil fertility, such as N release, may differ from management for C sequestration. Key words: Multi-site analysis, soil management, soil C and N, POM-C and N, CO2 evolution


2004 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elcio L. Balota ◽  
Arnaldo Colozzi Filho ◽  
Diva S. Andrade ◽  
Richard P. Dick

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Roloff ◽  
R. de jong ◽  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
R. P. Zentner ◽  
V. M. Benson

The Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model is an important support tool for environmental management. Previous tests of the model have determined that it is suitable for long-term yield estimation, but it is less precise in assessing annual yield variability. To determine the reasons for the discrepancies between estimated and measured yields, we tested the ability of EPIC version 5300 to predict soil water and soil nitrogen dynamics, using data from a long-term spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation experiment in the semiarid prairie region of Canada. Potential evapotranspiration (PET) estimates varied among methods tested: Priestley-Taylor and Penman-Monteith methods resulted in PET means that were about twice those obtained with the Hargreaves and Baier-Robertson methods. The higher PET means were associated with an excessive estimation of net radiation. We used the Baier-Robertson method to generate the other estimates reported herein. EPIC generally overestimated total soil water, but it still allowed clear differentiation among rotation phases and times of the year, and provided adequate estimates of water during the critical shot-blade stage. Water estimates by soil layer were also generally overpredicted, especially at depths from 0.15 to 0.60 m, but we were able to differentiate among rotation phases and times of the year. Precision of these latter estimates was generally low, accounting at most for 27% of the variability, and varied by soil layer, rotation phase and time of the year. Nitrate-N estimates tended to be lower than measured values, especially at depths below 0.3 m and during vegetative growth phases. However, the estimates also allowed us to distinguish among the rotation phases and times of the year. Total N and organic C were satisfactorily estimated by EPIC. In general, EPIC provided adequate long-term estimates of the environmental quality indicators tested. Key words: Environmental quality, environmental modelling, sustainability, spring wheat, fallow, potential evapotranspiration methods


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