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  Soil organic carbon sequestration in agricultural long-term field experiments as derived from particulate and mineral-associated organic matter

  Soil organic matter (SOM) is indispensable for soil health and, in the context of climate change, is considered a significant CO2 sink. Improving agricultural management to increase long-term soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks for mitigating climate change requires tools that estimate short and long-cycling SOM pools. In this study, we analyzed changes in fast-cycling particulate organic matter (POM) and slow-cycling mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) induced by common management practices, i.e., fertilization and crop rotation in topsoils from 25 Central European long-term field experiments. When relating MAOM-C contents to recent MAOM-C saturation levels, estimated sequestration potentials were only met in coarse-textured soils under appropriate agricultural management or fine-textured soils under extreme organic fertilization. Soil texture, organic fertilization, and below-ground OC inputs through root exudates and root biomass were decisive for estimating MAOM-C, allowing for calibration of a mixed-effects model (Nakagawa’s: marginal R2m = 0.6, conditional R2c = 0.89). While the models containing soil texture and organic fertilization parameters can be validated and generalized (R2 = 0.43), the below-ground OC input predictor substantially decreases the generalizability of the validated models (R2 = 0.14). According to quantile regression models, we estimate the average difference in MAOM-C concentration between well-managed and control site (without organic fertilization) topsoils to 4.1 mg g−1 soil. In dependence on the soil bulk density, this amounts to 1.38 – 1.84 t ha−1 MAOM-C stocks or 5.06 – 10.1 t ha−1 CO2-equivalents. POM-C was difficult to predict (R2 = 0.28), presumably due to strong POM dynamics. The POM-C / MAOM-C ratio can inform on the effects of agricultural practices in before/after management change comparisons. Under increasing SOC concentration, an increasing POM-C / MAOM-C ratio indicates that the effects of organic fertilization do not transfer to real effects on long-term SOC sequestration. Because MAOM-C depends on soil texture, this ratio is also a covariate of soil texture, limiting it for comparisons between sites with different textures. However, our data indicate that agricultural long-term field experiment soils constantly approximate MAOM-C saturation when the POM-C/MAOM-C ratio is >0.35. This ratio might be used as a management goal to prevent organic over-fertilization and N loss, especially on coarse-textured soils. Thereby, the POM-C / MAOM-C ratio can help to optimize SOC management and sequestration on agricultural soils and support climate change mitigation strategies in Central Europe.
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  Effect of the intensification of cropping sequences on soil organic carbon and its stratification ratio in contrasting environments

  In environments where continuous agriculture leads to soil organic carbon (SOC) depletion, intensification practices (i.e. polyculture, cover crops (CC), and crop fertilization) have been suggested as strategies to improve crop residue inputs which, in turn, can increase SOC storage. However, SOC dynamics are regulated by a complex interplay of climatic and soil conditions. The objective of our study was to assess how intensification practices affect SOC, particulate organic carbon (POC) and SOC stratification ratio (SRSOC) as compared to soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] monoculture, in soils with contrasting soil properties and climate. The experiment was carried out in four long term experiments (>10 yr) located in areas with contrasting environments. The surface soil textures ranged from sandy-loam to silty-clay and clay-loam, initial SOC (0–20 cm) from 34.5 to 67.8 Mg ha−1, mean air temperature: 14.0–18.9 °C, annual precipitation: 719.8–886.1 mm. Five treatments were evaluated: soybean monoculture (SB), soybean monoculture fertilized with phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) (SBPS), CC/PS-fertilized soybean (SBPS/CC), nitrogen (N)-fertilized CC/PS-fertilized soybean (SBPS/CCN) and NPS-fertilized crop rotation (ROTNPS). Intensification of crop sequences (SBPS/CC, SBPS/CCN and/or ROTNPS) increased SOC and POC at 0–5 cm and in SRSOC in most sites as compared to SB. All treatments showed SOC depletion as compared to the beginning of the experiment. However, the magnitude of SOC lost during 10 years was 26–65% lower when intensified crop sequences were applied as compared with SB. Carbon input and environment characteristics influenced the impact of intensification practices on the analyzed variables. However, this effect was mostly associated with the ratio between SOC at the beginning of the experiment and the SOC of pristine soil (degradation status). The intensification practices evaluated were not sufficient to reverse the tendency of agricultural soils to lose SOC, but they slowed the rate of this degradation process.