A well-established fact: rapid mineralization of organic inputs is an important factor for soil carbon sequestration
Item
-
Title
A well-established fact: rapid mineralization of organic inputs is an important factor for soil carbon sequestration
European Journal of Soil Science
-
Creator
Denis Angers
Dominique Arrouays
Rémi Cardinael
Claire Chenu
Marc Corbeels
Julien Demenois
Mark Farrell
Manuel Martin
Budiman Minasny
Sylvie Recous
Johan Six
-
Subject
carbon sequestration
climate change
mineralization
soil
-
Abstract
We have read with interest an opinion paper recently published in the European Journal of Soil Science (Berthelin et al., 2022). This paper presents some interesting considerations, at least one of which is already well known to soil scientists working on soil organic carbon (SOC), i.e. a large portion (80-90%) of fresh carbon inputs to soil is subject to rapid mineralization. The short-term mineralization kinetics of organic inputs are well-known and accounted for in soil organic matter models. Thus, clearly, the long-term predictions based on these models do not overlook short-term mineralization. We point out that many agronomic practices can significantly contribute to SOC sequestration. If conducted responsibly whilst fully recognizing the caveats, SOC sequestration can lead to a win-win situation where agriculture can both contribute to the mitigation of climate change and adapt to it, whilst at the same time delivering other co-benefits such as reduced soil erosion and enhanced biodiversity.
