Fractionation and Long‐Term Laboratory Incubation to Measure Soil Organic Matter Dynamics

Haile-Mariam, S.; Collins, Harold P.; Wright, Sewall; Paul, Eldor A.

doi:10.2136/sssaj2007.0126

Cited by 63 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Kristiansen et al (2005) found that the proportion of soil total C originating from maize roots and stubble was 7-18% (corresponding to 3.5-6.9 Mg C ha −1 ) after 14 years of continuous cropping. However, our findings are in contrast to the 22-42% maize-derived C in the whole soil reported in other studies (Balesdent et al 1988;Gregorich et al 1997;Haile-Mariam et al 2008). This discrepancy was partly due to a shorter period of continuous maize cultivation in our case (16 years) compared with other studies (e.g.…”

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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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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 99%

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

2017

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“…Th e fractions consist of the LF made up of low density plant material, the POM included with the sand-sized material and protected C in aggregates, and the silt (silt) and clay-size (clay) separates (Haile-Mariam et al, 2008). Soil fractionation has given insight into the complexity of SOM, uncovering a range of C age, N content, and chemical makeup (Paul et al, 2001).…”

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“…Soil fractionation has given insight into the complexity of SOM, uncovering a range of C age, N content, and chemical makeup (Paul et al, 2001). In Corn Belt soils, the LF and POM contain relatively labile C and can comprise up to 5 and 11% of the SOC, respectively (Haile-Mariam et al, 2008). Th e LF contains plant residues and has a shorter C turnover time than the other particle-size fractions.…”

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“…Crop residue C is mineralized early in the incubation, with a mean residence time of about 100 d. In contrast, the slow C pool refl ects the mid-range stability as well as management eff ects on SOC. Particle-size fractions may lose diff erent proportions of SOC on incubation, underscoring the diff erences in C quality between them (Haile- Mariam et al, 2008). Incubations are especially useful when combined with tracer analysis or determination of specifi c chemical features.…”

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“…Soils analyzed by Haile-Mariam et al (2008) provide a valuable sample set of fresh and incubated soils, including diff erent soil types, sampling depths, and size fractions. We scanned the soil samples from continuous corn (Zea mays L.) rotations at four long-term study sites in the Corn Belt (Lamberton, Wooster, W.K.…”

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Chemical Differences in Soil Organic Matter Fractions Determined by Diffuse‐Reflectance Mid‐Infrared Spectroscopy

Calderón

Reeves

Collins

et al. 2011

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

150

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U nderstanding SOM composition and cycling is fundamental because SOM contains large nutrient pools for crop growth, aff ects the soil physical properties necessary for roots to thrive, and can serve as a source or a sink for atmospheric CO 2 (Lal, 2004). Th e stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) is determined by interactive eff ects of climate, parent material, soil depth, and agronomic management (Collins et al., 2000), and there is still much to be learned about OM quality and dynamics.One approach to the study of SOM quality is fractionation by particle size and settling characteristics. Th e fractions consist of the LF made up of low density plant material, the POM included with the sand-sized material and protected C in aggregates, and the silt (silt) and clay-size (clay) separates (Haile-Mariam et al., 2008). Soil fractionation has given insight into the complexity of SOM, uncovering a range of C age, N content, and chemical makeup (Paul et al., 2001). In Corn Belt soils, the LF and POM contain relatively labile C and can comprise up to 5 and 11% of the SOC, respectively (Haile-Mariam et al., 2008). Th e LF contains plant residues and has a shorter C turnover time than the other particle-size fractions. In contrast, the silt and clay fractions tend to have more recalcitrant C than the other fractions (Christensen, 1987).Extended laboratory incubations help characterize soils because the active C pools are transformed by microbial enzymes while the resistant SOC is less aff ected We performed mid-infrared (MidIR) spectral interpretation of fractionated fresh and incubated soils to determine changes in soil organic matter (SOM) chemistry during incubation. Soils from four sites and three depths were processed to obtain the light fraction (LF), particulate organic matter (POM), silt-sized (silt), and clay-sized (clay) fractions. Our results show that the LF and clay fractions have distinct spectral features regardless of site. Th e LF is characterized by absorbance at 3400 cm −1 , as well as between 1750 and 1350 cm −1 . Th e clay fraction is distinguished by absorption near 1230 cm −1 , and absorption at 780 to 620 cm −1 . Th e POM, like the LF, absorbs at the broad peak at 1360 cm −1 . High SOM soils are characterized by absorbance at 1230 cm −1 , a band for aromatics, possibly associated with resistant C. Soils from diff erent sampling depths have specifi c spectral properties. A band at 1330 cm −1 is characteristic of shallow depths. Because of their low organic matter (OM) content, the deeper samples are characterized by mineral bands such as quartz, clays, and carbonate. Spectroscopic data indicates that the clay fraction and the LF suff ered measurable chemical transformations during the 800-d incubation, but the POM and silt fraction did not. As the LF decomposes, it loses absorbance at 3400, 1223, and 2920 to 2860 cm −1 . Th e band at 1630 cm −1 increased during incubation, suggesting a resistant form of organic C. Th e clay fraction suff ered changes that were opposite to those of the LF, indicat...

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Long‐term effect of tillage and straw retention in conservation agriculture systems on soil carbon storage

Gómez‐Muñoz

Jensen

Munkholm

et al. 2021

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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The main principles of conservationagriculture (CA) are minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, diversification of crop rotations, and retention of crop residues. Tillage has been implicated with increased soil organic C (SOC) mineralization, but recently this has been contested. Residue retention and cover crops result in higher soil C inputs and are therefore expected to increase SOC. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of 17 yr of residue retention (with and without) and tillage (plowing and no-till) on soil C storage on two Danish sandy loam soils with different clay and SOC content under cool temperate humid climate conditions. Straw retention reduced bulk density at both sites. It also increased the C concentration with 0.47 mg C g -1 dry soil on average from 2002 to 2019, and SOC stocks in 2019 with 23 tonnes C ha -1 , on average, at the site with higher initial SOC content. The effect of straw retention on soil C was higher when the soil was plowed, and no significant effect was observed in no-till soils. Straw retention did not significantly affect C concentration at the site with low initial SOC. Tillage altered the C distribution in the soil profile, so that the C concentration in the upper layer (0-25 cm) was higher in the no-till soils, but did not significantly increase total C concentration in deeper layers (0-50 cm). Use of no-till and straw retention did not consistently affect crop yield across site-years, but the interannual variability was large, obscuring possible differences in yields.

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Fractionation and Long‐Term Laboratory Incubation to Measure Soil Organic Matter Dynamics

Cited by 63 publications

References 38 publications

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

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

Chemical Differences in Soil Organic Matter Fractions Determined by Diffuse‐Reflectance Mid‐Infrared Spectroscopy

Long‐term effect of tillage and straw retention in conservation agriculture systems on soil carbon storage

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