Article: importance of soil organic carbon
December 22, 2020 | Uncategorized
Soils are an important sink for carbon globally. Thus, the sampling depth for assessing SOC is about 30 cm in majority of studies. AEN0 decreased with SOC independent of soil type. In a three-year study at Yuzhong, Gansu Province of China, Yu et al. After 71 years, SOC stocks reached a steady-state condition with manure application under WW cropping (Gollany et al., 2011; Miles and Brown, 2011). There was deposition from underground biomass (roots) in paddy fields. Nopt decreased with increase in SOC. Seven rainfed cropping system experiments involved major crops of the region including groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), winter sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), castor (Ricinus communis), soybean (Glycine max), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), lentil (Lens esculenta), and upland rice (Oryza sativa). Soil quality in grasslands could be improved by achieving a ‘right’ balance between C and N inputs to soils. An increase in SOC at a rate of 0.08 Mg C haâ1 yrâ1 in manure plots was most likely due to both enzyme activity and straw retention after 1950. On the other hand, the amount and quality of SOM (and consequently SOC) determines the number and activity of soil biota that interact with plant roots. In other words, accumulation of SOM/SOC is finite. The higher altitude Upper Shillong, which was under potato cultivation, had been receiving 10 Mg haâ 1 farm yard manure in addition to comparable inorganic (NPK) fertilizers. The carbon cycle is a fundamental part of life on earth. The heavy fraction also increased, but the magnitude of increase was smaller than that of the light fraction. Data derived from Horwath, W.R., 2017. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a strong determinant of soil quality and crop productivity, especially in the arid and semiarid environments of the tropics. For example, the plow depth with moldboard plow is about 20 cm compared with hardly 10 cm in RoT system. Carbon-rich soils have a … Observed SOC decreased by 14.0 and 12.5 Mg C haâ1 over 73 years in the 0 to 30 cm and 30 to 60 cm depths in the fertilized plots, respectively. A third step is to reduce frequency of use of heavy machinery, which could cause high soil compaction and thus ‘reduce’ pore space available in the soil matrix, which is necessary to transport and accumulate extra C (via soil climate, macro fauna, earthworms, microbes, etc.). In terms of temporary sown grasslands and renovation via ploughing, a key step is to increase the time between re-seeding to at least five years, as this will contribute to an organic matter build-up though reduced tillage events. Plants (and animals, as part of the food chain), die and return to the soil where they are decomposed and recycled. Scientists and administrators are both interested in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels according to the Kyoto Accord and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Smith, 1999). Detailed analysis of sampling locations revealed that most of the samples collected at the 1200â1300 m msl altitude were from areas with natural vegetation that had been undisturbed for long periods. Sequestering carbon in SOC is seen as one way to mitigate climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Soil organic carbon is present as soil organic matter. Carbon also helps to manufacture the organic matter in the plants by use of the carbon dioxide from the air and water. Increasing the abundance of legume species in some grass swards can improve sequestration and forage quality, and reduce inorganic N inputs. Despite these apparent limitations in the potential to sequester SOC, particularly for the goals set forth in the 4PT initiative, efforts should continue to implement management practices to increase SOC. At lower altitudes (< 20 m msl), mostly lowland paddy fields and pond beds were the dominant land uses, while, at relatively higher elevations (40â120 m msl), upland agriculture (maize and upland rice), horticulture (vegetables), and some plantation crops were the predominant land uses. Improved structure aids aeration, water holding capacity, etc. Thus, increasing productivity of rainfed cropping systems is an urgent task to meet the food demand of an ever-increasing population because 57% of the total arable land area of 141 Mha is under rainfed farming. It is recognised that soils are a vital component of earth, critical for the function of many services, including food productivity, … Population increased from 361 million in 1951 to 1140 million in 2011, more than threefold increase over 50 years. After 44 years of conservation tillage, application of 180 kg N haâ1 increased SOC storage only 3% above that found under the 45 kg N haâ1 application rate (Gollany et al., 2005). (2006a, 2006b), soils under RF systems increased the light fraction of SOC by 5â49% compared with those under CF system control. But Xu et al. Yantai Gan, ... Qiang Chai, in Advances in Agronomy, 2013. It enhances soil structure, biodiversity and the retention of water and nutrients while decreasing the risks of erosion and soil degradation (Lal 2009).Global SOC stocks amount to approximately three times the current atmospheric CO 2 and 240 times the annual fossil fuel … Improved management of animal manures, such as optimizing the timing of application to synchronize with crop uptake and avoiding excess application, will ensure the most positive effects of manure additions on SOC storage while reducing GHG emissions (Johnson et al., 2005). S.K. Adopted from Choudhury, B.U., Fiyaz, A.R., Mohapatra, K.P., Ngachan, S., 2016. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a strong determinant of soil fertility through its positive effects on soil structure and soil chemical and biological properties which in turn stimulate primary production. The critical level of C input was higher in soybean system and lower in winter sorghum system and increased with increase in mean annual temperature from humid to semiarid to arid ecosystems. The amount of organic C in the soil depends on the rate of organic matter decomposition and the amount of crop residue returned to the soil (Liang et al., 2010). A soil monitoring programme including analyses of soil C and N content, soil bulk density and pH should be put in place and run every two to three years. The role of the soil microbial biomass in cycling nutrients. Continuous decrease in SOC was observed when 90% of straw was harvested in the fertilized plots before 1950 at Sanborn Field in the South Central region (Figure 16.4B, MO). A slight increase in SOC with manure application is because of increased enzyme activity and microbial biomass. In a study where surface soil samples were taken from a grid (0.2 km Ã 0.2 km) in selected districts of northeastern India, Choudhury et al. Table 7.6. Altitudinal variation also changes temperature, which controls the rate of SOC decomposition and accumulation in soils (Choudhury et al., 2016). Manure inputs will also build SOC stocks, particularly farmyard manure. Chemical, physical, and biological. 7). The SOC concentration increased from 0.97% at 500 m to 2.76% at 1300 m and then decreased to 1.72% at 1750 m. Particle size distribution (clay content) also showed a comparable trend with the SOC concentration along the altitudinal gradient. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified clay content, bulk density, climatic conditions (precipitation and evapotranspiration), organic matter (OM), and its decomposition rates as the most important factors that controlled soil structure development. Vegetation, while the agricultural sites include cultivated and tilled soils covered with local. And root biomass response to N fertilization ( Huggins and Fuchs, 1997 ) RF. 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