Susceptible soil organic matter, SOM, fractions to agricultural management practices in salt-affected soils

The content of organic matter in the soil, its labile (hot water extractable carbon–HWEC) and stable (soil organic carbon–SOC) form is a fundamental factor affecting soil productivity and health. The current research in soil organic matter (SOM) is focused on individual fragmented approaches and comprehensive evaluation of HWEC and SOC changes. The present state of the soil together with soil’s management practices are usually monitoring today but there has not been any common model for both that has been published. Our approach should help to assess the changes in HWEC and SOC content depending on the physico-chemical properties and soil´s management practices (e.g., digestate application, livestock and mineral fertilisers, post-harvest residues, etc.). The one- and multidimensional linear regressions were used. Data were obtained from the various soil´s climatic conditions (68 localities) of the Czech Republic. The Czech farms in operating conditions were observed during the period 2008–2018. The obtained results of ll monitored experimental sites showed increasing in the SOC content, while the HWEC content has decreased. Furthermore, a decline in pH and soil´s saturation was documented by regression modelling. Mainly digestate application was responsible for this negative consequence across all soils in studied climatic regions. The multivariate linear regression models (MLR) also showed that HWEC content is significantly affected by natural soil fertility (soil type), phosphorus content (−30%), digestate application (+29%), saturation of the soil sorption complex (SEBCT, 21%) and the dose of total nitrogen (N) applied into the soil (−20%). Here we report that the labile forms (HWEC) are affected by the application of digestate (15%), the soil saturation (37%), the application of mineral potassium (−7%), soil pH (−14%) and the overall condition of the soil (−27%). The stable components (SOM) are affected by the content of HWEC (17%), soil texture 0.01–0.001mm (10%), and input of organic matter and nutrients from animal production (10%). Results also showed that the mineral fertilization has a negative effect (−14%), together with the soil depth (−11%), and the soil texture 0.25–2 mm (−21%) on SOM. Using modern statistical procedures (MRLs) it was confirmed that SOM plays an important role in maintaining resp. improving soil physical, biochemical and biological properties, which is particularly important to ensure the productivity of agroecosystems (soil quality and health) and to future food security.

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Characterization of soil organic matter under varying conservation management practices

10.32469/10355/35195 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Kristen Sloan Veum

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Management Practices ◽

Conservation Management

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The effects of soil management practices on soil organic matter changes within a productive vineyard in the Nitra viticulture area (Slovakia)

Agriculture (Pol nohospodárstvo) ◽

10.1515/agri-2016-0001 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Vladimír Šimanský ◽

Nora Polláková

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Management Practices ◽

Farmyard Manure ◽

Soil Management ◽

Carbon Management ◽

Lability Index ◽

Carbon Management Index ◽

Commercial Vineyard ◽

Fertiliser Application

Abstract Since understanding soil organic matter (SOM) content and quality is very important, in the present study we evaluated parameters of SOM including: carbon lability (LC), lability index (LI), carbon pool index (CPI) and carbon management index (CMI) in the soil as well as in the water-stable aggregates (WSA) under different soil management practices in a commercial vineyard (established on Rendzic Leptosol in the Nitra viticulture area, Slovakia). Soil samples were taken in spring during the years 2008–2015 from the following treatments: G (grass, control), T (tillage and intensive cultivation), T+FYM (tillage + farmyard manure), G+NPK3 (grass + 3rd intensity of fertilisation for vineyards), and G+NPK1 (grass + 1st intensity of fertilisation for vineyards). The highest LI values in soil were found for the G+NPK3 and T+FYM fertilised treatments and the lowest for the unfertilised intensively tilled treatments. The CPI in the soil increased as follows: T < G+NPK3 < T+FYM < G+NPK1. The highest accumulation of carbon as well as decomposable organic matter occurred in G+NPK1 compared to other fertilised treatments, while intensive tillage caused a decrease. On average, the values of LI in WSA increased in the sequence G+NPK1 < T+FYM < G+NPK3 < T. Our results showed that the greatest SOM vulnerability to degradation was observed in the WSA under T treatment, and the greatest values of CPI in WSA were detected as a result of fertiliser application in 3rd intensity for vineyards and farmyard manure application.

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Pruning residues incorporation and reduced tillage improve soil organic matter stabilization and structure of salt-affected soils in Citrus tree orchard under semi-arid climate conditions

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7839 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Noelia Garcia-Franco ◽

Martin Wiesmeier ◽

Luis Carlos Colocho Hurtarte ◽

Franziska Fella ◽

María Martínez-Mena ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Management Practices ◽

Reduced Tillage ◽

Citrus Tree ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

The World ◽

Pruning Residues ◽

Salt Affected Soils ◽

Semi Arid

<p>Arid and semiarid regions represent about 47% of the total land area of the world and around 40% of the world&#8217;s food is produced there. In these areas, soil salinization is an emerging problem due to unsustainable land management practices and climate change. However, the use of sustainable land management practices in salt-affected soils can offset the negative effects of salinization and increase soil carbon stocks. In a Citrus tree orchard under semi-arid climate conditions, we evaluated the effect of (i) intensive tillage along with flood irrigation (IT); (ii) combination of no-tillage with pruning residues (branches and leaves) as mulch, and drip-irrigation (NT+PM); and (iii) combination of reduced tillage with the incorporation of pruning residues and drip-irrigation (RT+PI), on aggregate stability, amount and quality of organic matter fractions and soil organic carbon (OC) sequestration. Our results showed that the incorporation of pruning residues through reduced tillage decreased bulk density and salinity while soil porosity, soil OC and N stocks, and percentage of OC-rich macroaggregates increased compared to the IT system.&#160; However, the positive effects of the NT+PM system on soil properties were limited to the topsoil. The IT management system showed the highest values of bulk density and salinity and lower amounts of macroaggregates and soil OC stocks. In conclusion, the combination of pruning residues through the reduced tillage and drip-irrigation was the most effective systems to improve soil structure and OC sequestration and reduced the salt content under Citrus tree orchard in semi-arid soils</p>

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Soil Organic Matter Composition in the Subhumid Ethiopian Highlands as Influenced by Deforestation and Agricultural Management

Soil Science Society of America Journal ◽

10.2136/sssaj2002.6800 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 68-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

D. Solomon ◽

F. Fritzsche ◽

M. Tekalign ◽

J. Lehmann ◽

W. Zech

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Agricultural Management ◽

Ethiopian Highlands ◽

Organic Matter Composition ◽

Soil Organic Matter Composition

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Short-term temperature history affects mineralization of fresh litter and extant soil organic matter, irrespective of agricultural management

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107985 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 150 ◽

pp. 107985

Author(s):

Kyle Mason-Jones ◽

Pim Vrehen ◽

Kevin Koper ◽

Jin Wang ◽

Wim H. van der Putten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Agricultural Management ◽

Temperature History ◽

Short Term ◽

Fresh Litter

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Soil organic matter as influenced by straw management practices and inclusion of grass and clover seed crops in cereal rotations

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr01103 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 95 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

D. Curtin ◽

P. M. Fraser

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Management Practices ◽

Degree Days ◽

Straw Management ◽

Soil C ◽

Total Soil ◽

C And N ◽

Second Year ◽

Seed Crops

In New Zealand, cereal straw has traditionally been burned to facilitate seedbed preparation for the succeeding crop. Because of concerns over the decline of organic matter and the associated deterioration in soil structure, farmers are interested in incorporating crop residues as a means of maintaining organic matter levels. In a 6-year trial on a Wakanui silt loam on the Canterbury Plains, we evaluated the effects of 3 straw management practices (i.e. straw incorporation, burning of straw, and straw removal) on total and labile soil organic matter. A fourth treatment was included to evaluate the local practice of including seed crops (grass and clover) in cereal rotations. The seed crops were grown every second year, the crop sequence being cereal–ryegrass–cereal–clover–cereal–clover. The rate of straw (wheat) decomposition was determined using a litter bag technique, with the bags being buried at a depth of 15 cm for intervals of up to 19 months. In the straw-incorporated treatment, about 25 t/ha of straw (~11 t C/ha) was returned to the soil during the trial. However, there was no significant effect (P > 0.05) of straw management treatments on total soil C (or N), or on labile organic matter pools, although there was a tendency for higher levels of mineralisable C and N where straw was incorporated. Measured straw decomposition rates were consistent with predictions of the Douglas-Rickman residue decomposition model. Under the relatively warm conditions of the Canterbury Plains (thermal time typically >4000 degree-days per year, calculated as the sum of daily degree-days above a base temperature of 0�C), about three-quarters of incorporated straw decomposed within a year. Of the 11 t C/ha of straw-C incorporated, we estimated that only about 1 t C/ha would remain in the soil at the time of sampling. An increase in soil C by this amount would not be detectable (total soil C was about 55 t/ha in the upper 15 cm). Growing seed crops every second year increased several of the labile organic pools (mineralisable C and N, light fraction C and N, microbial biomass) in the 0–7.5 and 7.5 cm soil layers and this may have beneficial effects (e.g. improved N supply) on the succeeding cereal crop. However, the seed crops did not significantly increase total soil organic matter within the 6 years.

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Soil organic matter in rainfed cropping systems of the Australian cereal belt

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr99042 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 435 ◽

Cited By ~ 139

Author(s):

R. C. Dalal ◽

K. Y. Chan

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Management Practices ◽

Performance Indicator ◽

Annual Rainfall ◽

Soil Productivity ◽

Organic C ◽

Soil C ◽

Eastern Australia

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.

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Using active fractions of soil organic matter as indicators of the sustainability of Ferrosol farming systems

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/s98064 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 279 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

M. J. Bell ◽

P. W. Moody ◽

S. A. Yo ◽

R. D. Connolly

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Management Practices ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Critical Concentrations ◽

Aggregate Breakdown ◽

Eastern Australia

Chemical and physical degradation of Red Ferrosols in eastern Australia is a major issue necessitating the development of more sustainable cropping systems. This paper derives critical concentrations of the active (permanganate-oxidisable) fraction of soil organic matter (C1) which maximise soil water recharge and minimise the likelihood of surface runoff in these soils. Ferrosol soils were collected from commercial properties in both north and south Queensland, while additional data were made available from a similar collection of Tasmanian Ferrosols. Sites represented a range of management histories, from grazed and ungrazed grass pastures to continuously cropped soil under various tillage systems. The concentration of both total carbon (C) and C1 varied among regions and farming systems. C1 was the primary factor controlling aggregate breakdown, measured by the percentage of aggregates <0·125 mm (P125) in the surface crust after simulated rainfall. The rates of change in P125 per unit change in C1 were not significantly different (P < 0·05) for soils from the different localities. However, soils from the coastal Burnett (south-east Queensland) always produced lower P125 (i.e. less aggregate breakdown) than did soils from the inland Burnett and north Queensland locations given the same concentration of C1. This difference was not associated with a particular land use. The ‘critical’ concentrations of C1 for each region were taken as the C1 concentrations that would allow an infiltration rate greater than or equal to the intensity of a 1 in 1 or 1 in 10 year frequency rainfall event of 30 min duration. This analysis also provided an indication of the risk associated with the concentrations of C1 currently characterising each farming system in each rainfall environment. None of the conventionally tilled Queensland Ferrosols contained sufficient C1 to cope with rainfall events expected to occur with a 1 in 10 frequency, while in many situations the C1 concentration was sufficiently low that runoff events would be expected on an annual basis. Our data suggest that management practices designed both to maximise C inputs and to maintain a high proportion of active C should be seen as essential steps towards developing a more sustainable cropping system.

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