Modelling the impact of declining soil organic carbon on soil compaction: Application to a cultivated Eutric Cambisol with massive straw exportation for energy production in Northern France

After strip mining, soils typically suffer from compaction, low nutrient availability, loss of soil organic carbon, and a compromised soil microbial community. Prairie restorations can improve ecosystem services on former agricultural lands, but prairie restorations on mine lands are relatively under-studied. This study investigated the impact of prairie restoration on mine lands, focusing on the plant community and soil properties. In southeast Ohio, 305 ha within a ~2000 ha area of former mine land was converted to native prairie through herbicide and planting between 1999–2016. Soil and vegetation sampling occurred from 2016–2018. Plant community composition shifted with prairie age, with highest native cover in the oldest prairie areas. Prairie plants were more abundant in older prairies. The oldest prairies had significantly more soil fungal biomass and higher soil microbial biomass. However, many soil properties (e.g., soil nutrients, β-glucosoidase activity, and soil organic carbon), as well as plant species diversity and richness trended higher in prairies, but were not significantly different from baseline cool-season grasslands. Overall, restoration with prairie plant communities slowly shifted soil properties, but mining disturbance was still the most significant driver in controlling soil properties. Prairie restoration on reclaimed mine land was effective in establishing a native plant community, with the associated ecosystem benefits.

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Organic mulching promotes soil organic carbon accumulation to deep soil layer in an urban plantation forest

Forest Ecosystems ◽

10.1186/s40663-020-00278-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaodan Sun ◽

Gang Wang ◽

Qingxu Ma ◽

Jiahui Liao ◽

Dong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Carbon Content ◽

Fine Roots ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Carbon Accumulation ◽

Bulk Soil ◽

Organic Mulch ◽

The Impact ◽

Soc Fractions

Abstract Background Soil organic carbon (SOC) is important for soil quality and fertility in forest ecosystems. Labile SOC fractions are sensitive to environmental changes, which reflect the impact of short-term internal and external management measures on the soil carbon pool. Organic mulching (OM) alters the soil environment and promotes plant growth. However, little is known about the responses of SOC fractions in rhizosphere or bulk soil to OM in urban forests and its correlation with carbon composition in plants. Methods A one-year field experiment with four treatments (OM at 0, 5, 10, and 20 cm thicknesses) was conducted in a 15-year-old Ligustrum lucidum plantation. Changes in the SOC fractions in the rhizosphere and bulk soil; the carbon content in the plant fine roots, leaves, and organic mulch; and several soil physicochemical properties were measured. The relationships between SOC fractions and the measured variables were analysed. Results The OM treatments had no significant effect on the SOC fractions, except for the dissolved organic carbon (DOC). OM promoted the movement of SOC to deeper soil because of the increased carbon content in fine roots of subsoil. There were significant correlations between DOC and microbial biomass carbon and SOC and easily oxidised organic carbon. The OM had a greater effect on organic carbon fractions in the bulk soil than in the rhizosphere. The thinnest (5 cm) mulching layers showed the most rapid carbon decomposition over time. The time after OM had the greatest effect on the SOC fractions, followed by soil layer. Conclusions The frequent addition of small amounts of organic mulch increased SOC accumulation in the present study. OM is a potential management model to enhance soil organic matter storage for maintaining urban forest productivity.

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Topographic Position, Land Use and Soil Management Effects on Soil Organic Carbon (Vineyard Region of Niš, Serbia)

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11071438 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1438

Author(s):

Snežana Jakšić ◽

Jordana Ninkov ◽

Stanko Milić ◽

Jovica Vasin ◽

Milorad Živanov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Surface Layer ◽

Spatial Distribution ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Soil Management ◽

Forest Land ◽

Topographic Position

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) is the result of a combination of various factors related to both the natural environment and anthropogenic activities. The aim of this study was to examine (i) the state of SOC in topsoil and subsoil of vineyards compared to the nearest forest, (ii) the influence of soil management on SOC, (iii) the variation in SOC content with topographic position, (iv) the intensity of soil erosion in order to estimate the leaching of SOC from upper to lower topographic positions, and (v) the significance of SOC for the reduction of soil’s susceptibility to compaction. The study area was the vineyard region of Niš, which represents a medium-sized vineyard region in Serbia. About 32% of the total land area is affected, to some degree, by soil erosion. However, according to the mean annual soil loss rate, the total area is classified as having tolerable erosion risk. Land use was shown to be an important factor that controls SOC content. The vineyards contained less SOC than forest land. The SOC content was affected by topographic position. The interactive effect of topographic position and land use on SOC was significant. The SOC of forest land was significantly higher at the upper position than at the middle and lower positions. Spatial distribution of organic carbon in vineyards was not influenced by altitude, but occurred as a consequence of different soil management practices. The deep tillage at 60–80 cm, along with application of organic amendments, showed the potential to preserve SOC in the subsoil and prevent carbon loss from the surface layer. Penetrometric resistance values indicated optimum soil compaction in the surface layer of the soil, while low permeability was observed in deeper layers. Increases in SOC content reduce soil compaction and thus the risk of erosion and landslides. Knowledge of soil carbon distribution as a function of topographic position, land use and soil management is important for sustainable production and climate change mitigation.

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Dynamics of soil organic carbon in the steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan under past and future climate and land use

Regional Environmental Change ◽

10.1007/s10113-021-01799-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Susanne Rolinski ◽

Alexander V. Prishchepov ◽

Georg Guggenberger ◽

Norbert Bischoff ◽

Irina Kurganova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Arable Land ◽

Future Climate ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Climate Scenarios ◽

The Impact

AbstractChanges in land use and climate are the main drivers of change in soil organic matter contents. We investigated the impact of the largest policy-induced land conversion to arable land, the Virgin Lands Campaign (VLC), from 1954 to 1963, of the massive cropland abandonment after 1990 and of climate change on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan. We simulated carbon budgets from the pre-VLC period (1900) until 2100 using a dynamic vegetation model to assess the impacts of observed land-use change as well as future climate and land-use change scenarios. The simulations suggest for the entire VLC region (266 million hectares) that the historic cropland expansion resulted in emissions of 1.6⋅ 1015 g (= 1.6 Pg) carbon between 1950 and 1965 compared to 0.6 Pg in a scenario without the expansion. From 1990 to 2100, climate change alone is projected to cause emissions of about 1.8 (± 1.1) Pg carbon. Hypothetical recultivation of the cropland that has been abandoned after the fall of the Soviet Union until 2050 may cause emissions of 3.5 (± 0.9) Pg carbon until 2100, whereas the abandonment of all cropland until 2050 would lead to sequestration of 1.8 (± 1.2) Pg carbon. For the climate scenarios based on SRES (Special Report on Emission Scenarios) emission pathways, SOC declined only moderately for constant land use but substantially with further cropland expansion. The variation of SOC in response to the climate scenarios was smaller than that in response to the land-use scenarios. This suggests that the effects of land-use change on SOC dynamics may become as relevant as those of future climate change in the Eurasian steppes.

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Modelling long-term soil organic carbon dynamics under the impact of land cover change and soil redistribution

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2016.12.008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 151 ◽

pp. 63-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Samuel Bouchoms ◽

Zhengang Wang ◽

Veerle Vanacker ◽

Sebastian Doetterl ◽

Kristof Van Oost

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Carbon Dynamics ◽

Soil Redistribution ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics

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Soil compaction and eucalyptus growth in response to forwarder traffic intensity and load

Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo ◽

10.1590/s0100-06832008000300002 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 921-932 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Sérgio Ricardo da Silva ◽

Nairam Félix de Barros ◽

Liovando Marciano da Costa ◽

Fernando Palha Leite

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Geometric Mean ◽

Tree Height ◽

Total Porosity ◽

Infiltration Rate ◽

Traffic Intensity ◽

Number Of Passes

During timber exploitation in forest stands harvesting machines pass repeatedly along the same track and can cause soil compaction, which leads to soil erosion and restricted tree root growth. The level of soil compaction depends on the number of passes and weight of the wood load. This paper aimed to evaluate soil compaction and eucalyptus growth as affected by the number of passes and wood load of a forwarder. The study was carried out in Santa Maria de Itabira county, Minas Gerais State - Brazil, on a seven-year-old eucalyptus stand planted on an Oxisol. The trees were felled by chainsaw and manually removed. Plots of 144 m² (four rows 12 m long in a 3 x 2 m spacing) were then marked off for the conduction of two trials. The first tested the traffic intensity of a forwarder which weighed 11,900 kg and carried 12 m³ wood (density of 480 kg m-3) and passed 2, 4, and 8 times along the same track. In the second trial, the forwarder carried loads of 4, 8, and 12 m³ of wood, and the machine was driven four times along the same track. In each plot, the passes affected four rows. Eucalyptus was planted in 30 x 30 x 30 cm holes on the compacted tracks. The soil in the area is clayey (470 clay and 440 g kg-1 sand content) and at depths of 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm, respectively, soil organic carbon was 406 and 272 g kg-1 and the moisture content during the trial 248 and 249 g kg-1. These layers were assessed for soil bulk density and water-stable aggregates. The infiltration rate was measured by a cylinder infiltrometer. After 441 days the measurements were repeated, with additional analyses of: soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, N-NH4+, N-NO3-, porosity, and penetration resistance. Tree height, stem diameter, and stem dry matter were measured. Forwarder traffic increased soil compaction, resistance to penetration and microporosity while it reduced the geometric mean diameter, total porosity, macroporosity and infiltration rate. Stem dry matter yield and tree height were not affected by soil compaction. Two passes of the forwarder were enough to cause the disturbances at the highest levels. The compaction effects were still persistent 441 days after forwarder traffic.

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Impact of grazing intensity on seasonal variations in soil organic carbon and soil CO 2 efflux in two semiarid grasslands in southern Botswana

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2012.0102 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 367 (1606) ◽

pp. 3076-3086 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Andrew D. Thomas

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Seasonal Variations ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Grazing Intensity ◽

C Sequestration ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Semiarid Environments ◽

The Impact ◽

And Storage

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are an important source of organic carbon, and affect a range of ecosystem functions in arid and semiarid environments. Yet the impact of grazing disturbance on crust properties and soil CO 2 efflux remain poorly studied, particularly in African ecosystems. The effects of burial under wind-blown sand, disaggregation and removal of BSCs on seasonal variations in soil CO 2 efflux, soil organic carbon, chlorophyll a and scytonemin were investigated at two sites in the Kalahari of southern Botswana. Field experiments were employed to isolate CO 2 efflux originating from BSCs in order to estimate the C exchange within the crust. Organic carbon was not evenly distributed through the soil profile but concentrated in the BSC. Soil CO 2 efflux was higher in Kalahari Sand than in calcrete soils, but rates varied significantly with seasonal changes in moisture and temperature. BSCs at both sites were a small net sink of C to the soil. Soil CO 2 efflux was significantly higher in sand soils where the BSC was removed, and on calcrete where the BSC was buried under sand. The BSC removal and burial under sand also significantly reduced chlorophyll a , organic carbon and scytonemin . Disaggregation of the soil crust, however, led to increases in chlorophyll a and organic carbon. The data confirm the importance of BSCs for C cycling in drylands and indicate intensive grazing, which destroys BSCs through trampling and burial, will adversely affect C sequestration and storage. Managed grazing, where soil surfaces are only lightly disturbed, would help maintain a positive carbon balance in African drylands.

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Soil organic carbon accumulation and carbon dioxide emissions during a 6-year study in irrigated continuous maize under two tillage systems in semiarid Mediterranean conditions

Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.5424/sjar/2021191-16260 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. e1102

Author(s):

Maroua Dachraoui ◽

Aurora Sombrero

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Temperature ◽

Grain Yield ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Carbon Accumulation ◽

No Tillage ◽

Short Term ◽

The Impact

Aim of study: To evaluate the effects of conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) systems on the soil organic carbon (SOC) changes, CO2 emissions and their relation with soil temperature and grain yield in a monoculture of irrigated maize during six years.Area of study: In Zamadueñas experimental field in the Spanish province of Valladolid, from 2011 to 2017.Material and methods: The SOC content was determined by collecting soil samples up to 30 cm in November at two years interval. Short-term CO2 emissions were measured simultaneously with soil temperature using a respiration chamber and a hand-held probe immediately before, after every tillage operation and during the maize cycle.Main results: The SOC stock of the top 30 cm soil layers was 13% greater under NT than CT. Short-term CO2 emissions were significantly higher under CT ranging from 0.8 to 3.4 g CO2 m-2 h-1 immediately after tillage while under NT system, soil CO2 fluxes were low and stable during this study period. During the first 48 h following tillage, cumulative CO2 emissions ranged from 0.6 to 2.4 Mg CO2 ha-1 and from 0.2 to 0.3 Mg CO2 ha-1 under CT and NT systems, respectively. Soil temperature did not show significant correlation with CO2 emissions; however, it depended mostly on the time of measurement.Research highlights: No tillage increased the SOC accumulation in the topsoil layer, reduced CO2 emissions without decreasing maize grain yield and minimized the impact on climate change compared to CT system.

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Assessing the Effect of Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A. Juss.) Muell. Arg.) Leaf Chemical Composition on Some Soil Properties of Differently Aged Rubber Tree Plantations

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10121871 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1871 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Porntip Puttaso ◽

Weravart Namanusart ◽

Kanjana Thumanu ◽

Bhanudacha Kamolmanit ◽

Alain Brauman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Carbon Content ◽

Hevea Brasiliensis ◽

Organic Chemical ◽

Organic Carbon Content ◽

Old Trees ◽

The Impact

Leaf litter plays a major role in carbon and nutrient cycling, as well as in fueling food webs. The chemical composition of a leaf may directly and indirectly influence decomposition rates by influencing rates of biological reactions and by influencing the accumulation of soil organic carbon content, respectively. This study aimed to assess the impact of the chemical composition of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A. Juss.) Muell. Arg.) leaves on various soil properties of different ages of rubber (4–5, 11–12, and 22–23 year-old). Synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (Sr-FTIR) was utilized for analyzing the chemical composition of plant leaves. The Sr-FTIR bands illustrated that the epidermis of rubber leaves from 4–5-year-old trees was found to contain a high quantity of polysaccharides while mesophyll from 22–23-year-old trees had a large number of polysaccharides. The change in soil properties in the older rubber plantation could be attributed to its chemical composition. The change in soil properties across all tree ages, i.e., increased litter and organic carbon content, was a relatively strong driver of soil biota evolution. The aliphatic of C-H in the leaves showed high correlation with soil organic carbon (SOC) and permanganate-oxidizable C (POXC) from 22–23 year-old trees. This study shows the differences in the organic chemical composition of leaves that are consequential to soil organic carbon.

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