Distribution and vertical stratification of carbon and nitrogen in soil under different managements in the pampean region of Argentina
| Autor: | Carina Rosa Álvarez, Alejandro Oscar Costantini, Alfredo Bono, Miguel Ángel Taboada, Flavio Hernán Gutiérrez Boem, Patricia Lilia Fernández, Pablo Prystupa |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, Vol 35, Iss 6, Pp 1985-1994 (2011) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 1806-9657 0100-0683 |
| DOI: | 10.1590/S0100-06832011000600015 |
| Popis: | One of the expected benefits of no-tillage systems is a higher rate of soil C sequestration. However, higher C retention in soil is not always apparent when no-tillage is applied, due e.g., to substantial differences in soil type and initial C content. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of no-tillage management to increase the stock of total organic C in soils of the Pampas region in Argentina. Forty crop fields under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems and seven undisturbed soils were sampled. Total organic C, total N, their fractions and stratification ratios and the C storage capacity of the soils under different managements were assessed in samples to a depth of 30 cm, in three layers (0-5, 5-15 and 15-30 cm). The differences between the C pools of the undisturbed and cultivated soils were significant (p < 0.05) and most pronounced in the top (0-5 cm) soil layer, with more active C near the soil surface (undisturbed > no-tillage > conventional tillage). Based on the stratification ratio of the labile C pool (0-5/5-15 cm), the untilled were separated from conventionally tilled areas. Much of the variation in potentially mineralizable C was explained by this active C fraction (R² = 0.61) and by total organic C (R² = 0.67). No-till soils did not accumulate more organic C than conventionally tilled soils in the 0-30 cm layer, but there was substantial stratification of total and active C pools at no till sites. If the C stratification ratio is really an indicator of soil quality, then the C storage potential of no-tillage would be greater than in conventional tillage, at least in the surface layers. Particulate organic C and potentially mineralizable C may be useful to evaluate variations in topsoil organic matter. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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