Abstract
Annual row crop agriculture contributes to carbon (C) losses from Midwest soils, while the establishment of perennial crops for food and fuel has the potential to increase soil C stocks. Perennial grasses eliminate the need for tillage and increase belowground biomass, both critical to the accumulation and conservation of soil organic matter and to soil C sequestration. The effect of C4 perennial grasses on particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C), consisting primarily of partially decomposed plant material, was evaluated in Illinois, where native switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and a sterile hybrid of the Asian grass Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) were planted as bioenergy feedstocks at the University of Illinois Energy Farm in 2008. Six years after establishment of perennial crops, POM-C was compared with a maize-maize-soybean (Zea mays L., Glycine max L.) rotation typical of the area and a 28-species restored prairie. POM-C concentrations increased for all crops between 31 and 71% over 6 years, with the greatest increases in prairie and M. x giganteus soils. POM-C concentrations were highest at the 0–10 cm depth. Isotopic analyses showed 23–44% of POM-C was new C4 material under perennial bioenergy crops after 6 years. As soil organic matter is primarily plant-derived, increases in POM-C reflect increased organic matter inputs or decreases in the rate of decomposition from the cessation of tillage. Increases in POM-C under annual row crops may result from the incorporation of aboveground organic matter by tillage, while POM-C increases in untilled perennial crops mirror increases in belowground biomass. As soil aggregation protects POM-C from microbial degradation, untilled soils under long-term perennial crop production increase the residence time for soil C.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 184-191 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Soil Biology and Biochemistry |
| Volume | 113 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2017 |
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Keywords
- Biomass crops
- C sequestration
- Particulate organic matter
- Perennial crops
- Soil organic carbon
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Soil Science
Cite this
Soil particulate organic matter increases under perennial bioenergy crop agriculture. / Kantola, I. B.; Masters, M. D.; Delucia, Evan H.
In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 113, 10.2017, p. 184-191.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Soil particulate organic matter increases under perennial bioenergy crop agriculture
AU - Kantola, I. B.
AU - Masters, M. D.
AU - Delucia, Evan H
PY - 2017/10
Y1 - 2017/10
N2 - Annual row crop agriculture contributes to carbon (C) losses from Midwest soils, while the establishment of perennial crops for food and fuel has the potential to increase soil C stocks. Perennial grasses eliminate the need for tillage and increase belowground biomass, both critical to the accumulation and conservation of soil organic matter and to soil C sequestration. The effect of C4 perennial grasses on particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C), consisting primarily of partially decomposed plant material, was evaluated in Illinois, where native switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and a sterile hybrid of the Asian grass Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) were planted as bioenergy feedstocks at the University of Illinois Energy Farm in 2008. Six years after establishment of perennial crops, POM-C was compared with a maize-maize-soybean (Zea mays L., Glycine max L.) rotation typical of the area and a 28-species restored prairie. POM-C concentrations increased for all crops between 31 and 71% over 6 years, with the greatest increases in prairie and M. x giganteus soils. POM-C concentrations were highest at the 0–10 cm depth. Isotopic analyses showed 23–44% of POM-C was new C4 material under perennial bioenergy crops after 6 years. As soil organic matter is primarily plant-derived, increases in POM-C reflect increased organic matter inputs or decreases in the rate of decomposition from the cessation of tillage. Increases in POM-C under annual row crops may result from the incorporation of aboveground organic matter by tillage, while POM-C increases in untilled perennial crops mirror increases in belowground biomass. As soil aggregation protects POM-C from microbial degradation, untilled soils under long-term perennial crop production increase the residence time for soil C.
AB - Annual row crop agriculture contributes to carbon (C) losses from Midwest soils, while the establishment of perennial crops for food and fuel has the potential to increase soil C stocks. Perennial grasses eliminate the need for tillage and increase belowground biomass, both critical to the accumulation and conservation of soil organic matter and to soil C sequestration. The effect of C4 perennial grasses on particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C), consisting primarily of partially decomposed plant material, was evaluated in Illinois, where native switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and a sterile hybrid of the Asian grass Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) were planted as bioenergy feedstocks at the University of Illinois Energy Farm in 2008. Six years after establishment of perennial crops, POM-C was compared with a maize-maize-soybean (Zea mays L., Glycine max L.) rotation typical of the area and a 28-species restored prairie. POM-C concentrations increased for all crops between 31 and 71% over 6 years, with the greatest increases in prairie and M. x giganteus soils. POM-C concentrations were highest at the 0–10 cm depth. Isotopic analyses showed 23–44% of POM-C was new C4 material under perennial bioenergy crops after 6 years. As soil organic matter is primarily plant-derived, increases in POM-C reflect increased organic matter inputs or decreases in the rate of decomposition from the cessation of tillage. Increases in POM-C under annual row crops may result from the incorporation of aboveground organic matter by tillage, while POM-C increases in untilled perennial crops mirror increases in belowground biomass. As soil aggregation protects POM-C from microbial degradation, untilled soils under long-term perennial crop production increase the residence time for soil C.
KW - Biomass crops
KW - C sequestration
KW - Particulate organic matter
KW - Perennial crops
KW - Soil organic carbon
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020827780&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85020827780&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.05.023
DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.05.023
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85020827780
VL - 113
SP - 184
EP - 191
JO - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
SN - 0038-0717
ER -