Abstract
The impacts of grassland restoration on amounts, forms and distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) were examined in paired cultivated and restored grassland catenae of the Missouri Coteau region in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada. Total SOC (0–15 cm depth) and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) (0–7.5 cm) contents were determined in paired catenae in upland areas, and in the surface (0–15 cm) and at depth (>15 cm) in the wetland fringe areas. Mass of SOC was higher in the restored grassland catenae than in the cultivated equivalents. In both the cultivated and restored grassland catenae at the three sites, footslope positions consistently had a higher mass of SOC. However, the shoulder positions showed the greatest response in soil C sequestration to grass seed-down, with a 1.4–2.9 Mg ha−1 year−1 SOC increase apparent over an approximately eight-year period. The mass of LFOC and the proportion of SOC comprised of LFOC was also higher in the restored grassland, reflective of higher recent C inputs. Rates of C sequestration in the Missouri Coteau based on SOC differences in the paired comparisons were estimated to be 0.3–2.9 Mg C ha−1 year−1, depending upon site and slope position. In the wetland fringe region of the landscape, the three sites also had higher surface or subsurface SOC in the grassland restoration. In general, SOC changes at depth (below 15 cm) in the restored grasslands appeared to be less consistent than changes in SOC in the surface 0–15 cm soil. In conclusion, the findings suggest that a switch to permanent cover on these soils will significantly increase C sequestered in the soil.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alvarez CR, Alvarez R, Gigera MA, Lavado RS (1998) Associations between organic matter fractions and the active soil microbial biomass. Soil Biol Biochem 30:767–773
Biederbeck VO, Janzen HH, Campbell CA, Zentner RP (1994) Labile soil organic matter as influenced by cropping practices in an arid environment. Soil Biol Biochem 26:1647–1656
Bowman RA, Reeder JD, Lober RW (1990) Changes in soil properties in a central plains rangeland soil after 3, 20 and 60 years of cultivation. Soil Sci 150:851–857
Bremer E, Janzen HH, Johnston AM (1994) Sensitivity of total, light fraction and mineralizable organic matter to management practices in a Lethbridge soil. Can J Soil Sci 74:131–138
Campbell CA, Lafond GP, Biederbeck VO, Wen G, Schoenau J, Hahn D (1999) Seasonal trends in soil biochemical attributes: effects of crop management on a Black chernozem. Can J Soil Sci 79:85–87
Carter MR, Gregorich EG, Angers DA, Donald RC, Bolinder MA (1998) Organic C and N storage, and organic C fractions in adjacent and forested soils of eastern Canada. Soil Tillage Res 47:253–261
Cihacek LJ, Ulmer MG (1998) Effects of tillage on profile soil carbon distribution in the Northern Great Plains of the US. In: Lal R, Kimble J, Follett R, Stewart BA (eds) Advances in soil science: management of carbon sequestration in soil. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 83–91
Dumanski J, Desjardins RL, Tarnocai C, Monreal C, Gregorich EG, Kirkwood V, Campbell CS (1998) Possibilities for future carbon sequestration in Canadian agriculture in relation to land use changes. Clim Change 40:81–103
Ellert BH, Bettany JR (1995) Calculation of organic matter and nutrients stored in soils under contrasting management regimes. Can J Soil Sci 75:529–538
Gregorich EG, Anderson DW (1985) Effects of cultivation and erosion on soils of four toposequences in the Canadian Prairies. Geoderma 38:343–354
Gregorich EG, Ellert BH (1993) Light fraction and macroorganic matter in mineral soils. In: Carter MR (ed) Soil sampling methods of analysis. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 397–405
Gregorich EG, Janzen HH (1996) Storage of soil carbon in the light fraction and macroorganic matter. In: Carter MR, Stewart BA (eds) Advances in soil science: structure and organic matter storage in agricultural soils. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 167–190
Gregorich EG, Carter MR, Angers DA, Monreal CM, Ellert BH (1994) Towards a minimum data set to assess soil organic matter quality in agricultural soils. Can J Soil Sci 74:367–385
Huggins DR, Allan DL, Gardner JC, Karlen DL, Bezdicek DF, Rosek MJ, Alms MJ, Flock M, Miller, Staben ML (1998a) Enhancing carbon sequestration in CRP-managed land. In: Lal R, Kimble J, Follett R, Stewart BA (eds) Advances in soil science: management of carbon sequestration in soils. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 323–334
Huggins DR, Buyanovsky GA, Wagner GH, Brown JR, Darmody RG, Peck TR, Lesoing GW, Vanotti MB, Bundy LG (1998b) Soil organic C in the tallgrass prairie-derived region of the corn belt: effects of long-term crop management. Soil Tillage Res 47:219–234
Izaurralde RC, McGIll WB, Bryden A, Graham S (1998) Scientific challenges in developing a plan to predict and verify carbon storage in Canadian prairie soils. In: Lal R, Kimble J, Follett R, Stewart BA (eds) Advances in soil science: management of carbon sequestration in soil. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 433–446
Janzen HH, Campbell CA, Izzaurralde RC, Ellert BH, Juma N, McGill WB, Zentner RP (1998) Management effects on soil C storage on the Canadian prairies. Soil Tillage Res 47:181–195
Jenkinson D (1971) Studies on the decomposition of C14 labeled organic matter in soil. Soil Sci 111:64–70
LECO (1987) CR-12 Carbon system instruction manual. Leco Corporation, Joseph, MI, USA
Malhi SS, Brandt S, Gill KS (2003) Cultivation and grass type effects on light fraction and total organic C and N in a Dark Brown Chernozemic soil. Can J Soil Sci 83:145–153
McGill WB, Dormaar JF and Reinl-Dwyer E (1988) New perspectives on soil organic matter quality, quantity, and dynamics on the Canadian Prairies. In: Proceedings Canadian Society of Soil Science and Canadian Society of Extension Joint Symposium, land degradation: assessment and insight into a Western Canadian problem. August 23, 1988, Agricultural Institute of Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, pp 30–48
Mensah F, Schoenau JJ, Malhi SS (2003) Soil carbon changes in cultivated and excavated land converted to grasses in east-central Saskatchewan. Biogeochem 63:85–92
Nyborg M, Solberg ED, Malhi SS, Izaurralde RC (1995) Fertilizer N, crop residue and tillage alter soil C and N content in a decade. In: Lal R, Kimble J, Levine E, Stewart BA (eds) Advances in soil science: soil management and greenhouse effect. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 93–99
Paustian K, Robertson GP, Elliott ET (1995) Management impacts on carbon storage and gas fluxes (CO2, CH4) in mid-latitude cropland. In: Lal R, Kimble J, Levine E, Stewart BA (eds) Advances in soil science: soil management and greenhouse effect. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 61–83
Paustian K, Amdren O, Janzen HH, Lal R, Smith P, Tian G, Tiessen H, Van-Noordwijk M, Woomer PL (1997) Agricultural soils as a sink to mitigate CO2 emissions. Soil Use Manage 13:230–244
Paustian K, Cole CV, Sauerbeck D, Sampson N (1998) CO2 mitigation by agriculture: An overview. Clim Change 40:135–162
Pennock DJ, Anderson DW, deJong E (1994) Landscape-scale changes indicators of soil quality due to cultivation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Geoderma 64:1–19
Reeder JD, Schuman GE, Bowman RA (1998) Soil C and N changes on conservation reserve programs in the Central Great Plains. Soil Tillage Res 47:339–349
Schlesinger WH (1997) Biogeochemistry: an analysis of global change, 2nd edn. Academic Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Six J, Elliott ET, Paustian K, Doran JW (1998) Aggregation and soil organic matter accumulation in cultivated and native grassland soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:1367–1377
Staben ML, Bezdicek DF, Smith JL, Fauci MF (1997) Assessment of soil quality in conservation reserve program and wheat-fallow soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 61:124–130
Wang D, Anderson DW (1998) Direct measurements of organic C content in soils by the LECO CR-12 Carbon Analyizer. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 29:15–21
Yang XM, Wander MM (1999) Tillage effects on soil organic carbon distribution and storage in a silt loam soil in Illinois. Soil Tillage Res 52:1–9
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Ducks Unlimited, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Center for Studies in Agriculture, Law and the Environment for financial support, R. Farrell and K. Van Rees for advice and revisions, and Tom King, Pam Clothier, T. Wu and Jeremy Nelson for technical help.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nelson, J.D.J., Schoenau, J.J. & Malhi, S.S. Soil organic carbon changes and distribution in cultivated and restored grassland soils in Saskatchewan. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 82, 137–148 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-008-9175-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-008-9175-1