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Rhizosphere priming and plant-mediated cover crop decomposition

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Abstract

Background and aims

Rhizosphere priming occurs when plant belowground carbon (C) allocation influences the rate of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. We investigated the effects of priming and plant-mediated cover crop decomposition on agroecosystem C and nitrogen (N) dynamics.

Methods

Using C stable isotopes, we tracked C and N from corn, clover (Trifolium pratense) and rye (Secale cereale) cover crop litter, and background SOM in plots following clover, rye, or no cover crop (fallow) in 2013 and 2014.

Results

Corn enhanced the decomposition of N-rich clover cover crop litter in 2013, but there was little evidence of priming of bulk SOM decomposition. There was no corn effect on litterbag decomposition in 2014, likely due to greater soil moisture and temperature in no-corn plots. Corn N uptake per unit of corn-derived CO2 respiration was consistently lower following rye than clover and fallow, suggesting a higher C cost for corn to access N following a rye cover crop.

Conclusions

This is one of the first field-based studies to provide evidence that plant-mediated litter decomposition potentially provides an important source of plant-available N. Climate and residue quality influence the extent to which corn mediates its own N supply with implications for agroecosystem C and N cycling.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Brosi Bradley and Cassandra Schnarr for providing technical expertise and to David Mortensen for input on the project design. This project was supported by AFRI Grant no. 2012-67012-22889 from USDA NIFA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, 1170 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Steven T. Rosenzweig & Meagan E. Schipanski

  2. Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Jason P. Kaye

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  1. Steven T. Rosenzweig
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  2. Meagan E. Schipanski
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  3. Jason P. Kaye
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Correspondence to Steven T. Rosenzweig.

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Rosenzweig, S.T., Schipanski, M.E. & Kaye, J.P. Rhizosphere priming and plant-mediated cover crop decomposition. Plant Soil 417, 127–139 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3246-5

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