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Manure application in managed grasslands can contribute to soil organic carbon sequestration: evidence from field experiments across Japan

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Abstract

We conducted field experiments in nine managed grassland sites spanning annual temperatures of 5.8–16.3 °C for 5 years to investigate the effects of farmyard manure (FYM) application and environmental conditions on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes. Experimental plots were established with three (zero, low, and high) levels of continuous FYM application at each site, and soil samples down to 30 cm depths were annually collected to determine SOC stocks. Annual changes in SOC stocks were analyzed by fitting a linear mixed-effect model, including the sites as random-effects. Based on the model, low and high level FYM application lead to 1.9–10.4 (4.8 on average) and 3.4–15.1 (8.4 on average) Mg C ha−1 year−1 of SOC increase across the sites, respectively. The random-effects for annual changes in SOC stocks were not correlated with soil type (andic vs. non-andic) but positively correlated with the duration, implying that the grassland maintenance without renovation contributed more to SOC sequestration than soil type. Simple simulations using the model showed that SOC stocks increased at all nine sites with recommended (low) level of FYM application. The simulation also revealed that SOC sequestration with the recommended level FYM application can be maintained even under a global change scenario with temperature rise of up to 2.8 °C above the current level. These results indicated that managed grasslands in Japan with the recommended level FYM application can contribute to climate change mitigation via SOC sequestration even under future climate change.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the staff of the National Livestock Breeding Center and the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) for their assistance in the maintenance of the experimental fields, and collecting, processing, and analyzing the samples. We also thank Gen Sakurai at NARO for his assistance in statistical analyses, Hiroshi Obara and Yuji Maejima at NARO for their helpful suggestions in soil classification, Yasumi Yagasaki at NARO for providing the estimated data on SOC and carbon input, and Yasuhito Shirato and Rota Wagai at NARO for valuable comments and criticisms to improve the quality of the manuscript. This study was funded by the national soil survey program for monitoring soil carbon stocks in agricultural lands lead by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan

    Shoji Matsuura

  2. Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 768 Senbonmatsu, Nasushiobara, Tochigi, 329-2793, Japan

    Shoji Matsuura & Masayuki Hojito

  3. National Livestock Breeding Center, 1 Odakurahara, Odakura, Nishigo, Nishishirakawa Fukushima, 961-8511, Japan

    Reiko Kazama, Hiroshi Hibino & Masato Funatsu

  4. Incorporated Administrative Agency Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center, Saitama Shintoshin National Government Building, Kensato Building 2-1, Shintoshin, Chuo-ku, Saitama, Saitama, 330-9731, Japan

    Reiko Kazama, Hiroshi Hibino & Masato Funatsu

  5. Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine, 23-35-1 Higashi, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan

    Masayuki Hojito

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  1. Shoji Matsuura
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Matsuura, S., Kazama, R., Hibino, H. et al. Manure application in managed grasslands can contribute to soil organic carbon sequestration: evidence from field experiments across Japan. Reg Environ Change 21, 76 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-021-01795-x

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