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Cover crops, compost, and conversion to grassland to increase soil C and N stock in intensive agrosystems

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Abstract

Organic fertilization or conversion to grassland may increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN). However, responses of net SOC and STN accumulation are sometimes inconsistent and little is known about temporal patterns when those strategies are stopped. We (a) assessed the effects of rye (Secale cereale L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) cover crops (CCs) on SOC and STN during a 4-year “enriching” period (EP), and a following 2-year “depleting” period (DP); (b) compared these strategies with compost application and conversion to permanent fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.); and (c) determined the responses of maize (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) yields. Crop yield increased only in maize with compost and hairy vetch, which downsizes the role of these strategies to support productivity. SOC and STN increased with 4-year compost (+ 10.2 Mg C ha−1; + 0.5 Mg N ha−1), rye (+ 8.8 Mg C ha−1; + 0.6 Mg N ha−1), and hairy vetch (+ 6.9 Mg C ha−1; + 0.6 Mg N ha−1). Afterwards, SOC stock loss during 2-year DP tended to be higher than annual C input where there were CCs, and accounted for about 70% of annual C input where there was compost. High SOC loss highlights the weak effect of CCs for long-term SOC stabilization. Conversely, STN increased even during DP, which indicates a more lasting effect. Green manuring with CCs may be relevant for enhancing SOC and STN, although the beneficial effects are short-lived. Conversion to grassland remains the reference strategy.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Foundation Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi (Italy). We would like to thank Biogest SRL, in particular Mr. Pierluigi Fantoni, for providing us with the compost used in this experiment We also thank colleagues, technicians, and students from the Agronomy Group in the Department of Sustainable Crop Production (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Piacenza) for their assistance throughout the duration of this experiment.

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  1. Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122, Piacenza, Italy

    Stefania Codruta Maris, Andrea Fiorini, Roberta Boselli, Stefano Santelli & Vincenzo Tabaglio

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  1. Stefania Codruta Maris
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  2. Andrea Fiorini
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  3. Roberta Boselli
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Correspondence to Andrea Fiorini.

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Maris, S.C., Fiorini, A., Boselli, R. et al. Cover crops, compost, and conversion to grassland to increase soil C and N stock in intensive agrosystems. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 119, 83–101 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-020-10110-9

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