Abstract
Background and aims
Our objective was to relate chemical composition of roots of a wide range of annual crops to root decomposition, so as to assess roots potential contribution to soil carbon (C).
Methods
Roots from 20 different crops and 4 botanical families, collected under field conditions were incubated in soil for 120 days at 25 °C. The initial chemical composition of roots was determined. The C mineralization was assessed by the continuous measurement of CO2 release and using single exponential model. PCA analysis was used to explore qualitative pattern in root quality and decomposition.
Results
PCA analysis showed that chemical characteristics (traits) differentiated plant families. The mineralization of root C varied greatly in terms of kinetics and in the total amount of C mineralized (36 % to 59 % of added C). Mineralization constant (k value) was negatively correlated with hemicelluloses and positively with N content. Poaceae roots that combined high hemicelluloses, low cellulose and low total N, showed low degradation rate and cumulative C mineralization.
Conclusions
The chemical composition of roots, as for the above-ground parts of plants, can correctly predict their rate of decomposition in soils. The taxonomic affiliation enhances the understanding of the chemical determinants of quality of roots.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Brazil government through the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). The bilateral Brazilian and French collaboration was funded under Program CNPq—Ciência sem Fronteiras Process Number 401724/2012-3, and by INRA (the Environment & Agronomy Division) during M. Redin’s leave at UMR FARE in Reims, France. The authors thank anonymous referees for their constructive comments on the previous version of this work.
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Redin, M., Guénon, R., Recous, S. et al. Carbon mineralization in soil of roots from twenty crop species, as affected by their chemical composition and botanical family. Plant Soil 378, 205–214 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-2021-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-2021-5