Abstract
Background and aims
Forage cropping systems may differentially affect the vertical distribution of roots and soil organic C stock (C-OM). In annual crops sequences (ACS) and perennial pastures (PP), we assessed the association between root biomass, C-OM, C in mineral-associated organic matter (C-MAOM), and C in particulate organic matter (C-POM) and its vertical distribution.
Methods
Root biomass, C-OM, C-MAOM and C-POM were measured in a Petrocalcic Argiudol at five soil depths up to 100 cm during two years in the south-eastern Pampas of Argentina. The field experiment comprised 28 plots including five perennial pastures and two annual crop sequences. Associations between variables were assessed by regression analysis and non-linear models.
Results
Overall, ACS and PP had similar cumulative root biomass. Both, root biomass and soil C stocks exponentially decreased with soil depth. Soil C stocks associated to root biomass tended to stabilize over a threshold value of root biomass for C-MAOM and C-OM. C-POM tended to stabilize over a threshold value only in treatments that included tall fescue.
Conclusions
Our results highlights the key role of roots to improve soil C stocks through the design of forage crop rotations that include crops able to increase root inputs to the soil, such as tall fescue.
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Abbreviations
- A:
-
Alfalfa
- ACS:
-
Annual crop sequence
- AF:
-
Mixed stands of alfalfa/tall fescue without N
- AF+:
-
Mixed stands of alfalfa/tall fescue with N
- C:
-
Carbon
- C-MAOM:
-
Carbon in the mineral-associated organic matter
- C-OM:
-
Carbon in the total organic matter
- C-POM:
-
Carbon in the particulate organic matter
- F:
-
Tall fescue without N
- F+:
-
Tall fescue with N
- MAOM:
-
Mineral-associated organic matter
- MO:
-
Maize-oats
- MSO:
-
Intercrop maize/soybean-oats
- OM:
-
Organic matter
- POM:
-
Particulate organic matter
- PP:
-
Perennial pasture
- Y1:
-
Year 1
- Y2:
-
Year 2
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Acknowledgments
The authors specially thank A. De Sarro, M.M. Politi, P. Errecart, P.L. Cicore, E. Montero, J. Mendez, P. Alday and several postgraduate students (FCA-UNMdP) for his excellent technical assistance during the experimental period. This research was funded by INTA (Project AEFP-262921, PNPA-11260714, and PNSUE-1134042). The present work is a part of the thesis submitted by J.J. Ojeda to the Postgraduate program of FCA-UNMdP. J.J. Ojeda held a postdoctoral research fellowship and O.P. Caviglia is a member of CONICET, the National Research Council of Argentina.
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Ojeda, J.J., Caviglia, O.P. & Agnusdei, M.G. Vertical distribution of root biomass and soil carbon stocks in forage cropping systems. Plant Soil 423, 175–191 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3502-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3502-8
Keywords
- Forage crop intensification
- Root inputs
- Organic matter
- Particulate organic matter
- South-eastern pampas of Argentina