Soil Use and Management · 2020
Soil carbon improvement under long‐term (36 years) no‐till sorghum production in a sub‐tropical environment
Govindasamy, P., Liu, R., Provin, T., Rajan, N., Hons, F., Mowrer, J., Bagavathiannan, M.
Export
Soil carbon improvement under long‐term (36 years) no‐till s…
Abstract
Soil organic matter (SOM) is considered an important indicator of soil quality, which can be impacted by crop production practices such as tillage. In this study, two long‐term tillage regimes (conventional tillage [CT] and no tillage [NT], conducted for 36 years) were compared in continuous sorghum production in a sub‐tropical environment in southeast Texas. The positive effects of long‐term NT practice were more conspicuous at the soil surface compared with the deeper soil profiles. The SOC was greater (1.5 t C ha −1 greater) in the NT system compared with the CT system. Results from an incubation study indicate that the rate of C‐min at 0–5 cm soil depth was significantly greater (164 μg of CO 2 –C g −1 of soil greater) in NT than that of CT, but this trend was reversed at 10–20 cm depth wherein the C‐min rates were 106 μg of CO 2 –C g −1 of soil greater in CT compared with NT, which is likely because of soil disturbance during the study. Soil cumulative CO 2 ‐C emissions were greater in the CT system (7.28 g m −2 ) than in the NT system (5.19 g m −2 ), which is primarily attributed to high soil temperature conditions in the CT system. Sorghum grain yield however was not influenced by the differences in SOC content in this long‐term experiment. Overall, the present study found that long‐term conservation tillage improved SOC stock and reduced carbon loss, thus had a positive impact on soil health and sustainability.
Show all
Soil organic matter (SOM) is considered an important indicator of soil quality, which can be impacted by crop production practices such as tillage. In this study, two long‐term tillage regimes (conventional tillage [CT] and no tillage [NT], conducted for 36 years) were compared in continuous sorghum production in a sub‐tropical environment in southeast Texas. The positive effects of long‐term NT practice were more conspicuous at the soil surface compared with the deeper soil profiles. The SOC was greater (1.5 t C ha −1 greater) in the NT system compared with the CT system. Results from an incubation study indicate that the rate of C‐min at 0–5 cm soil depth was significantly greater (164 μg of CO 2 –C g −1 of soil greater) in NT than that of CT, but this trend was reversed at 10–20 cm depth wherein the C‐min rates were 106 μg of CO 2 –C g −1 of soil greater in CT compared with NT, which is likely because of soil disturbance during the study. Soil cumulative CO 2 ‐C emissions were greater in the CT system (7.28 g m −2 ) than in the NT system (5.19 g m −2 ), which is primarily attributed to high soil temperature conditions in the CT system. Sorghum grain yield however was not influenced by the differences in SOC content in this long‐term experiment. Overall, the present study found that long‐term conservation tillage improved SOC stock and reduced carbon loss, thus had a positive impact on soil health and sustainability.
Soil organic matter (SOM) is considered an important indicator of soil quality, which can be impacted by crop production practices such as tillage. In this study, two long‐term tillage regimes (conventional tillage [CT] and no tillage [NT], conducted for 36 years) were compared in continuous sorghum production in a sub‐tropical environment in southeast Texas. The positive effects of long‐term NT practice were more conspicuous at the soil surface compared with the deeper soil profiles. The SOC was greater (1.5 t C ha −1 greater) in the NT system compared with the CT system. Results from an incubation study indicate that the rate of C‐min at 0–5 cm soil depth was significantly greater (164 μg of CO 2 –C g −1 of soil greater) in NT than that of CT, but this trend was reversed at 10–20 cm depth wherein the C‐min rates were 106 μg of CO 2 –C g −1 of soil greater in CT compared with NT, which is likely because of soil disturbance during the study. Soil cumulative CO 2 ‐C emissions were greater in the CT system (7.28 g m −2 ) than in the NT system (5.19 g m −2 ), which is primarily attributed to high soil temperature conditions in the CT system. Sorghum grain yield however was not influenced by the differences in SOC content in this long‐term experiment. Overall, the present study found that long‐term conservation tillage improved SOC stock and reduced carbon loss, thus had a positive impact on soil health and sustainability.
Similar papers
Soil Carbon Dioxide Flux and Organic Carbon Content: Effects of Tillage and Nitrogen Fertilization
Morell et al. · 2011 · Soil Science Society of America Journal
7 shared concepts
15 findings1 site
Soil organic carbon and nitrogen responses to occasional tillage in a continuous no-tillage system
Thapa et al. · 2023 · Soil and Tillage Research
6 shared concepts
24 findings1 site
Investigation of the long-term effects of conservation tillage systems on the quality of clay-loamy soil in the Eastern Slovak Lowland
Aranyos et al. · 2026 · Scientific Reports
7 shared concepts