scholarly journals Forest conversion to poplar plantation in a Lombardy floodplain (Italy): effects on soil organic carbon stock

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6483-6493 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ferré ◽  
R. Comolli ◽  
A. Leip ◽  
G. Seufert
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Forest Conversion ◽  
Poplar Plantation ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Soc Stocks

Abstract. Effects of forest conversion to poplar plantation on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks were investigated by sampling paired plots in an alluvial area of the Ticino River in Northern Italy. According to land registers and historical aerial photographs, the two sites were part of a larger area of a 200 yr old natural forest that was partly converted to poplar plantation in 1973. The soil sampling of three layers down to a depth of 100 cm was performed at 90 and 70 points in the natural forest (NF) and in the nearby poplar plantation (PP) respectively. The substitution of the natural forest with the poplar plantation strongly modified soil C stock down to a depth of 55 cm, although the management practices at PP were not intensive. After calculation of equivalent soil masses and of SOC stocks in individual texture classes, the comparison of C stocks showed an overall decrease in SOC of 5.7 kg m−2 or 40% in consequence of 37 years of poplar cultivation. Our case study provides further evidence that (i) spatial heterogeneity of SOC is an important feature in paired plot studies requiring a careful sampling strategy and high enough number of samples; (ii) land use changes through tillage are creating a more homogeneous spatial structure of soil properties and may require the application of dedicated spatial statistics to tackle eventual problems of pseudo-replicates and auto-correlation; (iii) short rotation forests are not properly represented in current reporting schemes for changes of SOC after land use change and may better be considered as cropland.

scholarly journals Forest conversion to poplar plantation in a Lombardy floodplain (Italy): effects on soil organic carbon stock

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 9601-9627 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ferré ◽  
R. Comolli ◽  
A. Leip ◽  
G. Seufert
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Forest Conversion ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Poplar Plantation ◽  
C Stocks

Abstract. Effects of forest conversion to poplar plantation on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks were investigated by sampling paired plots in an alluvial area of the Ticino river in Northern Italy. According to land registers and historical aerial photographs, the two sites were part of a larger area of a 200 years-old natural forest that was partly converted to poplar plantation in 1973. The soil sampling of three layers down to a depth of 100 cm was performed at 90 and 70 points in the natural forest (NF) and in the nearby poplar plantation (PP), respectively. The substitution of the natural forest with the poplar plantation strongly modified soil C stock down to a depth of 55 cm, although the management practices at PP were not intensive. By evaluation of equivalent soil masses, the comparison of C stocks (organic layer included) between the different land uses showed a decrease in SOC of 5.7 kg m−2 after 37 years of poplar cultivation, corresponding to more than 1/3 of the initial organic carbon content. The land use change from NF to PP not only affected the stock but also the vertical distribution of SOC: ploughing led to the transfer of SOC from soil surface into the deeper layers resulting in a more uniform allocation of organic carbon in the ploughed layer and disappearance of the SOC stratification observed in the forest.

scholarly journals Effects of Sustainable Soil Management Practices on Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon in Upland Agricultural Soils of Mid-hills of Nepal

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagmindra Dahal ◽  
Roshan M Bajracharya
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Sustainable Soil Management ◽  
Sequestration Potential ◽  
Soc Stocks

An abundance of soil organic carbon (SOC) generally enhances the quality of lands for agriculture or forestry. Concentration of SOC varies in accordance to the type of land use, the inputs to the soil, and natural factors including climate and vegetation. SOC is vital for sustaining agricultural productivity which chiefly depends on both the inherent soil type and crop management practices affecting depletion or replenishment of organic matter over the years. Assessment of SOC concentration is a characteristic measurement of evaluating soil quality and the carbon sequestration potential of agricultural land. This study aims to assess SOC distribution on selected farmlands of Nepal’s mid-hills, where farmers have adopted sustainable soil management practices in non-irrigable hill terraces (“Bari” land) in comparison with those of surrounding Bari and forests where no such interventions are made. Thus the present study estimated SOC content of three types of land use – farmland with sustainable soil management practices (SSMP), farmland without sustainable management practices (Non-SSMP) and the community managed forest in four mountain districts of Nepal, namely Baglung, Dhading, Kavre and Okhaldhunga. This study found the average SOC stocks in the SSMP land in the range of 20 - 44 Mgha-1,those in non-SSMP agricultural areas 15 to 48 Mgha-1, and in the forested land 16 to 23 Mgha-1. In general, the abundance of SOC stocks are in the order of SSM>Non-SSM>Forests. The analysis indicates the high potential for carbon sequestration in hill agriculture lands through sustainable soil management. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 13, No. 1 (2012) 133-141 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v13i1.7452

scholarly journals Global process-based characterization factors of soil carbon depletion for life cycle impact assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo F. M. Teixeira ◽  
Tiago G. Morais ◽  
Tiago Domingos
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Characterization Factors ◽  
Detailed Characterization ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Soc Stocks

AbstractRegionalization of land use (LU) impact in life cycle assessment (LCA) has gained relevance in recent years. Most regionalized models are statistical, using highly aggregated spatial units and LU classes (e.g. one unique LU class for cropland). Process-based modelling is a powerful characterization tool but so far has never been applied globally for all LU classes. Here, we propose a new set of spatially detailed characterization factors (CFs) for soil organic carbon (SOC) depletion. We used SOC dynamic curves and attainable SOC stocks from a process-based model for more than 17,000 world regions and 81 LU classes. Those classes include 63 agricultural (depending on 4 types of management/production), and 16 forest sub-classes, and 1 grassland and 1 urban class. We matched the CFs to LU elementary flows used by LCA databases at country-level. Results show that CFs are highly dependent on the LU sub-class and management practices. For example, transformation into cropland in general leads to the highest SOC depletion but SOC gains are possible with specific crops.

Influence of agricultural management on soil organic carbon: A compendium and assessment of Canadian studies

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. VandenBygaart ◽  
E. G. Gregorich ◽  
D. A. Angers
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Native Land ◽  
Soc Stocks ◽  
Long Term Studies

To fulfill commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada is required to provide verifiable estimates and uncertainties for soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, and for changes in those stocks over time. Estimates and uncertainties for agricultural soils can be derived from long-term studies that have measured differences in SOC between different management practices. We compiled published data from long-term studies in Canada to assess the effect of agricultural management on SOC. A total of 62 studies were compiled, in which the difference in SOC was determined for conversion from native land to cropland, and for different tillage, crop rotation and fertilizer management practices. There was a loss of 24 ± 6% of the SOC after native land was converted to agricultural land. No-till (NT) increased the storage of SOC in western Canada by 2.9 ± 1.3 Mg ha-1; however, in eastern Canada conversion to NT did not increase SOC. In general, the potential to store SOC when NT was adopted decreased with increasing background levels of SOC. Using no-tillage, reducing summer fallow, including hay in rotation with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), plowing green manures into the soil, and applying N and organic fertilizers were the practices that tended to show the most consistent in creases in SOC storage. By relating treatment SOC levels to those in the control treatments, SOC stock change factors and their levels of uncertainty were derived for use in empirical models, such as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Guidelines model for C stock changes. However, we must be careful when attempting to extrapolate research plot data to farmers’ fields since the history of soil and crop management has a significant influence on existing and future SOC stocks. Key words: C sequestration, tillage, crop rotations, fertilizer, cropping intensity, Canada

scholarly journals Biochar Effects on Carbon Stocks in the Coffee Agroforestry Systems of the Himalayas

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngamindra Dahal ◽  
Roshan Man Bajracharya ◽  
Lal Mani Wagle
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Coffee Agroforestry ◽  
Incremental Change ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Soc Stocks

Coffee agroforestry is an emerging agricultural practice in the mid hills of Nepal. Smallholder farmers of low-income strata have progressively adopted coffee as a perennial crop over seasonal crops. A multi-year study was conducted to test effects of locally produced biochar derived from coffee wastes, e.g., pulp and husks, on carbon stocks of: i) coffee trees, and, ii) soil organic carbon (SOC) in selected coffee growing pockets. We conducted on-farm experimental trials in three different physiographical locations of the Nepal mid-hills, namely, Chandanpur (Site I at 1475masl), Panchkhal (Site II at 1075masl), and Talamarang (Site III at 821masl) where smallholders grow coffee together with other cereal crops and vegetables. We applied biochar to the soil at a rate of 5 Mgha-1, then, monitored the SOC and biomass growth of the coffee trees in the three treatment plots at sites I, II and III over two years beginning in 2013. The average stocks of aboveground carbon in coffee trees increased from 6.2±4.3 Mgha-1 to 9.1±5.2 Mgha-1 over the trial period of two years in biochar treated plots. The same in control plots increased from 5.6±2.8 Mgha-1 to 6.7±4.7 Mgha-1. In the biochar plots, the average increments of ABG carbon was 0.73 Mgh-1 while in the control it was 0.29 Mgh-1. Analysis of soil organic carbon of the plots indicated overall incremental change in carbon stocks in the coffee farms. During the base year, the average SOC stocks in the top 0-15cm layer of the soil at sites I, II, and III were estimated 74.88 ± 15.93; 63.96 ±16.71 and 33.05 ±4.42 Mgha-1 respectively. Although both the biochar treated and control plot registered incremental change in SOC stocks, the volumes were remarkably higher in the former than the latter. Compared to the baseline data, the changes in SOC stocks in the three biochar treated plots were 19.8, 49.8 and 45.3 Mgha-1, respectively, whereas in the control plots these were 8.3, 29.3 and 11.3 Mgha-1, respectively. The higher incremental rates of C-stocks in all the biochar treated plots in comparison to the corresponding control plots of the coffee agroforestry implies that application of biochar can enhance accumulation of carbon in the form of aboveground biomass and soil organic carbon.

The resilience of soil organic carbon stocks under contrasting hill country pasture management practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alec Mackay ◽  
Ronaldo Eduardo Vibart ◽  
Catherine McKenzie ◽  
Brian Devantier ◽  
Emma Noakes
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Single Superphosphate ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon Stocks ◽  
Environmental Goals ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Soc Stocks

In 2020 we measured the stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations and stocks under contrasting hill country pasture regimes, by sampling three slope classes and three aspect locations on each of three farmlets of a long-term phosphorus fertiliser and sheep grazing experiment. The farmlets included no annual phosphorus (NF), 125 kg of single superphosphate/ha (LF), or 375 kg superphosphate/ha (HF) that has been applied on an annual basis since 1980. Results from the 2020 sampling event were added to previous results reported from soil samples collected in 2003 and 2014. The SOC concentrations in the topsoil (0-75 mm depth), ranging from 4.23 to 5.99% across all slopes and aspects of the farmlets, fell within the normal range (≥3.5 and <7.0%) required for sustaining production and environmental goals. A trend was shown for greater SOC stocks in the topsoil in the HF farmlet (34.0 Mg/ ha) compared with the other two farmlets (31.6 Mg/ha), but this trend was not evident in the deeper soil layers (75-150, 150-300, 0-300 mm). Under the current conditions, topographical features such as slope and aspect had a more profound influence on SOC stocks than management history.

scholarly journals Surface-Applied Biosolids Enhance Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks but Have Contrasting Effects on Soil Physical Quality

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia L. Jin ◽  
Kenneth N. Potter ◽  
Mari-Vaughn V. Johnson ◽  
R. Daren Harmel ◽  
Jeffrey G. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Soc Stocks

Mid- to long-term impacts of land applying biosolids will depend on application rate, duration, and method; biosolids composition; and site-specific characteristics (e.g., climate, soils). This study evaluates the effects of surface-broadcast biosolids application rate and duration on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, soil aggregate stability, and selected soil hydraulic properties in a municipally operated, no-till forage production system. Total SOC stocks (0–45 cm soil) increased nonlinearly with application rate in perennial grass fields treated for 8 years with 0, 20, 40, or 60 Mg of Class B biosolids (DM) ha−1 yr−1(midterm treatments). Soil organic C stocks in long-term treatment fields receiving 20 years of 20 Mg ha−1 yr−1were 36% higher than those in midterm fields treated at the same rate. Surface-applying biosolids had contrasting effects on soil physical properties. Soil bulk density was little affected by biosolids applications, but applications were associated with decreased water-stable soil aggregates, increased soil water retention, and increased available water-holding capacity. This study contrasts the potential for C storage in soils treated with surface-applied biosolids with application effects on soil physical properties, underscoring the importance of site-specific management decisions for the beneficial reuse of biosolids in agricultural settings.

Soil organic carbon dynamics: Impact of land use changes and management practices: A review

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thangavel Ramesh ◽  
Nanthi S. Bolan ◽  
Mary Beth Kirkham ◽  
Hasintha Wijesekara ◽  
Manjaiah Kanchikerimath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Carbon Dynamics ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics

scholarly journals Soil Organic Carbon Depletion from Forests to Grasslands Conversion in Mexico: A Review

Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deb Aryal ◽  
Danilo Morales Ruiz ◽  
César Tondopó Marroquín ◽  
René Pinto Ruiz ◽  
Francisco Guevara Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Soc Stocks

Land use change from forests to grazing lands is one of the important sources of greenhouse gas emissions in many parts of the tropics. The objective of this study was to analyze the extent of soil organic carbon (SOC) loss from the conversion of native forests to pasturelands in Mexico. We analyzed 66 sets of published research data with simultaneous measurements of soil organic carbon stocks between native forests and pasturelands in Mexico. We used a generalized linear mixed effect model to evaluate the effect of land use change (forest versus pasture), soil depth, and original native forest types. The model showed that there was a significant reduction in SOC stocks due to the conversion of native forests to pasturelands. The median loss of SOC ranged from 31.6% to 52.0% depending upon the soil depth. The highest loss was observed in tropical mangrove forests followed by highland tropical forests and humid tropical forests. Higher loss was detected in upper soil horizon (0–30 cm) compared to deeper horizons. The emissions of CO2 from SOC loss ranged from 46.7 to 165.5 Mg CO2 eq. ha−1 depending upon the type of original native forests. In this paper, we also discuss the effect that agroforestry practices such as silvopastoral arrangements and other management practices like rotational grazing, soil erosion control, and soil nutrient management can have in enhancing SOC stocks in tropical grasslands. The results on the degree of carbon loss can have strong implications in adopting appropriate management decisions that recover or retain carbon stocks in biomass and soils of tropical livestock production systems.

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