Anthropogenic and Inherent Effects on Soil Organic Carbon across the U.S
1
USDA-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, University Boulevard, Ames, IA 50011–3611, USA
2
Section of Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
3
USDA-ARS, Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, 269 Agricultural Engineering Bldg., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
4
USDA-ARS, DL Karlen Consulting LLC, 487 Ashland Ave., St. Pual, MN 55102, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5695; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145695
Received: 29 May 2020 / Revised: 2 July 2020 / Accepted: 13 July 2020 / Published: 15 July 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil Health Management)
Soil organic carbon (SOC) influences several soil functions, making it one of the most important soil health indicators. Its quantity is determined by anthropogenic and inherent factors that must be understood to improve SOC management and interpretation. Topsoil (≤15 cm) SOC response to tillage depth and intensity, cover crops, stover removal, manure addition, and various cropping systems was assessed using 7610 observations from eight U.S. regions. Overall, including cover crops, reducing tillage depth and intensity increased SOC. The positive effects of cover crops were more noticeable in South Central, Northwest, and Midwest regions. Removing high rates (>65%) of crop residue decreased SOC in Midwestern and Southeastern soils. Depending on region, applying manure increased SOC by 21 to 41%, compared to non-manured soils. Diversified cropping systems (e.g., those utilizing small mixed vegetables, perennials, or dairy-based systems) had the highest topsoil SOC content, while more intensive annual row crops and large-scale single vegetable production systems, had the lowest. Among inherent factors, SOC increased as precipitation increased, but decreased as mean annual temperature increased. Texture influenced SOC, showing higher values in fine-texture than coarse-texture soils. Finally, this assessment confirmed that SOC can be a sensitive soil health indicator for evaluating conservation practices.
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Keywords:
cropping systems; cover crops; no-till; soil health; soil restoration; tillage systems
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MDPI and ACS Style
Nunes, M.R.; van Es, H.M.; Veum, K.S.; Amsili, J.P.; Karlen, D.L. Anthropogenic and Inherent Effects on Soil Organic Carbon across the U.S. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5695. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145695
AMA Style
Nunes MR, van Es HM, Veum KS, Amsili JP, Karlen DL. Anthropogenic and Inherent Effects on Soil Organic Carbon across the U.S. Sustainability. 2020; 12(14):5695. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145695
Chicago/Turabian StyleNunes, Márcio R., Harold M. van Es, Kristen S. Veum, Joseph P. Amsili, and Douglas L. Karlen 2020. "Anthropogenic and Inherent Effects on Soil Organic Carbon across the U.S" Sustainability 12, no. 14: 5695. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145695
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