Accumulation of soil organic carbon after cropland conversion to short ...

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We estimated SOC stocks in SRWC stands and adjacent CR and related the difference to time since ... sources of renewable energy as it is storable and can be.
GCB Bioenergy (2017), doi: 10.1111/gcbb.12416

Accumulation of soil organic carbon after cropland conversion to short-rotation willow and poplar P E T R O S G E O R G I A D I S , L A R S V E S T E R D A L , I N G E S T U P A K and KARSTEN RAULUND-RASMUSSEN Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark

Abstract The demand for bioenergy has increased the interest in short-rotation woody crops (SRWCs) in temperate zones. With increased litter input and ceased annual soil cultivation, SRWC plantations may become soil carbon sinks for climate change mitigation. A chronosequence of 26 paired plots was used to study the potential for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) under SRWC willow and poplar after conversion from cropland (CR) on welldrained soils. We estimated SOC stocks in SRWC stands and adjacent CR and related the difference to time since conversion, energy crop species, SOC stock of the adjacent CR (proxy for initial SOC of SRWC) and the fine soil percentage (