TECHNICAL REPORTS: TECHNICAL PLANT ANDREPORTS ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS
Tillage, Cropping Systems, and Nitrogen Fertilizer Source Effects on Soil Carbon Sequestration and Fractions Upendra M. Sainju* USDA-ARS Zachary N. Senwo, Ermson Z. Nyakatawa, Irenus A. Tazisong, and K. Chandra Reddy Alabama A & M University Quantification of soil carbon (C) cycling as influenced by management practices is needed for C sequestration and soil quality improvement. We evaluated the 10-yr effects of tillage, cropping system, and N source on crop residue and soil C fractions at 0to 20-cm depth in Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Paleudults) in northern Alabama, USA. Treatments were incomplete factorial combinations of three tillage practices (no-till [NT], mulch till [MT], and conventional till [CT]), two cropping systems (cotton [Gossypium hirsutum L.]-cotton-corn [Zea mays L.] and rye [Secale cereale L.]/cotton-rye/cotton-corn), and two N fertilization sources and rates (0 and 100 kg N ha−1 from NH4NO3 and 100 and 200 kg N ha−1 from poultry litter). Carbon fractions were soil organic C (SOC), particulate organic C (POC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and potential C mineralization (PCM). Crop residue varied among treatments and years and total residue from 1997 to 2005 was greater in rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn than in cotton-cotton-corn and greater with NH4NO3 than with poultry litter at 100 kg N ha−1. The SOC content at 0 to 20 cm after 10 yr was greater with poultry litter than with NH4NO3 in NT and CT, resulting in a C sequestration rate of 510 kg C ha−1 yr−1 with poultry litter compared with −120 to 147 kg C ha−1 yr−1 with NH4NO3. Poultry litter also increased PCM and MBC compared with NH4NO3. Cropping increased SOC, POC, and PCM compared with fallow in NT. Long-term poultry litter application or continuous cropping increased soil C storage and microbial biomass and activity compared with inorganic N fertilization or fallow, indicating that these management practices can sequester C, offset atmospheric CO2 levels, and improve soil and environmental quality.
Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published in J. Environ. Qual. 37:880–888 (2008). doi:10.2134/jeq2007.0241 Received 14 May 2007. *Corresponding author (
[email protected]). © ASA, CSSA, SSSA 677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA
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arbon sequestration, using long-term improved soil and crop management practices, is needed not only to increase soil C storage for C trading and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, such as CO2, from the soil profile but also to improve soil quality and increase economic crop production. For a better understanding of these processes, knowledge of soil C cycling in the terrestrial ecosystem is needed. Some of the parameters of soil C cycling are soil organic C (SOC), particulate organic C (POC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and potential C mineralization (PCM). The SOC, a C fraction that changes slowly with time, is used to measure C sequestration and is an important component of soil quality and productivity (Franzluebbers et al., 1995; Bezdicek et al., 1996). Measurement of SOC alone does not adequately reflect changes in soil quality and nutrient status (Franzluebbers et al., 1995; Bezdicek et al., 1996). This is because SOC has a large pool size and inherent spatial variability (Franzluebbers et al., 1995). Measurement of biologically active fractions of SOC, such as MBC and PCM, that change rapidly with time could better reflect changes in soil quality and productivity that alter nutrient dynamics due to immobilization-mineralization (Saffigna et al., 1989; Bremner and Van Kissel, 1992). These fractions can provide an assessment of soil organic matter changes induced by management practices, such as tillage, cropping system, cover crop, and N fertilization (Campbell et al., 1989; Sainju et al., 2006). Similarly, POC has been considered as an intermediate fraction of SOC between active and slow fractions that change rapidly over time due to changes in management practices (Cambardella and Elliott, 1992; Chan, 1997; Bayer et al., 2001). The POC also provides substrates for microorganisms and influences soil aggregation (Beare et al., 1994; Franzluebbers et al., 1999; Six et al., 1999). Although conventional tillage without cover crop and N fertilization reduces soil organic matter level by enhancing C mineralization and limiting C inputs (Dalal and Mayer, 1986; Balesdent et al., 1990; Cambardella and Elliott, 1993), conservation tillage with cover cropping and N fertilization can increase C storage and active C fractions in the surface soil (Jastrow, 1996; Allmaras et al., 2000; Sainju et al., 2002, 2006). Studies suggest that conversion of conventional till (CT) to no-till (NT) can sequester atmospheric CO2 by 0.1% ha−1 at 0 to 5 cm every year or by a total of 10 tons in 25 U.M. Sainju, USDA-ARS, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Lab., 1500 N. Central Avenue, Sidney, MT 59270; Z.N. Senwo, E.Z. Nyakatawa, I.A. Tazisong, and K.C. Reddy, Dep. of Plant and Soil Sciences, Alabama A & M Univ., P.O. Box 1208, Normal, AL 35762. Abbreviations: CT, conventional till; MBC, microbial biomass C; MT, mulch till; NT, notill; PCM, potential C mineralization; POC; particulate organic C; SOC, soil organic C.
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to 30 yr (Lal and Kimble, 1997; Paustian et al., 1997). However, SOC below 7.5 cm depth can be higher in tilled areas, depending on the soil texture, due to residue incorporation at greater depths (Jastrow, 1996; Clapp et al., 2000). Similarly, cover cropping and N fertilization can increase C fractions in tilled and non-tilled soils by increasing the amount of crop residue returned to the soil (Kuo et al., 1997; Omay et al., 1997; Sainju et al., 2002, 2006). The impact of tillage on soil C fractions can interact with cover cropping and N fertilization rate (Gregorich et al., 1996; Wanniarachchi et al., 1999; Sainju et al., 2002), soil texture and sampling depth (Ellert and Bettany, 1995), and time since treatments were initiated (Liang et al., 1998). Poultry litter, an inexpensive source of nutrients, is widely available in the southeastern USA because of a large-scale poultry industry (Kingery et al., 1994; Nyakatawa and Reddy; 2000; Nyakatawa et al., 2000). Disposal of large amounts of poultry litter is of increasing environmental concern because of ground water contamination of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the litter through leaching and surface runoff. Application of poultry litter to cropland, however, can increase soil organic matter and C fractions that can improve soil quality and productivity (Kingery et al., 1994). Studies have shown that manure application increased SOC and nutrient status in the soil (Webster and Goulding, 1989; Collins et al., 1992; Rochette and Gregorich, 1998) and labile C pools (Aoyama et al., 1999; Mikha and Rice, 2004). Application of poultry litter along with conservation tillage and cover cropping can provide an opportunity to increase C sequestration and soil quality in the humid southeastern USA where organic matter levels are lower than in northern regions due to a long history of cultivation and rapid rate of mineralization (Trimble, 1974; Doran, 1987; Langdale et al., 1992). The effects of tillage, cropping systems, cover crops, and N fertilization on soil C fractions are relatively well known (Kuo et al., 1997; Sainju et al., 2002, 2006). Limited information is available about the long-term combined effects of tillage, cropping systems, poultry litter, and inorganic N fertilization or the comparison of poultry litter vs. inorganic N fertilization on active and slow fractions of soil C in the southeastern USA. We hypothesized that conservation tillage with poultry litter application and intensive cropping that includes cover crops would increase active and slow fractions of soil C compared with conventional tillage with or without N fertilization and a cropping system without a cover crop. Our objectives were (i) to examine the amount of rye, cotton, and corn biomass (stems + leaves) residues returned to the soil from 1997 to 2005 as influenced by tillage, cropping system, poultry litter application, and inorganic N fertilization and (ii) to quantify their effects on active (PCM and MBC), intermediate (POC), and slow (SOC) C fractions in the southeastern USA.
Materials and Methods Experimental Site and Treatments A long-term field experiment was conducted from 1996 to 2005 in the upland cotton production site at the Alabama Agricultural Experimental Station in Belle Mina, AL (34°41′N, 86°52′W). The soil was a Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic
Sainju et al.: Management Practices Effect on Soil C Fractions
Table 1. Description of treatments used in the experiment. Treatment no. Tillage†
Cropping system
1 CT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 2 CT cotton-cotton-corn 3 NT cotton-cotton-corn 4 CT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 5 CT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 6 MT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 7 MT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 8 NT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 9 NT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 10 NT cotton-cotton-corn 11 NT rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn 12 NT fallow † CT, conventional till; MT, mulch till; NT, no-till.
N source none NH4NO3 NH4NO3 NH4NO3 poultry litter NH4NO3 poultry litter NH4NO3 poultry litter none poultry litter none
N rate kg N ha−1 0 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 0 200 0
Paleudults). Before the initiation of the experiment (1996), soil samples collected randomly from 24 cores (5 cm i.d.) within the experimental plots contained an average pH of 6.2, sand concentration of 150 g kg−1, silt concentration of 580 g kg−1, clay concentration of 270 g kg−1, organic C concentration of 11.5 g kg−1 (or organic C content of 38.6 Mg ha−1), and bulk density of 1.60 Mg m−3 at the 0- to 20-cm depth. The site had been used for growing cotton continuously for 5 yr before the experiment started in 1996. Details of the experiment and crop management practices have been presented elsewhere (Nyakatawa and Reddy, 2000; Nyakatawa et al., 2000; Reddy et al., 2004). Treatments consisted of an incomplete factorial combination of three tillage practices (NT, mulch till [MT], and CT), two cropping systems (rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn and cottoncotton-corn), and two N fertilization sources and rates (0 and 100 kg N ha−1 from NH4NO3 and 100 and 200 kg N ha−1 from poultry litter) arranged in a randomized complete block with four replications (Table 1). A no-tilled fallow treatment without cropping and fertilization was included for comparing treatments with or without cropping and fertilization on soil C fractions. For this study, only three replications with uniform crop residue production were selected. The individual plot size was 8 × 9 m. Treatments were continued in the same plot every year to determine their long-term influence on soil C fractions. The CT included moldboard plowing to a depth of 15 to 20 cm in November after autumn crop harvest and disking and leveling with a field cultivator (Lely USA Inc., Naples, FL) in April before summer crop planting. The MT included tillage to a depth of 5 to 7 cm with a rotary field cultivator (Lely USA Inc.) before planting that shallowly incorporated crop residues. The NT included planting in undisturbed soil using a no-till planter (Glascock Equipment and Sales, Veedersburg, IN). The rye/cotton-rye/cotton-corn cropping system included 2 yr of rye as winter cover crop and cotton as summer cash crop followed by 1 yr of corn as residual crop. Similarly, the cotton-cotton-corn cropping system contained 2 yr of continuous cotton without rye cover crop followed by 1 yr of corn as residual crop. Thus, each cropping system completed three cycles of crop rotation from 1997 to 2005. Rye and corn were planted without tillage and fertilization.
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Rye (cv. Oklon [Pioneer Hi-Bred Int. Inc., Hunstville, AL]) cover crop was planted in November and December at 60 kg ha−1 with a no-till driller (Glascock Equipment and Sales). In April, 7 d after flowering, rye biomass yield was determined by harvesting biomass from a 1 × 1 m2 area, after which it was killed by applying glyphosate (isopropylamine salt of N-[phosphonomethyl] glycine) in NT and MT or by incorporating the residue into the soil by a field cultivator in CT. Rye was not grown in 1998, 2002, or 2004 when the succeeding crop was corn in the summer in the following year. Inorganic N fertilizer (NH4NO3) and poultry litter were broadcast to cotton 1 d before planting in May. Inorganic N fertilizer and poultry litter were incorporated to a depth of 5 to 8 cm in CT and MT using a field cultivator and were surface-applied in NT. No adverse effect of poultry litter on germination of cotton was detected; rather, cotton seedling counts were 17 to 50% greater with poultry litter than with NH4NO3 during the first 4 d of emergence (Nyakatawa and Reddy, 2000). The poultry litter applied in each year from 1997 to 2005 contained total C at 337 ± 22 g C kg−1 and total N at 33 ± 4 g N kg−1. A 60% N availability factor was used to calculate the amount of poultry litter required to supply 100 and 200 kg N ha−1 in each year (Keeling et al., 1995). To nullify the effects of P and K from poultry litter, all plots were applied with 67 kg P ha−1 (from triple superphosphate) and 67 kg K ha−1 (from muriate of potash) in each year. After 4 wk of cover crop kill, cotton (cv. Deltapine NuCotn 33B; Delta Pine Land Co., Hartsville, SC]) was planted at 16 kg ha−1 in May of 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004. In 1999, 2002, and 2005, corn (cv. Dekalb 687; Pioneer HiBred Int. Inc., Hunstville, AL) was planted at 78,000 seeds ha−1. Cotton and corn were applied with appropriate herbicides and pesticides during their growth to control weeds and pests. Cotton was also applied with appropriate growth regulator (Pix [1,1-dimethyl-piperidinium chloride] at 0.8 kg ha−1) to control its vegetative growth. Irrigation was applied to cotton and corn ranging in amounts from 23 to 47 mm at a time (or a total of 560 to 571 mm from May to November) depending on soil water content to prevent moisture stress. Aboveground cotton and corn biomass (stems + leaves) yields were determined 2 wk before lint and grain harvest in October-November by measuring plant samples in two 0.5-m2 quadrants outside the yield row in each plot after separating lint, seeds, and cobs. Yields of cotton lint and corn were determined by mechanically harvesting the central four rows (4 × 9 m) with a combine harvester (Glascock Equipment and Sales) in November of each year. After sampling, cotton lint and corn were removed from the rest of the plots with a combine harvester, and crop residues (stems + leaves) were returned to the soil.
Soil Sampling and Analysis In February 2006, soil samples were collected with a hand probe (10 cm i.d.) from 0- to 20-cm depth from five places in the central rows of the plot after removing the residue from the soil surface. These were separated into 0- to 10-cm and 10- to 20-cm depths, composited within a depth, air-dried, ground, and sieved to 2 mm for determining C fractions. At the same time, a separate undisturbed soil core (10 cm i.d.) was taken from 0- to 10-cm and 10- to 20-cm depths from
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each plot to determine bulk density by dividing the mass of the oven-dried sample at 105°C by the volume of the probe. Total C concentration (g kg−1) in the soil was determined by the dry combustion method using a C and N analyzer (Model 661–900–800; LECO Corp., St Joseph, MI) and was considered as SOC concentration because the pH of the soil was 9 yr) can increase C sequestration and biological soil quality by increasing C storage and microbial biomass and activity compared with inorganic N fertilization, regardless of tillage and cropping system. Similarly, long-term cropping and fertilization can increase C storage and improve soil quality compared with fallow in NT. Increasing the rate of poultry litter application to supply N from 100 to 200 kg N ha−1 in NT did not affect soil C fractions. Although continuous cropping can be used to sequester atmospheric CO2 in the soil to reduce global warming potential, poultry litter can be applied in the soil to increase C sequestration, improve soil quality, and sustain crop production instead of disposing of it as a waste material that can contaminate surface and groundwater due to N leaching and P runoff.
Acknowledgments The work was supported by a fund from Evans-Allen project # ALAX 011-306 in Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL. Trade or manufacturers’ names mentioned in the paper are for information only and do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or exclusion by the USDA-ARS.
Sainju et al.: Management Practices Effect on Soil C Fractions
Table 9. Effect of tillage, cropping systems, and N source on soil microbial biomass C (MBC) at the 0- to 20-cm depth in 2006. MBC concentration MBC content 0–20 cm 0–10 cm 10–20 cm —–mg kg−1 soil—– kg ha−1 100 kg N ha−1 NH4NO3 640b† 558a 1895b Poultry litter 736a 580a 2142a Contrasts (mean of Treatments 3, 8, 9, 10, and 11 vs. Treatment 12)‡ Cropping and fertilization vs. 70 4 37 fallow and no-fertilization in no-till P value Tillage (T) × N source (S) interaction (Treatments 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9)‡ T 0.162 0.137 0.073 S 0.028 0.354 0.012 T×S 0.232 0.782 0.278 Tillage (T) × cropping system (C) interaction (Treatments 2, 3, 4, and 8)‡ T 0.856 0.568 0.941 C 0.140 0.572 0.308 T×C 0.715 0.308 0.305 † Numbers followed by different letter within a column in a set are significantly different at P ≤ 0.05 by the least square means test. ‡ See Table 1 for treatment description. N source
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Journal of Environmental Quality • Volume 37 • May–June 2008
