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Title: Cover crop root contributions to soil carbon in a no‐till corn bioenergy cropping system

Journal Article · · Global Change Biology. Bioenergy
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12428· OSTI ID:1619452
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1]
  1. Department of Natural Resources and the Environment University of New Hampshire Durham NH USA
  2. Department of Entomology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
  3. Department of Agronomy Iowa State University Ames IA USA
  4. W.K. Kellogg Biological Research Station and Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences Michigan State University Hickory Corners MI USA
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Abstract Crop residues are potential biofuel feedstocks, but residue removal may reduce soil carbon (C). The inclusion of a cover crop in a corn bioenergy system could provide additional biomass, mitigating the negative effects of residue removal by adding to stable soil C pools. In a no‐till continuous corn bioenergy system in the northern US Corn Belt, we used 13 CO 2 pulse labeling to trace plant C from a winter rye ( Secale cereale ) cover crop into different soil C pools for 2 years following rye cover crop termination. Corn stover left as residue (30% of total stover) contributed 66, corn roots 57, rye shoots 61, rye roots 50, and rye rhizodeposits 25 g C m −2 to soil. Five months following cover crop termination, belowground cover crop inputs were three times more likely to remain in soil C pools than were aboveground inputs, and much of the root‐derived C was in mineral‐associated soil fractions. After 2 years, both above‐ and belowground inputs had declined substantially, indicating that the majority of both root and shoot inputs are eventually mineralized. Our results underscore the importance of cover crop roots vs. shoots and the importance of cover crop rhizodeposition (33% of total belowground cover crop C inputs) as a source of soil C. However, the eventual loss of most cover crop C from these soils indicates that cover crops will likely need to be included every year in rotations to accumulate soil C.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
DE FC02-07ER64494; ACO5-76RL01830; FC02-07ER64494
OSTI ID:
1619452
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1418632
Journal Information:
Global Change Biology. Bioenergy, Journal Name: Global Change Biology. Bioenergy Vol. 9 Journal Issue: 7; ISSN 1757-1693
Publisher:
Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 105 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Figures / Tables (5)

Table 1(p. 3)table Table 1
Fig. 1(p. 6)figure Fig. 1
Fig. 2(p. 7)figure Fig. 2
Table-2(p. 7)table Table-2
Table 3(p. 8)table Table 3

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
13CO2
bioenergy
cover crops
density fractions
isotopes
microbial biomass C
rhizodeposits
roots
Secale cereale
soil carbon