Soil carbon after three years under short rotation woody crops grown under varying nutrient and water availability

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Biomass & Bioenergy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2007.06.002· OSTI ID:930917

Sanchez, Felipe G. ^[1]; Coleman, Mark ^[1]; Garten, Jr, Charles T ^[2]; Luxmoore, Robert J ^[2]; Stanturf, J. A. ^[1]; Trettin, Carl ^[1]; Wullschleger, Stan D ^[2]

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1. USDA Forest Service
2. ORNL

Soil carbon contents were measured on a short-rotation woody crop study located on the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Site outside Aiken, SC. This study included fertilization and irrigation treatments on five tree genotypes (sweetgum, loblolly pine, sycamore and two eastern cottonwood clones). Prior to study installation, the previous pine stand was harvested and the remaining slash and stumps were pulverized and incorporated 30 cm into the soil. One year after harvest soil carbon levels were consistent with pre-harvest levels but dropped in the third year below pre-harvest levels. Tillage increased soil carbon contents, after three years, as compared with adjacent plots that were not part of the study but where harvested, but not tilled, at the same time. When the soil response to the individual treatments for each genotype was examined, one cottonwood clone (ST66), when irrigated and fertilized, had higher total soil carbon and mineral associated carbon in the upper 30 cm compared with the other tree genotypes. This suggests that root development in ST66 may have been stimulated by the irrigation plus fertilization treatment.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 930917
• Journal Information: Biomass & Bioenergy, Journal Name: Biomass & Bioenergy Journal Issue: 31; ISSN 0961-9534; ISSN BMSBEO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AVAILABILITY
CARBON
COTTONWOODS
CROPS
FERTILIZATION
GENOTYPE
IRRIGATION
NUTRIENTS
PINES
ROTATION
SAVANNAH RIVER
SOILS
SYCAMORES
Soil carbon
TREES
WATER
sequestration