Title: A global meta‐analysis of soil organic carbon response to corn stover removal

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover is a global resource used for livestock, fuel, and bioenergy feedstock, but excessive stover removal can decrease soil organic C (SOC) stocks and deteriorate soil health. Many site-specific stover removal experiments report accrual rates and SOC stock effects, but a quantitative, global synthesis is needed to provide a scientific base for long-term energy policy decisions. We used 409 data points from 74 stover harvest experiments conducted around the world for a metaanalysis and meta-regression to quantify removal rate, tillage, soil texture, and soil sampling depth effects on SOC. Changes were quantified by: (a) comparing final SOC stock differences after at least 3 years with and without stover removal and (b) calculating SOC accrual rates for both treatments. Stover removal generally reduced final SOC stocks by 8% in the upper 0-15 or 0-30 cm, compared to stover retained, irrespective of soil properties and tillage practices. A more sensitive meta-regression analysis showed that retention increased SOC stocks within the 30-150 cm depth by another 5%. Compared to baseline values, stover retention increased average SOC stocks temporally at a rate of 0.41 Mg C ha^-1 year^-1 (statistically significant at $$p$$ < 0.01 when averaged across all soil layers). Although SOC sequestration rates were lower with stover removal, with moderate (< 50%) removal they can be positive, thus emphasizing the importance of site-specific management. Our results also showed that tillage effects on SOC stocks were inconsistent due to the high variability in practices used among the experimental sites. Finally, we conclude that research and technological efforts should continue to be given high priority because of the importance in providing science-based policy recommendations for long-term global carbon management.

Authors:

Xu, Hui  ^[1];

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• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-2994-4892"

Sieverding, Heidi ^[2]; Kwon, Hoyoung ^[1]; Clay, David ^[3]; Stewart, Catherine  ^[4];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Stewart, Catherine"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-1216-0450"

Johnson, Jane M. F. ^[5]; Qin, Zhangcai  ^[6];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Qin, Zhangcai"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-9414-4854"

Karlen, Douglas L. ^[7]; Wang, Michael ^[1]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Systems Assessment Group, Energy Systems Division Argonne National Laboratory Lemont Illinois
2. South Dakota School of Mines &, Technology Rapid City South Dakota
3. South Dakota State University Brookings South Dakota
4. Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture Fort Collins Colorado
5. Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture Morris Minnesota
6. Systems Assessment Group, Energy Systems Division Argonne National Laboratory Lemont Illinois, School of Atmospheric Sciences, and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Climate Change and Natural Disaster Studies Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
7. Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture Ames Iowa

Publication Date:

Sun May 26 00:00:00 EDT 2019

Research Org.:

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO); USDA Agricultural Research Service; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office

OSTI Identifier:

1559351

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1559354; OSTI ID: 1607476; OSTI ID: 1836096

Report Number(s):

DOE-ANTARES-07088-25
Journal ID: ISSN 1757-1693

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-06CH11357; EE0007088

Resource Type:

Published Article

Journal Name:

Global Change Biology. Bioenergy

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Name: Global Change Biology. Bioenergy Journal Volume: 11 Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 1757-1693

Publisher:

Wiley

Country of Publication:

United Kingdom

Language:

English

Subject:

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; carbon sequestration; corn; meta-analysis; soil organic carbon; stover removal; tillage