Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Long‐term changes in soil carbon and nitrogen fractions in switchgrass, native grasses, and no‐till corn bioenergy production systems

Journal Article · · Soil Science Society of America Journal
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20575 · OSTI ID:1996460
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Scripps College, Claremont, CA (United States); Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Michigan State Univ., Hickory Corners, MI (United States)
  2. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Michigan State Univ., Hickory Corners, MI (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Cellulosic bioenergy is a primary land-based climate mitigation strategy, with soil carbon (C) storage and nitrogen (N) conservation as important mitigation elements. Here, we present 13 years of soil C and N change under three cellulosic cropping systems: monoculture switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a five native grasses polyculture, and no-till corn (Zea mays L.). Soil C and N fractions were measured four times over 12 years. Bulk soil C in the 0–25 cm depth at the end of the study period ranged from 28.4 (± 1.4 se) Mg C ha−1 in no-till corn, to 30.8 (± 1.4) Mg C ha−1 in switchgrass, and to 34.8 (± 1.4) Mg C ha−1 in native grasses. Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) ranged from 60% to 90% and particulate organic matter (POM) from 10% to 40% of total soil C. Over 12 years, total C as well as both C fractions persisted under no-till corn and switchgrass and increased under native grasses. In contrast, POM N stocks decreased 33% to 45% across systems, whereas MAOM N decreased only in no-till corn and by less than 13%. Declining POM N stocks likely reflect pre-establishment land use, which included alfalfa and manure in earlier rotations. Root production and large soil aggregate formation explained 69% (p < 0.001) and 36% (p = 0.024) of total soil C change, respectively, and 60% (p = 0.020) and 41% (p = 0.023) of soil N change, demonstrating the importance of belowground productivity and soil aggregates for producing and protecting soil C and conserving soil N. Differences between switchgrass and native grasses also indicate a dependence on plant diversity. Soil C and N benefits of bioenergy crops depend strongly on root productivity and pre-establishment land use.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0018409
OSTI ID:
1996460
Journal Information:
Soil Science Society of America Journal, Journal Name: Soil Science Society of America Journal Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 87; ISSN 0361-5995; ISSN 1435-0661
Publisher:
Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science SocietiesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (44)

Systems with greater perenniality and crop diversity enhance soil biological health journal January 2020
Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R book January 2009
Soil Carbon Storage by Switchgrass Grown for Bioenergy journal September 2008
Soil Organic Carbon Pools Under Switchgrass Grown as a Bioenergy Crop Compared to Other Conventional Crops journal August 2013
Soil carbon lost from Mollisols of the North Central U.S.A. with 20 years of agricultural best management practices journal November 2012
The knowns, known unknowns and unknowns of sequestration of soil organic carbon journal January 2013
Nitrogen conservation decreases with fertilizer addition in two perennial grass cropping systems for bioenergy journal June 2015
Comparative productivity of alternative cellulosic bioenergy cropping systems in the North Central USA journal January 2016
Soil carbon under switchgrass stands and cultivated cropland journal April 2005
Land use change to bioenergy: A meta-analysis of soil carbon and GHG emissions journal November 2015
Plant community composition influences fine root production and biomass allocation in perennial bioenergy cropping systems of the upper Midwest, USA journal October 2017
Early accumulation of active fraction soil carbon in newly established cellulosic biofuel systems journal May 2018
SOM fractionation methods: Relevance to functional pools and to stabilization mechanisms journal September 2007
Belowground interplant carbon transfer promotes soil carbon gains in diverse plant communities journal August 2021
Long-term tillage, rotation and perennialization effects on particulate and aggregate soil organic matter journal January 2016
Empirical Evidence for the Potential Climate Benefits of Decarbonizing Light Vehicle Transport in the U.S. with Bioenergy from Purpose-Grown Biomass with and without BECCS journal February 2020
A question of litter quality journal November 1998
Microbial spatial footprint as a driver of soil carbon stabilization journal July 2019
Soil carbon storage informed by particulate and mineral-associated organic matter journal November 2019
Carbon debt of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands converted to bioenergy production journal August 2011
Plant biodiversity and the regeneration of soil fertility journal November 2021
Loamy, Two-Storied Soils on the Outwash Plains of Southwestern Lower Michigan: Pedoturbation of Loess with the Underlying Sand journal January 2016
Rectangular Confidence Regions for the Means of Multivariate Normal Distributions journal June 1967
Nitrogen fertilization challenges the climate benefit of cellulosic biofuels journal June 2016
Senescence and nitrogen use efficiency in perennial grasses for forage and biofuel production journal August 2017
Crop rotational diversity enhances belowground communities and functions in an agroecosystem journal May 2015
The Microbial Efficiency-Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework integrates plant litter decomposition with soil organic matter stabilization: do labile plant inputs form stable soil organic matter? journal February 2013
Initial nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and methane costs of converting conservation reserve program grassland to row crops under no-till vs. conventional tillage journal May 2013
Conceptualizing soil organic matter into particulate and mineral‐associated forms to address global change in the 21st century journal November 2019
Land‐based climate solutions for the United States journal May 2022
N fertilizer and harvest impacts on bioenergy crop contributions to SOC journal May 2016
Cover crop root contributions to soil carbon in a no-till corn bioenergy cropping system journal January 2017
Predicting soil carbon changes in switchgrass grown on marginal lands under climate change and adaptation strategies journal July 2020
Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt journal February 2008
Greenhouse Gases in Intensive Agriculture: Contributions of Individual Gases to the Radiative Forcing of the Atmosphere journal September 2000
Cellulosic biofuel contributions to a sustainable energy future: Choices and outcomes journal June 2017
Grassland soil carbon sequestration: Current understanding, challenges, and solutions journal August 2022
Aggregate and Soil Organic Matter Dynamics under Conventional and No-Tillage Systems journal January 1999
Short-Term Dynamics of Root- and Shoot-Derived Carbon from a Leguminous Green Manure journal January 2001
Aggregation and Organic Matter Protection Following Tillage of a Previously Uncultivated Soil journal January 2006
Tracing Root vs. Residue Carbon into Soils from Conventional and Alternative Cropping Systems journal January 2010
Agricultural Management and Soil Carbon Storage in Surface vs. Deep Layers journal January 2011
A Research Road Map for Responsible Use of Agricultural Nitrogen journal May 2021
Restoring Soil Fertility on Degraded Lands to Meet Food, Fuel, and Climate Security Needs via Perennialization journal October 2021

Similar Records

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
Agriculture