link.springer.com

Soil carbon changes in cultivated and excavated land converted to grasses in east-central Saskatchewan - Biogeochemistry

  • ️Malhi, S.S.
  • ️Tue Apr 01 2003

Abstract

The conversion of annually cultivated or disturbed marginal land to forage grasses has the potential to accrete soil organic carbon (SOC) in the surface 0–15 cm depth. Soil organic carbon mass (Mg ha−1) was measured in ten side-by-side cultivated versus forage grass seed-down restoration treatments on catenae at various sites in east-central Saskatchewan, Canada. Treatments were imposed for time periods ranging from five to twelve years. It was found that SOC mass was usually significantly higher in the grassland restorations versus the paired cultivated equivalents. Estimated SOC gain rates (0–15 cm) from grass seed-down in the region was estimated to be 0.6 to 0.8 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Light fraction organic carbon (LFOC), the labile component of SOC, was more variable in the comparisons than SOC. Measured 13C natural abundance values in selected equivalent comparisons revealed a possible contribution from seeded warm season C4 grasses and soil carbonate 13C to the C pools in upslope positions of the landscape. Overall, grassland restoration in this region appears to result in increased carbon storage in the surface soil.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • Biederbeck V.O., Janzen H.H., Campbell C.A. and Zentner R.P. 1994. Labile soil organic matter as in-fluenced by cropping practices in an arid environment. Soil Biol. Biochem. 26: 1647-1656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellert B.H. and Bettany J.R. 1995. Calculation of organic matter and nutrients stored in soils under contrasting management regimes. Can. J. Soil Sci. 75: 529-538.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebhart D.L., Johnson H.B., Mayeux H.S. and Polley H.W. 1995. The CRP increases soil organic carbon. J. Soil Water Conserv. 49: 488-492.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregorich E.G., Ellert B.H., Angers D.A. and Carter M.R. 1995. Management induced changes in the quantity and composition of organic matter in soils of eastern Canada. In: Beran M. (ed.), Prospects for Carbon Sequestration in the Biosphere. Vol. 133. NATO ASI, pp. 273-283.

  • Gregorich E.G. and Ellert B.H. 1993. Light fraction and macroorganic matter in mineral soils. In: Carter M.R. (ed.), Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp. 397-405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jastrow J.D. 1996. Soil aggregate formation and accrual of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter. Soil Biol. Biochem. 28: 665-676.

    Google Scholar 

  • Juma N.G., Izaurralde R.C., Robertson J.A. and McGill W.B. 1997. Crop yields and soil organic matter trends over 60 years in a Typic Cryoboralf at Breton, Alberta. In: Paul E.A. (ed.), Soil Organic Matter in Temperate Agroecosystems: Long-Term Experiments in North America. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp. 273-281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ludlow M., Troughton J. and Jones R. 1976. A technique for determining the proportion of C3 and C4 species in plant samples using stable natural isotopes of carbon. J. Agric. Sci. 87: 625-632.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paustian K., Andren O., Janzen H.H., Lal R., Smith P., Tian G. et al. 1997. Agricultural soils as a sink to mitigate CO2 emissions. Soil Use Manage. 13: 230-244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rask H.M. and Schoenau J.J. 1993. C13 natural abundance variations in carbonates and organic carbon from boreal forest wetlands. Biogeochemistry 22: 23-35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robles M.D. and Burke I.C. 1998. Soil organic matter recovery on Conservation Reserve Program fields in southeastern Wyoming. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 62: 725-730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlesinger W.H. 1995. An overview of the carbon cycle. In: Lal R. (ed.), Soils and Global Change Advances in Soil Science. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp. 9-25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith W.N., Rochette P., Monreal C., Desjardins R.L., Pattey E. and Jacques A. 1997. The rate of C change in agricultural soils in Canada at the landscape level. Can. J. Soil Sci. 77: 219-229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staben M.L., Bezdicek D.F., Smith J.L. and Fauci M.F. 1997. Assessment of soil quality in Conservation Reserve Program and wheat-fallow soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 61: 124-130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang D. and Anderson D.W. 1998. Direct measurement of organic C content in soils by the Leco CR-12 carbon analyzer. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 29: 15-21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang D. and Anderson D.W. 1999. Pedogenic carbonate in Chernozemic soils and landscapes of southern Saskatchewan. Can. J. Soil Sci. 80: 251-261.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

  1. F. Mensah

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. J.J. Schoenau

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. S.S. Malhi

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

About this article

Cite this article

Mensah, F., Schoenau, J. & Malhi, S. Soil carbon changes in cultivated and excavated land converted to grasses in east-central Saskatchewan. Biogeochemistry 63, 85–92 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023369500529

Download citation

  • Issue Date: April 2003

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023369500529