Increased Carbon Stabilization in Australian Ferrosol with High Carbon Saturation Deficit. Issue 15 (22nd August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Khandakar, Tania; Guppy, Chris; Tighe, Matthew; Rabbi, Sheikh M. F.; Daniel, Heiko
• Is Part Of: Communications in soil science and plant analysis. Volume 48:Issue 15(2017)
• Page Start: 1772
• Page End: 1780
• Publication Date: 2017-08-22
• Subjects: Oversaturation -- protective capacity -- saturation deficit -- soil carbon; Soil science -- Periodicals; Plants -- Chemical analysis -- Periodicals; Agricultural chemistry -- Periodicals; 631.405
• DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2017.1395447
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0010-3624

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The concept of carbon (C) saturation implies that soils have a finite capacity to store C in a stable form, depending on their silt + clay content. We hypothesized that the stabilization of added organic C would be low in C saturated soil. We tested experimentally the influence of C saturation deficit on stabilization of added grass residue. We incubated 12 highly weathered, oxic soil samples collected from three contrasting land uses (i.e. cropping, improved pasture, and forest) with grass residue for 8 months. Carbon saturation deficit of the forest soils was lower than pasture and cropping soils. After incubation, we found increases in silt + clay associated C in grass residue treatment positively correlated with C saturation deficit of soils. Our results suggest that stabilization of added C was high in soil with low C saturation level and hence higher C saturation deficit.