Peralta, A.L. and S.S. Snapp.
Presented at the All Scientist Meeting (2013-04-04 to 2013-04-05 )
Because sustainable field crop production is challenged with nutrient demands with little to no use of synthetic fertilizers, it is critically important to build and maintain soil fertility through conservation agricultural management strategies (e.g., organic, no-till). Long-term agricultural research trials provide a unique opportunity to track management implications over time. Soil samples were collected at the Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research (KBS LTER) Main Cropping System Experiment in December 2010. We compared soil carbon and nitrogen content, crop and non-crop biomass across the following management treatments: conventional, no-till, low-input, no chemical input/organic, continuous alfalfa and successional plots. Soil carbon content was higher in the no chemical input/organic plots compared to conventional, no-till and low-input treatments. In addition, similar soil carbon content was observed in no chemical input/organic compared to the continuous alfalfa and successional plots. Long-term agricultural management can influence soil carbon sequestration potential. Variation in plant inputs over time can impact plant-soil-microbial interactions in ways that can promote soil carbon sequestration potential.
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