Swedish long-term agricultural field experiments – soil carbon stock changes are affected by management

• Long-term field experiments (LTEs) are a useful resource for quantifying changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks due to agricultural management. We present results from recent work focusing on the effect of different management practices on SOC stocks in Swedish LTEs. Application of inorganic N fertilizer increased SOC, on average, by about 1 kg C for each kg of N added. Straw incorporation affected SOC only in soils with high clay content. On average, 0.5 Mg ha-1 yr-1 more SOC was retained in soils in ley-dominated compared to exclusively annual rotations. Incorporation of ryegrass undersown in spring cereals increased SOC, on average, by 0.3 Mg ha-1 yr-1. Sewage sludge addition to soil increased SOC directly through C input and indirectly through stimulation of primary production. Between 16 and 32% of C added with sludge was retained in the topsoil after 13 to 53 years.

Subject headings

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Markvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Soil Science (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

art (subject category)