Soil aggregation and soil organic carbon stabilization: Effects of management in semiarid Mediterranean agro-ecosystems

TR Number
Date
2009
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Soil Science Society of America
Abstract

This study compared the combined and individual effects of three tillage systems and two cropping systems in a semiarid Mediterranean agroecosystem. The tillage systems were no-till (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT); sites were cropped with either continuous barley or a barley-fallow system. Under both cropping systems, NT treatments had over 30% greater soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in the surface five cm of soil. The continuous barley treatment had greater SOC stabilization than the barley-fallow treatment only under no-till management. NT soils also showed a greater proportion of water stable macroaggregates. The authors conclude that the combined systems of no-till and fallow-suppression have the potential to increase stable SOC in the soil surface as well as improve overall soil structure and aggregation in the semiarid Mediterranean.

Description
Metadata only record
Keywords
Conservation agriculture, Semiarid zones, Soil management, Soil, Conservation tillage, Soil organic matter, Agricultural ecosystems, Soil organic carbon (soc), No-till, Soil aggregation, Field Scale
Citation
Soil Science Society of America Journal 73(5): 1519-1529