A novel method to determine buffer strip effectiveness on deep soils

Unfertilized buffer strips (BS) generally improve surface water quality. High buffer strip effectiveness (BSE) has been reported for sloping shallow aquifers, but experimental data for plain landscapes with deeply permeable soils is lacking. We tested a novel method to determine BSE on a 20-m-deep, permeable sandy soil. Discharge from soil to ditch was temporarily collected in an in-stream reservoir to measure its quantity and quality, both for a BS and a reference (REF) treatment. Treatments were replicated once for the first, and three times for the next three leaching seasons. No significant BSE was obtained for nitrogen and phosphorus species in the reservoirs. Additionally, water samples were taken from the upper groundwater below the treatments. The effect of BS for nitrate was much bigger in upper groundwater than in the reservoirs that also collected groundwater from greater depths that were not influenced by the treatments. We conclude that measuring changes in upper groundwater to assess BSE is only valid under specific hydrogeological conditions. We propose an alternative experimental set-up for future research, including extra measurements before installing the BS and REF treatments to deal with spatial and temporal variability. The use of such data as covariates will increase the power of statistical tests by decreasing between-reservoir variability

Earthworms increase crop yield. But how? A meta-analysis.

ISEE 10

Emissions of N2O from fertilized and grazed grassland on organic soil in relation to groundwater level

Intensively managed grasslands on organic soils are a major source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) therefore has set the default emission factor at 8 kg N–N2O ha-1 year-1 for cultivation and management of organic soils. Also, the Dutch national reporting methodology for greenhouse gases uses a relatively high calculated emission factor of 4.7 kg N–N2O ha-1 year-1. In addition to cultivation, the IPCC methodology and the Dutch national methodology account for N2O emissions from N inputs through fertilizer applications and animal urine and faeces deposition to estimate annual N2O emissions from cultivated and managed organic soils. However, neither approach accounts for other soil parameters that might control N2O emissions such as groundwater level. In this paper we report on the relations between N2O emissions, N inputs and groundwater level dynamics for a fertilized and grazed grassland on drained peat soil. We measured N2O emissions from fields with different target groundwater levels of 40 cm (‘wet’) and 55 cm (‘dry’) below soil surface in the years 1992, 1993, 2002, 2006 and 2007. Average emissions equalled 29.5 kg N2O–N ha-1 year-1 and 11.6 kg N–N2O ha-1 year-1 for the dry and wet conditions, respectively. Especially under dry conditions, measured N2O emissions exceeded current official estimates using the IPCC methodology and the Dutch national reporting methodology. The N2O–N emissions equalled 8.2 and 3.2% of the total N inputs through fertilizers, manure and cattle droppings for the dry and wet field, respectively and were strongly related to average groundwater level (R 2 = 0.74). We argue that this relation should be explored for other sites and could be used to derive accurate emission data for fertilized and grazed grasslands on organic soil

Schatting van denitrificatie in grasland volgens verschillende methoden; vergelijking van methoden voor een droog en nat perceel van proefbedrijf "De Marke"

Het meten van stikstofverliezen zoals nitraatuitspoeling en denitrificatie onder veld¬omstandigheden is lastig en duur. Deze studie vergelijkt verschillende methoden om de totale hoeveelheid denitrificatie te bepalen voor een relatief nat en een droog graslandperceel op zand. Ter ondersteuning zijn tijdens het uitspoelseizoen 2004-2005 diverse metingen uitgevoerd op beide percelen. De toegepaste methoden zijn de ABC-methode, de ADI-methode, het opstellen van een veldbalans, integratie van denitrificatiemetingen in de tijd, het gebruik van complexe modellen en het toepassen van een eenvoudige rekenregel. Bij de meeste methoden is de hoeveelheid denitrificatie in het natte perceel het hoogst. De verschillen tussen de diverse methoden zijn echter groot. De geschiktste methode om denitrificatie te bepalen is afhankelijk van de beschikbare data en tijd, maar dient wel zo locatiespecifiek mogelijk te zijn

Faster turnover of new soil carbon inputs under increased atmospheric CO2

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Rising levels of atmospheric CO2 frequently stimulate plant inputs to soil, but the consequences of these changes for soil carbon (C) dynamics are poorly understood. Plant-derived inputs can accumulate in the soil and become part of the soil C pool ("new soil C"), or accelerate losses of pre-existing ("old") soil C. The dynamics of the new and old pools will likely differ and alter the long-term fate of soil C, but these separate pools, which can be distinguished through isotopic labeling, have not been considered in past syntheses. Using meta-analysis, we found that while elevated CO2 (ranging from 550 to 800 parts per million by volume) stimulates the accumulation of new soil C in the short term (<1 year), these effects do not persist in the longer term (1-4 years). Elevated CO2 does not affect the decomposition or the size of the old soil C pool over either temporal scale. Our results are inconsistent with predictions of conventional soil C models and suggest that elevated CO2 might increase turnover rates of new soil C. Because increased turnover rates of new soil C limit the potential for additional soil C sequestration, the capacity of land ecosystems to slow the rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations may be smaller than previously assumed.This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research Program, under Award Number DE-SC-0010632. R.P.P. was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture NRI CSREES Program and by DOEs Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Program in the Climate and Environmental Sciences Division

Earthworms affect reactive surface area and thereby phosphate solubility in iron-(hydr)oxide dominated soils

Sustainability of agricultural systems is at stake, as phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource while its global reserves are limited. Stimulating earthworm activity can be a technology to increase the level of readily plant-available phosphate (PO$_4$). However, conclusive evidence on the mechanisms underlying an earthworm-enhanced PO$_4$ solubility is yet missing. This study aimed to reveal possibly overlooked pathways by which earthworms affect PO$_4$ solubility, and quantify the relative importance of all contributing mechanisms. Therefore, we set up a greenhouse pot experiment in which we investigated the large increase in water-extractable PO$_4$ in casts of three earthworm species (Lumbricus rubellus, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Lumbricus terrestris) in soils with either predominantly Fe- or Al-(hydr)oxides. Oxalate-extractable PO$_4$ was increased in earthworm casts compared to bulk soil which can be attributed to the mineralisation of natural organic matter (NOM). Surface complexation modelling was used to elucidate the mechanisms that control earthworm-enhanced PO$_4$ solubility. The results of our modelling showed that the increase in pH in earthworm casts relative to bulk soil affects PO$_4$ solubility only to a minor extent. Besides NOM mineralisation, two major mechanisms contributing to earthworm-enhanced PO$_4$ solubility are (i) a decrease in the reactive surface area (RSA) of the metal-(hydr)oxide fraction; and (ii) a decrease in the competition between NOM and PO$_4$ for binding sites of the metal-(hydr)oxides. As the newly discovered decrease of the RSA was only found for Fe-(hydr)oxide-dominated soils, earthworms have the largest potential to enhance PO$_4$ solubility in those soils

Biochar boosts tropical but not temperate crop yields

Applying biochar to soil is thought to have multiple benefits, from helping mitigate climate change [1, 2], to managing waste [3] to conserving soil [4]. Biochar is also widely assumed to boost crop yield [5, 6], but there is controversy regarding the extent and cause of any yield benefit [7]. Here we use a global-scale meta-analysis to show that biochar has, on average, no effect on crop yield in temperate latitudes, yet elicits a 25% average increase in yield in the tropics. In the tropics, biochar increased yield through liming and fertilization, consistent with the low soil pH, low fertility, and low fertilizer inputs typical of arable tropical soils. We also found that, in tropical soils, high-nutrient biochar inputs stimulated yield substantially more than low-nutrient biochar, further supporting the role of nutrient fertilization in the observed yield stimulation. In contrast, arable soils in temperate regions are moderate in pH, higher in fertility, and generally receive higher fertilizer inputs, leaving little room for additional benefits from biochar. Our findings demonstrate that the yield-stimulating effects of biochar are not universal, but may especially benefit agriculture in low-nutrient, acidic soils in the tropics. Biochar management in temperate zones should focus on potential non-yield benefits such as lime and fertilizer cost savings, greenhouse gas emissions control, and other ecosystem services

Acclimation of methane emissions from rice paddy fields to straw addition

This is the final version. Available on open access from AAAS via the DOI in this recordData and materials availability: All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials. Additional data related to this paper may be requested from the authors.Straw incorporation is a common long-term practice to improve soil fertility in croplands worldwide. However, straw amendments often increase methane (CH4) emissions from rice paddies, one of the main sources of anthropogenic CH4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodologies to estimate CH4 emissions from rice agriculture assume that the effect of straw addition remains constant over time. Here, we show through a series of experiments and meta-analysis that these CH4 emissions acclimate. Effects of long-term (>5 years) straw application on CH4 emissions were, on average, 48% lower than IPCC estimates. Long-term straw incorporation increased soil methanotrophic abundance and rice root size, suggesting an increase in CH4 oxidation rates through improved O2 transport into the rhizosphere. Our results suggest that recent model projections may have overestimated CH4 emissions from rice agriculture and that CH4 emission estimates can be improved by considering the duration of straw incorporation and other management practices.National Key Research and Development Program of ChinaSpecial Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public InterestChina Agriculture Research System–Green ManureCentral Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund of Institute of Crop ScienceInnovation Program of CAASGEF Project of Climate Smart Staple Crop Production in Chin

Predicting field N2_{2}O emissions from crop residues based on their biochemical composition: A meta-analytical approach

Crop residue incorporation is a common practice to increase or restore organic matter stocks in agricultural soils. However, this practice often increases emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N$_{2}$O). Previous meta-analyses have linked various biochemical properties of crop residues to N$_{2}$O emissions, but the relationships between these properties have been overlooked, hampering our ability to predict N$_{2}$O emissions from specific residues. Here we combine comprehensive databases for N$_{2}$O emissions from crop residues and crop residue biochemical characteristics with a random-meta-forest approach, to develop a predictive framework of crop residue effects on N$_{2}$O emissions. On average, crop residue incorporation increased soil N$_{2}$O emissions by 43% compared to residue removal, however crop residues led to both increases and reductions in N$_{2}$O emissions. Crop residue effects on N$_{2}$O emissions were best predicted by easily degradable fractions (i.e. water soluble carbon, soluble Van Soest fraction (NDS)), structural fractions and N returned with crop residues. The relationship between these biochemical properties and N$_{2}$O emissions differed widely in terms of form and direction. However, due to the strong correlations among these properties, we were able to develop a simplified classification for crop residues based on the stage of physiological maturity of the plant at which the residue was generated. This maturity criteria provided the most robust and yet simple approach to categorize crop residues according to their potential to regulate N$_{2}$O emissions. Immature residues (high water soluble carbon, soluble NDS and total N concentration, low relative cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin fractions, and low C:N ratio) strongly stimulated N$_{2}$O emissions, whereas mature residues with opposite characteristics had marginal effects on N$_{2}$O. The most important crop types belonging to the immature residue group – cover crops, grasslands and vegetables – are important for the delivery of multiple ecosystem services. Thus, these residues should be managed properly to avoid their potentially high N$_{2}$O emissions

Predicting soil carbon loss with warming

Journal ArticleThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.ARISING FROM: T. W. Crowther et al. Nature 540, 104–108 (2016); doi:10.1038/nature2015