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Carbon in plant biomass and soils of poplar and willow plantations—implications for SOC distribution in different soil fractions after re-conversion to arable land

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Abstract

Aims

Effects of final harvest of plantations and re-conversion with different tillage intensities on quantity and distribution of organic matter in different soil fractions were assessed.

Methods

A field trial was conducted at two poplar and one willow plantation in northern Germany. Distribution of C in aboveground plant and root biomass and within various soil fractions (particulate organic matter, water-stable aggregates, microbial biomass) was determined. Directly after re-conversion, which was performed at tillage depths of 5, 15 and 30 cm, C amounts added with coarse harvest residues and changes in soil C fractions were examined.

Results

Plantation C stocks decreased in the order soil > aboveground biomass > roots. After re-conversation no change in bulk soil SOC but an increase of labile soil C was observed. Between 16 and 30 t ha−1 additional C was determined in the soil fraction of plant residues >2 mm after re-conversion. Up to 90 % SOC of the fine earth fraction was associated with macroaggregates, which increased after re-conversion despite intensive tillage with a rotary cultivator.

Conclusion

The duration of the increased macroaggregate associated C directly after soil tillage is a short term effect of the tillage. The influence of tillage depths on soil C-fractions could be observed only in some cases because of the high variability of harvest residues in the field.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank Gabriele Dormann, Andrea Gerke and Wolfgang Funke for their technical assistance and help with the experiment. This work was funded by the Hessian Ministry of environment, energy, agriculture and consumer protection and Volkswagen AG.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstr. 1a, 37213, Witzenhausen, Germany

    Charlotte Toenshoff, Rainer Georg Joergensen & Christine Wachendorf

  2. Department of Grassland Science and Renewable Plant Resources, University of Kassel, Steinstr. 19, 37213, Witzenhausen, Germany

    Reinhold Stuelpnagel

Authors
  1. Charlotte Toenshoff
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  2. Reinhold Stuelpnagel
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  3. Rainer Georg Joergensen
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  4. Christine Wachendorf
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Correspondence to Charlotte Toenshoff.

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Responsible Editor: Zucong Cai.

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Toenshoff, C., Stuelpnagel, R., Joergensen, R.G. et al. Carbon in plant biomass and soils of poplar and willow plantations—implications for SOC distribution in different soil fractions after re-conversion to arable land. Plant Soil 367, 407–417 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1481-3

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