41. Soil Carbon Variability in Some Hungarian and Croatian Soils

Loss of soil carbon and carbon storage were studied in different soil types in the agroecological conditions of the Pannonian plain and in the Mediterranean region. Total carbon concentration, pH and C:N ratio under pastures, meadows, forests, vineyards, gardens and crop fields were determined. Soil samples were taken in 2010 at depths from 0–3, 3–10, 0–30, 30–60 and 60–90 cm depending on the location, region, soil type and type of ecosystem. Soil pH varied between strongly acid 4.3 measured in crop field on distric Stagnosols (0–30 cm) to weakly alkaline 7.6 in a crop field on Chernozems; C:N ratio varied from 8 measured on distric Stagnosols to 39 on Cambisol calcaric; Soil carbon concentration observed in this study varied from 3.3 g C/kg at Szentgal on an agricultural crop field on Eutric Cambisol, in the deep layer (60–90 cm; L4) to 107.2 g C/kg on Regosol on karst measured in the surface layer of a Mediterranean grassland (0–3 cm; L10).