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Carbon and Nitrogen Content of Soil Organic Matter and Microbial Biomass under Long-Term Crop Rotation and Tillage in Illinois, USA

Author

Listed:
  • Stacy M. Zuber

    (Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Gevan D. Behnke

    (Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Emerson D. Nafziger

    (Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Maria B. Villamil

    (Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

Abstract

Crop rotation and tillage alter soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics by influencing the soil environment and microbes carrying out C and N cycling. Our goal was to evaluate the effect of long-term crop rotation and tillage on the quantity of C and N stored in SOM and microbial biomass. Two experimental sites were used to evaluate four rotations—continuous corn ( Zea mays L.) (CCC), corn-soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.) (CS), corn-soybean-wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) (CSW), and continuous soybean (SSS), each split into chisel tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) subplots. The CSW rotation increased soil organic carbon (SOC) content compared to SSS; SSS also reduced total nitrogen (TN) compared to other rotations. Levels of SOC and TN were 7% and 9% greater under NT than CT, respectively. Rotation did not affect microbial biomass C and N (MBC, MBN) while tillage reduced only MBN at 10–20 cm compared to NT, likely related to dispersion of N fertilizers throughout the soil. Despite the apparent lack of sensitivity of microbial biomass, changes in SOC and TN illustrate the effects of rotation and tillage on SOM dynamics. The inclusion of crops with high C: N residues and no-till use both support higher C and N content in the top 20 cm of the soil.

Suggested Citation

  • Stacy M. Zuber & Gevan D. Behnke & Emerson D. Nafziger & Maria B. Villamil, 2018. "Carbon and Nitrogen Content of Soil Organic Matter and Microbial Biomass under Long-Term Crop Rotation and Tillage in Illinois, USA," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-12, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:8:y:2018:i:3:p:37-:d:135467
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    Cited by:

    1. Kumari, V. Visha & Balloli, S.S. & Ramana, D.B.V. & Kumar, Manoranjan & Maruthi, V. & Prabhakar, M. & Osman, M. & Indoria, A.K. & Manjunath, M. & Chary, G. Ravindra & Gopinath, K.A. & Venkatesh, G. & , 2023. "Crop and livestock productivity, soil health improvement and insect dynamics: Impact of different fodder-based cropping systems in a rainfed region of India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    2. Nataliia Kussul & Klaus Deininger & Leonid Shumilo & Mykola Lavreniuk & Daniel Ayalew Ali & Oleg Nivievskyi, 2022. "Biophysical Impact of Sunflower Crop Rotation on Agricultural Fields," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Somasundaram Jayaraman & Meenakshi Sahu & Nishant K. Sinha & Monoranjan Mohanty & Ranjeet S. Chaudhary & Brijesh Yadav & Lalit K. Srivastava & Kuntal M. Hati & Ashok K. Patra & Ram C. Dalal, 2022. "Conservation Agricultural Practices Impact on Soil Organic Carbon, Soil Aggregation and Greenhouse Gas Emission in a Vertisol," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-14, July.
    4. Yadav, Gulab Singh & Das, Anup & Kandpal, B K & Babu, Subhash & Lal, Rattan & Datta, Mrinmoy & Das, Biswajit & Singh, Raghavendra & Singh, VK & Mohapatra, KP & Chakraborty, Mandakranta, 2021. "The food-energy-water-carbon nexus in a maize-maize-mustard cropping sequence of the Indian Himalayas: An impact of tillage-cum-live mulching," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    5. Kumari, V. Visha & Balloli, S.S. & Kumar, Manoranjan & Ramana, D.B.V. & Prabhakar, M. & Osman, M. & Indoria, A.K. & Manjunath, M. & Maruthi, V. & Chary, G. Ravindra & Chandran, M.A. Sarath & Gopinath,, 2024. "Diversified cropping systems for reducing soil erosion and nutrient loss and for increasing crop productivity and profitability in rainfed environments," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    6. Patrick Nyambo & Chiduza Cornelius & Tesfay Araya, 2020. "Carbon Dioxide Fluxes and Carbon Stocks under Conservation Agricultural Practices in South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-13, August.

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    Keywords

    rotation; no-till; soil biology;
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