IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i22p9782-d449786.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Soil Organic Carbon and Labile Carbon Pools Attributed by Tillage, Crop Residue and Crop Rotation Management in Sweet Sorghum Cropping System

Author

Listed:
  • Mashapa Elvis Malobane

    (Agricultural Research Council—Institute for Soil, Climate and Water, P. Bag X79, Pretoria 0083, South Africa
    Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida 1710, South Africa)

  • Adornis Dakarai Nciizah

    (Agricultural Research Council—Institute for Soil, Climate and Water, P. Bag X79, Pretoria 0083, South Africa
    Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida 1710, South Africa)

  • Fhatuwani Nixwell Mudau

    (Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida 1710, South Africa
    School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Kwazulu Natal, P. Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa)

  • Isaiah Iguna Chabaari Wakindiki

    (Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida 1710, South Africa
    Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box, Bondo 210-40601, Kenya)

Abstract

Labile organic carbon (LOC) fractions are considered as sensitive indicators of change in soil quality and can serve as proxies for soil organic carbon (SOC). Although the impact of tillage, crop rotation and crop residue management on soil quality is well known, less is known about LOC and SOC dynamics in the sweet sorghum production systems in South Africa. This short-term study tested two tillage levels: no-till and conventional-tillage, two crop rotations: sweet-sorghum/winter grazing vetch/sweet sorghum and sweet-sorghum/winter fallow/sweet sorghum rotations and three crop residue retention levels: 30%, 15% and 0%. Tillage was the main factor to influence SOC and LOC fractions under the sweet sorghum cropping system in South Africa. NT increased SOC and all LOC fractions compared to CT, which concurs with previous findings. Cold water extractable organic carbon (CWEOC) and hot water extractable organic carbon (HWEOC) were found to be more sensitive to tillage and strongly positively correlated to SOC. An increase in residue retention led to an increase in microbial biomass carbon (MBC). This study concludes that CWEOC and HWEOC can serve as sensitive early indicators of change in soil quality and are an ideal proxy for SOC in the sweet-sorghum cropping system in South Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Mashapa Elvis Malobane & Adornis Dakarai Nciizah & Fhatuwani Nixwell Mudau & Isaiah Iguna Chabaari Wakindiki, 2020. "Soil Organic Carbon and Labile Carbon Pools Attributed by Tillage, Crop Residue and Crop Rotation Management in Sweet Sorghum Cropping System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-10, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:22:p:9782-:d:449786
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9782/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9782/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Turmel, Marie-Soleil & Speratti, Alicia & Baudron, Frédéric & Verhulst, Nele & Govaerts, Bram, 2015. "Crop residue management and soil health: A systems analysis," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 6-16.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sandisiwe, Zondo & Mahlambi, Precious, 2022. "Soil and irrigation water quality assessment for maize production in Buhle farm in Howick, Kwazulu-Natal province, South Africa," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 22(08).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Navarro-Miró, D. & Iocola, I. & Persiani, A. & Blanco-Moreno, J.M. & Kristensen, H. Lakkenborg & Hefner, M. & Tamm, K. & Bender, I. & Védie, H. & Willekens, K. & Diacono, M. & Montemurro, F. & Sans, F, 2019. "Energy flows in European organic vegetable systems: Effects of the introduction and management of agroecological service crops," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    2. Shekhar, Ankit & Shapiro, Charles A., 2022. "Prospective crop yield and income return based on a retrospective analysis of a long-term rainfed agriculture experiment in Nebraska," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    3. Gang Zhang & Dejian Wang & Yuanchun Yu, 2020. "Investigation into the Effects of Straw Retention and Nitrogen Reduction on CH 4 and N 2 O Emissions from Paddy Fields in the Lower Yangtze River Region, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Gulab Singh Yadav & Rahul Datta & Shamina Imran Pathan & Rattan Lal & Ram Swaroop Meena & Subhash Babu & Anup Das & S. N. Bhowmik & Mrinmoy Datta & Poulami Saha & Pawan Kumar Mishra, 2017. "Effects of Conservation Tillage and Nutrient Management Practices on Soil Fertility and Productivity of Rice ( Oryza sativa L.)–Rice System in North Eastern Region of India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Meenakshi Sharma & Rajesh Kaushal & Prashant Kaushik & Seeram Ramakrishna, 2021. "Carbon Farming: Prospects and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-15, October.
    6. Nirmalendu Basak & Biswapati Mandal & Sunanda Biswas & Piu Basak & Tarik Mitran & Bholanath Saha & Arvind Kumar Rai & Md. Khairul Alam & Arvind Kumar Yadav & Ashim Datta, 2022. "Impact of Long Term Nutrient Management on Soil Quality Indices in Rice-Wheat System of Lower Indo-Gangetic Plain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, May.
    7. Vashisht, B.B. & Jalota, S.K. & Ramteke, P. & Kaur, Ramandeep & Jayeswal, D.K., 2021. "Impact of rice (O. sativa L.) straw incorporation induced changes in soil physical and chemical properties on yield, water and nitrogen–balance and –use efficiency of wheat (T. aestivum L.) in rice–wh," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    8. Sun, Hui & Wang, Enzhen & Li, Xiang & Cui, Xian & Guo, Jianbin & Dong, Renjie, 2021. "Potential biomethane production from crop residues in China: Contributions to carbon neutrality," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    9. Raymond Mugandani & Liboster Mwadzingeni & Paramu Mafongoya, 2021. "Contribution of Conservation Agriculture to Soil Security," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-11, September.
    10. Maseko, Sulinkhundla, 2021. "The impact of climate-smart technology adoption on farmers’ welfare in Northern Zambia," Research Theses 334765, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    11. Jiguang Zhang & Guodong Bo & Zhongfeng Zhang & Fanyu Kong & Yi Wang & Guoming Shen, 2016. "Effects of Straw Incorporation on Soil Nutrients, Enzymes, and Aggregate Stability in Tobacco Fields of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-12, July.
    12. Nisar, Shahida & Benbi, Dinesh Kumar & Toor, Amardeep Singh, 2021. "Energy budgeting and carbon footprints of three tillage systems in maize-wheat sequence of north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    13. Saven Thai & Tomáš Davídek & Lenka Pavlů, 2022. "Causes clarification of the soil aggregates stability on mulched soil," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 17(2), pages 91-99.
    14. Chen, Fangzheng & Xu, Xinlei & Chen, Shaoqing & Wang, Zihan & Wang, Bin & Zhang, Yajie & Zhang, Chenxia & Feng, Puyu & Hu, Kelin, 2024. "Soil buffering capacity enhances maize yield resilience amidst climate perturbations," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    15. Berazneva, Julia & Lee, David R. & Place, Frank & Jakubson, George, 2018. "Allocation and Valuation of Smallholder Maize Residues in Western Kenya," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 172-182.
    16. Tittonell, Pablo & Gérard, Bruno & Erenstein, Olaf, 2015. "Tradeoffs around crop residue biomass in smallholder crop-livestock systems – What’s next?," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 119-128.
    17. Nyberg, Ylva & Wetterlind, Johanna & Jonsson, Mattias & Öborn, Ingrid, 2020. "The role of trees and livestock in ecosystem service provision and farm priorities on smallholder farms in the Rift Valley, Kenya," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    18. Jaleta, Moti & Kassie, Menale & Erenstein, Olaf, 2015. "Determinants of maize stover utilization as feed, fuel and soil amendment in mixed crop-livestock systems, Ethiopia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 17-23.
    19. Sukamal Sarkar & Milan Skalicky & Akbar Hossain & Marian Brestic & Saikat Saha & Sourav Garai & Krishnendu Ray & Koushik Brahmachari, 2020. "Management of Crop Residues for Improving Input Use Efficiency and Agricultural Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-24, November.
    20. Liao, Zhenqi & Zhang, Chen & Yu, Shuolei & Lai, Zhenlin & Wang, Haidong & Zhang, Fucang & Li, Zhijun & Wu, Peng & Fan, Junliang, 2023. "Ridge-furrow planting with black film mulching increases rainfed summer maize production by improving resources utilization on the Loess Plateau of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:22:p:9782-:d:449786. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.