Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Tillage effects on SOC and CO₂ emissions of Mollisols

Author(s):

Lu-Jun Li ^1,†*, Meng-Yang You ^1,†, Hong-Ai Shi ^{1, 2}, Wen-Xiu Zou ¹, Xiao-Zeng Han ¹*

Recieved Date: 2012-10-16, Accepted Date: 2013-01-12

Abstract:

A field experiment was conducted to examine the influences of 5-year no tillage without straw retaining on soil organic carbon (SOC) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from Mollisols, and to relate soil CO₂ effluxes to variations in soil temperature and moisture. A closed-chamber method was used to determine CO₂ efflux during the maize growing season in 2011. Our results showed no remarkable increase (P>0.05) in SOC for no tillage without straw retaining (NT), although NT practice decreased cumulative CO₂ emission during the growing season by 30% (P<0.05) compared with conventional tillage (CT). Annual soil CO₂ emissions were estimated at 13.34 and 9.39 Mg CO₂ ha ^-1 for CT and NT, respectively. The amount of annual lost C through CO₂ emission from NT soils could be roughly replenished by incorporation of maize straw. The log-transformed multiple regression model [log(f) = a + b T + c log(W)] including both soil temperature and moisture was established, which accounted for 68 and 74% of the season variations in soil CO₂ effluxes in NT and CT, respectively (both P<0.01). The temperature sensitivity of soil respiration was 2.39-2.75 in CT, which was higher than 2.01-2.34 in NT; soil respiration was more sensitive to soil temperature at 10 cm than at 5 cm depth. Compared with CT, NT also decreased cumulative N₂O emissions by 50% and thus total global warming potential of CO₂ and N₂O emissions. Results suggest that, considering C sequestration and global warming effect, the practice of no tillage without straw retaining is feasible in Mollisols in northeast China.

Keywords:

Black soil, CO₂ efflux, conventional tillage, global warming potential, northeast China, no-tillage, soil respiration, temperature sensitivity,  water-filled pore space

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 340-345

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :