Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-lrblm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-09T13:48:47.700Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Perennial grain on a Midwest Alfisol shows no sign of early soil carbon gain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2017

Christine D. Sprunger ,
Steve W. Culman ,
G. Philip Robertson  and
Sieglinde S. Snapp
Christine D. Sprunger*
Affiliation:
W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan 49060, USA. Agriculture and Food Security Center, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York city, New York 10025, USA.
Steve W. Culman
Affiliation:
School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio 44691, USA.
G. Philip Robertson
Affiliation:
W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan 49060, USA. Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Sieglinde S. Snapp
Affiliation:
Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Perennial grain crops are expected to sequester soil carbon (C) and improve soil health due to their large and extensive root systems. To examine the rate of initial soil C accumulation in a perennial grain crop, we compared soil under perennial intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) with that under annual winter wheat 4 years after the crops were first planted. In addition, we tested the effect of three nitrogen (N) sources on C pools: Low available N (Low N (Organic N); 90 kg N ha−1 poultry litter), moderately available N (Mid N; 90 kg N ha−1 urea) and high available N (High N; 135 kg N ha−1 urea). We measured aboveground C (grain + straw), and coarse and fine root C to a depth of 1 m. Particulate organic matter (POM-C), fractionated by size, was used to indicate labile and more stabilized soil C pools. At harvest, IWG had 1.9 times more straw C and up to 15 times more root C compared with wheat. There were no differences in the size of the large (6 mm–250 µm) or medium (250–53 µm) POM-C fractions between wheat and IWG (P > 0.05) in surface horizons (0–10 cm). Large POM-C under IWG ranged from 3.6 ± 0.3 to 4.0 ± 0.7 g C kg soil−1 across the three N rates, similar to wheat under which large POM-C ranged from 3.6 ± 1.4 to 4.7 ± 0.7 g C kg soil−1. Averaged across N level, medium POM-C was 11.1 ± 0.8 and 11.3 ± 0.7 g C kg soil−1 for IWG and wheat, respectively. Despite IWG's greater above and belowground biomass (to 70 cm), POM-C fractions in IWG and wheat were similar. Post-hoc power analysis revealed that in order to detect differences in the labile C pool at 0–10 cm with an acceptable power (~80%) a 15% difference would be required between wheat and IWG. This demonstrates that on sandy soils with low cation exchange capacity, perennial IWG will need to be in place for longer than 4 years in order to detect an accumulated soil C difference > 15%.

Keywords

perennial grain cropsannual winter wheatrootssoil carbon sequestrationsustainable agriculture
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , August 2018 , pp. 360 - 372
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adebiyi, J., Schmitt Olabisi, L., and Snapp, S. 2016. Understanding perennial wheat adoption as a transformative technology: Evidence from the literature and farmers. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 31:1–10.Google Scholar
Anderson-Teixeira, K.J., Davis, S.C., Masters, M.D., and Delucia, E.H. 2009. Changes in soil organic carbon under biofuel crops. Global Change Bioenergy 1:75–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson-Teixeira, K.J., Masters, M.D., Black, C.K., Zeri, M., Hussain, M.Z., Bernacchi, C.J., and DeLucia, E.H. 2013. Altered belowground carbon cycling following land-use change to perennial bioenergy crops. Ecosystems 16:508–520.Google Scholar
Asbjornsen, H., Hernandez-Santana, V., Liebman, M.Z., Bayala, J., Chen, J., Helmers, M., Ong, C.K., and Schulte, L.A. 2013. Targeting perennial vegetation in agricultural landscapes for enhancing ecosystem services. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 29:101–125.Google Scholar
Cambardella, C.A. and Elliott, E.T. 1992. Particulate soil organic matter changes across a grassland cultivation sequence. Soil Science Society of America Journal 56:777–783.Google Scholar
Cheng, W. 1999. Rhizosphere feedbacks in elevated CO2. Tree Physiology 19:313–320.Google Scholar
Collins, H.P., Smith, J.L., Fransen, S., Alva, A.K., Kruger, C.E., and Granatstein, D.M. 2010. Carbon sequestration under irrigated switchgrass (L.) production. Soil Science Society of America Journal 74(6):2049–2058.Google Scholar
Cox, T.S., Van Tassel, D.L., Cox, C.M., and DeHaan, L.R. 2010. Progress in breeding perennial grains. Crop and Pasture Science 61:513–521.Google Scholar
Craine, J.M., Wedin, D.A., Chapin, F.S., and Reich, P.B. 2003. The dependence of root system properties on root system biomass of 10 North American grassland species. Plant and Soil 250:39–47.Google Scholar
Crews, T.E. and DeHaan, L.R. 2015. The strong perennial vision: A response. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems 39:500–515.Google Scholar
Culman, S.W., DuPont, S.T., Glover, J.D., Buckley, D.H., Fick, G.W., Ferris, H., and Crews, T.E. 2010. Long-term impacts of high-input annual cropping and unfertilized perennial grass production on soil properties and belowground food webs in Kansas, USA. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 137:13–24.Google Scholar
Culman, S.W., Snapp, S.S., Freeman, M.A., Schipanski, M.E., Beniston, J., Lal, R., Drinkwater, L.E., Franzluebbers, A.J., Glover, J.D., Grandy, A.S., Lee, J., Six, J., Maul, J.E., Mirksy, S.B.J., Spargo, T., and Wander, M.M. 2012. Permanganate oxidizable carbon reflects a processed soil fraction that is sensitive to management. Soil Science Society of America Journal 76:494–506.Google Scholar
Culman, S.W., Snapp, S.S., Ollenburger, M., Basso, B. and DeHaan, L.R. 2013. Soil and water quality rapidly responds to the perennial grain Kernza Wheatgrass. Agronomy Journal 105:735–744.Google Scholar
Culman, S.W., Snapp, S. S., Sprunger, C.S., Peralta, A. L., DeHaan, L.R. unpublished. In prep. Enhanced ecosystem services under perennial intermediate wheatgrass compared to annual winter wheat.Google Scholar
DeHaan, L.R., Van Tassel, D.L., and Cox, T.S. 2005. Perennial grain crops: A synthesis of ecology and plant breeding. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 20:5–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DuPont, S., Beniston, T.J., Glover, J.D., Hodson, A., Culman, S.W., Lal, R., and Ferris, H. 2014. Root traits and soil properties in harvested perennial grassland, annual wheat, and never-tilled annual wheat. Plant and Soil 381:405–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garten, C.T. and Wullschleger, S.D. 1999. Soil carbon inventories under a bioenergy crop (switchgrass): Measurement limitations. Journal of Environmental Quality 28:1359–1365.Google Scholar
Gebhart, D.L., Johnson, H.B., Mayeux, H.S., and Polley, H.W. 1994. The CRP increases soil organic carbon. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 49:488–492.Google Scholar
Glover, J.D., Cox, C.M., and Reganold, J.P. 2007. Future farming: A return to roots? Scientific American 83:82–89.Google Scholar
Glover, J.D., Reganold, J.P., Bell, L.W., Borevitz, J., Brummer, E.C., Buckler, E.S., Cox, C.M., Cox, T.S., Crews, T.E., Culman, S.W., DeHaan, L.R., Eriksson, D., Gill, B.S., Holland, J., Hu, F., Hulke, B.S., Ibrahim, A.M.H., Jackson, W., Jones, S.S., and Murray, S.C. 2010. Increased food and ecosystem security via perennial grains. Science 328:1638–1639.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grandy, A.S., and Robertson, G.P. 2006. Aggregation and organic matter protection following tillage of a previously uncultivated soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal 70:1398–1406.Google Scholar
Houghton, R.A. and Hackler, J.L. 2001. Carbon Flux to the Atmosphere from Land-Use Changes: 1850 to 1990. In Cushman, R.M. (ed.). Trends: A Compendium of Data on Global Change. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, TN. pp. 305–318.Google Scholar
Huggins, D.R., Buyanovsky, G.A., Wagner, G.H., Brown, J.R., Darmody, R.G., Peck, T.R., Lesoing, G.W., Vanotti, M.B., and Bundy, L.G. 1998. Soil organic C in the tallgrass prairie-derived region of the corn belt: Effects of long-term crop management. Soil and Tillage Research 47:219–234.Google Scholar
Jaikumar, N.S., Snapp, S.S., Murphy, K., and Jones, S.S. 2012. Agronomic assessment of perennial wheat and perennial rye as cereal crops. Agronomy Journal 104:1716–1726.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jarchow, M.E. and Liebman, M. 2012. Tradeoffs in biomass and nutrient allocation in prairies and corn managed for bioenergy production. Crop Science 52:1330–1342.Google Scholar
Jarecki, M.K. and Lal, R.. 2003. Crop management and soil carbon sequestration. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 22:471–502.Google Scholar
Kell, D.B. 2011. Breeding crop plants with deep roots: Their role in sustainable carbon, nutrient and water sequestration. Annals of Botany 108:407–18.Google Scholar
Knops, J.M.H. and Tilman, D. 2000. Dynamics of soil nitrogen and carbon accumulation for 61 years after agricultural abandonment. Ecology 81:88–98.Google Scholar
Kravchenko, A.N. and Robertson, G.P. 2011. Whole-profile soil carbon stocks: The danger of assuming too much from analyses of too little. Soil Science Society of America Journal 75:235–240.Google Scholar
Ladoni, M., Basir, A., and Kravchenko, A.N. 2015. Which soil carbon fraction is the best for assessing management differences? A statistical power perspective. Soil Science Society of America Journal 79:848–857.Google Scholar
Lal, R. 2011. Sequestering carbon in soils of agro-ecosystems. Food Policy 36:S33–S39.Google Scholar
McLauchlan, K.K., Hobbie, S.E., and Post, W.M. 2006. Conversion from agriculture to grassland builds soil organic matter on decadal timescales. Ecological Applications 16:143–153.Google Scholar
Ontl, T.A., Hofmockel, K.S., Cambardella, C.A., Schulte, L.A., and Kolka, R.K. 2013. Topographic and soil influences on root productivity of three bioenergy cropping systems. New Phytologist 199(3):727–737.Google Scholar
Post, W.M. and Kwon, K. 2000. Soil carbon sequestration and land-use change: Processes and potential. Global Change Biology 6:317–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poussart, J.N., Adro, J. and Olsson, L. 2004. Verification of soil carbon sequestration: Sample requirements. Environmental Management 33:S416–S425.Google Scholar
Rasse, D.P., Rumpel, C., and Dignac, M.F. 2005. Is soil carbon mostly root carbon? Mechanisms for a specific stabilisation. Plant and Soil 269(1–2):341–356.Google Scholar
Rehbein, K., Sandhage-Hofmann, A., and Amelung, A. 2015. Soil carbon accrual in particle-size fractions under Miscanthus × giganteus cultivation. Biomass and Bioenergy 78:80–91.Google Scholar
Robertson, G.P., Paul, E.A., and Harwood, R.R. 2000. Greenhouse gases in intensive agriculture: Contributions of individual gases to the radiative forcing of the atmosphere. Science 289:1922–1925.Google Scholar
Schmidt, M.W., Torn, M.S., Abiven, S., Dittmar, T., Guggenberger, G., Janssens, I.A., Kleber, M., Kogel-Knabner, I., Lehmann, J., Manning, D.A.C., Nannipieri, P., Rasse, D.P., Weiner, S., Trumbore, S. 2011. Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem property. Nature 478:41–56.Google Scholar
Schneckenberger, K. and Kuzyakov, Y. 2007. Carbon sequestration under Miscanthus in sandy and loamy soils estimated by natural13C abundance. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 170:538–542.Google Scholar
Six, J., Elliott, E.T., Paustian, K., and Doran, J.W. 1998. Aggregation and soil organic matter accumulation in cultivated and native grassland soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 62:1367–1377.Google Scholar
Six, J., Conant, R.T., Paul, E.A., and Paustian, K. 2002. Stabilization mechanisms of soil organic matter: Implications for c-saturation of soils. Plant and Soil 241:155–176.Google Scholar
Sprunger, C.D. 2015. Root production and soil carbon accumulation in annual, perennial, and diverse cropping systems. Dissertation. Michigan State University. ProQuest.Google Scholar
Strickland, M.S., Leggett, Z.H., Sucre, E.B., and Bradford, M.A. 2015. Biofuel intercropping effects on soil carbon and microbial activity. Ecological Applications 25:140–150.Google Scholar
Syswerda, S.P., Corbin, A.T., Mokma, D.L., Kravchenko, A.N., and Robertson, G.P. 2011. Agricultural management and soil carbon storage in surface vs. deep layers. Soil Science Society of America Journal 75:92–101.Google Scholar
Tiemann, L.K., and Grandy, A.S. 2015. Mechanisms of soil carbon accrual and storage in bioenergy cropping systems. Global Change Biology Bioenergy 7(2):161–174.Google Scholar
Wagoner, P. 1990. New use for intermediate wheatgrass. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 45:81–82.Google Scholar
Wander, M. 2004. Soil organic matter fractions and their relevance to soil function. In Magdoff, F. and Weil, R. (ed.). Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable Agriculture. CRC Press, Boca Raton. pp. 67–102.Google Scholar
West, T.O. and Post, W.M. 2002. Soil organic carbon sequestration rates by tillage and crop rotation: A global data analysis. Soil Science Society of America Journal 66:1930–1946.Google Scholar
Willson, T.C., Paul, E.A., and Harwood, R.R. 2001. Biologically active soil organic matter fractions in sustainable cropping systems. Applied Soil Ecology 16:63–76.Google Scholar
Zan, C.S., Fyles, J.W., Girouard, P., and Samson, R.A. 2001. Carbon sequestration in perennial bioenergy, annual corn and uncultivated systems in southern Quebec. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 86:135–144.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Sprunger supplementary material

Tables A1-A8

Download Sprunger supplementary material(File)
File 82.3 KB