ISSN:
1365-2389
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
The sequestration of dung carbon in soil depends on the location and rate at which it is immobilized in soil aggregates. Here C4 dung (δ13C = −16.1‰) or C3 dung (δ13C = −26.8‰) were applied to a temperate permanent pasture C3 soil (δ13C = −27.9‰). Triplicate samples were taken from C3 and C4 dung remaining at the surface, and in the 0–1 and 1–5 cm soil layers in the unamended control and under the C3 and C4 dung patches after 7, 14, 29, 42 and 70 days after the application of the dung. Macroaggregates (≥ 4 mm) at the lower depth (1–5 cm) were mechanically fractionated into surface and core fractions by a combination of shock freezing followed by wet sieving.Neither overall nor differential carbon isotope fractionation occurred in the dung remaining at the surface. The incorporation of C4 dung significantly increased the δ13C content of the 0–1 cm layer of the C3 soil. Dung C sequestration did not exceed 10% for the 0–1 cm layer and was only 20% for the whole soil (0–30 cm) during the 7-day experiment. Only 32–66% of the C from dung in the 1–5 cm layer was sequestered in the aggregates; the major proportion was initially preferentially attached to their surfaces, but incorporated into aggregates within the following 14 days. The majority of dung, however, soon resided between the aggregates, pointing to the important role of the inter-aggregate fraction in short-term C dynamics of dung in this pasture soil.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2389.2003.00582.x
