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Carbon allocation in a sweet sorghum‐soil system using 14 C as a tracer
Author(s) -
Fernández Jesús,
Curt M. Dolores,
Aguado Pedro,
Magro Enrique
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of plant nutrition and soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1522-2624
pISSN - 1436-8730
DOI - 10.1002/jpln.200390008
Subject(s) - sorghum , soil carbon , carbon cycle , sweet sorghum , agronomy , carbon fibers , tracer , biomass (ecology) , environmental science , shoot , chemistry , soil water , soil science , mathematics , biology , ecosystem , ecology , physics , algorithm , composite number , nuclear physics
Carbon (C) distribution in a sweet sorghum‐soil system was studied by 14 CO 2 pulse‐labeling of shoots at three dates during the growth cycle in order to assess the contribution of the crop to carbon storage in the soil. Soil and plant samplings were performed 24 h after the 14 C‐labeling and at final harvest (October) to determine the assimilate allocation and estimate the amount of plant‐derived soil carbon. Approximately 4‐16% of the 14 C present in the sorghum‐soil system was located in the soil fine fraction (< 2 mm) over a 24 h period. At final harvest, the proportion of 14 C in the soil accounted for 7‐9% of the 14 C present in the sorghum‐soil system. The plant‐derived soil carbon was estimated at 0.10‐0.12 g C plant ‐1 day ‐1 . The total amount of carbon captured by sweet sorghum was estimated at 1.44 kg C m ‐2 over the whole growth cycle: 0.82 kg C m ‐2 in the above‐ground biomass, 0.52 kg C m ‐2 in the below‐ground biomass and 0.10 kg C m ‐2 in the soil carbon pool. No significant increase in soil 14 C was detected over the next 14 months.