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Tall Fescue Management in the Piedmont: Sequestration of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen
Author(s) -
Franzluebbers A. J.,
Endale D. M.,
Buyer J. S.,
Stuedemann J. A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2011.0347
Subject(s) - grazing , agronomy , carbon sequestration , environmental science , pasture , soil carbon , zoology , nitrogen , biology , chemistry , soil water , soil science , organic chemistry
High‐quality surface‐soil characteristics are important for developing environmentally sustainable agroecosystems. We evaluated the factorial combination of fertilization regime (inorganic and broiler litter) and tall fescue [ Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.]–endophyte association (free, novel, and wild) with cattle grazing (plus a control treatment of inorganic fertilizer + novel endophyte with haying) on surface soil compaction and soil organic C and total N sequestration during 8 yr of management on a previously degraded Typic Kanhapludult in Georgia. Soil organic C and total N were sequestered with time at all depth intervals to 20 cm (0–3, 3–6, 6–12, and 12–20 cm). At a depth of 0 to 6 cm (surface zone most responsive to management), soil organic C sequestration was (i) greater with grazed than with hayed management (1.36 vs. 0.69 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 , respectively), (ii) similar between broiler litter and inorganic fertilization, (iii) similar among endophyte associations, and (iv) similar among zones within a grazed pasture. At a depth of 0 to 20 cm, soil organic C and total N sequestration were not significantly affected by treatment variables, but high mean sequestration rates of 1.51 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 and 0.126 Mg N ha −1 yr −1 during managed grazing of tall fescue in addition to the previous decade of unmanaged herbaceous fallow (implied sequestration rates of 0.76 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 and 0.062 Mg N ha −1 yr −1 ) suggests that improved grazing management systems can have an enormous benefit to surface soil fertility restoration of degraded soils in the southeastern United States.