Impact of Long‐Term No‐Tillage and Cropping System Management on Soil Organic Carbon in an Oxisol: A Model for Sustainability

• DOI: 10.2134/agronj2007.0121
• Publication Date: 2008-06-17T01:10:30Z
• Authors: Ademir Calegari; W. L. Hargrove; Danilo Dos Santos...; Ricardo Ralisch; Daniel Tessier; Stephane de Tourd...; Maria de Fatima G...
• Keywords: Oxisol; Soil carbon; Conventional tillage; Cropping system; Soil Management

Soil organic carbon (SOC) was assessed in a long‐term (19 yr) experiment comparing conventional tillage (CT) and no‐tillage (NT) management systems various winter cover crop treatments Rhodic Hapludox southern Brazil. After 19 yr, NT resulted 6.84 Mg C ha −1 , the upper soil layer (0–10 cm), which represented 64.6% more than CT. In 0 to 20 cm layer, system sequestered 1.24 yr while CT 0.96 . Independent of management, fallow treatment lowest SOC stocks 40‐cm depth compared all other treatments. We levels experimental site with nearby‐forested area, has never been cleared. No‐till combined crops properties that most closely resembled undisturbed forest. Maize grain yields soybean seed were 6 5% higher, respectively, under Our results point as choice achieve sustainable production on Oxisols subtropical tropical regions world.