Offered Papers Theme B: Grassland and the Environment
Description
The effects of reduced tillage on soil organic carbon (SOC) are generally well established (Chan et al., 2002; Cabardella & Elliott, 1992). The effects of different crops are also somewhat understood (Drinkwater et al., 1998). However, many of these studies are done in the laboratory to study the effects of crop residues on SOC. Many forage-based systems have very little crop residue returned to the field. What residue does return is often in the form of manure or compost, which is usually broken down much more rapidly than most crop residues. The objective of this study is to assess the several no-till forage cropping systems used extensively in Michigan, USA for their potential to sequester SOC levels.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Soil Carbon Sequestration Under Three Years of No-Till Forage Cropping Systems
The effects of reduced tillage on soil organic carbon (SOC) are generally well established (Chan et al., 2002; Cabardella & Elliott, 1992). The effects of different crops are also somewhat understood (Drinkwater et al., 1998). However, many of these studies are done in the laboratory to study the effects of crop residues on SOC. Many forage-based systems have very little crop residue returned to the field. What residue does return is often in the form of manure or compost, which is usually broken down much more rapidly than most crop residues. The objective of this study is to assess the several no-till forage cropping systems used extensively in Michigan, USA for their potential to sequester SOC levels.
