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Pores and organic matter take a multitude of forms in soil and their characteristics change in space and time following a change in tillage practices as a new “steady state” is approached. Information on the variation with depth (stratification) in the characteristics of pores and organic matter and the rates of change in these characteristics is vital to interpreting the short- and long-term impacts of a reduction of tillage on the productivity and hydrology of agricultural soils. This information is also of value in estimating the effect of a reduction in tillage on the sequestration of carbon in agricultural soils. Recent literature comparing conventional tillage (CT) with no-till (NT) in temperate agroecosystems with varying soil textures and climates was reviewed for the purpose of assessing rates of change in the magnitude and stratigraphy of bulk density, porosity, pore size classes, organic matter content and organic matter fractions. The influence of tillage on bulk density, macroporosity and organic matter content was found to be documented more extensively than the effects on pore size distribution, soil organic matter fractions and their interactions at different soil depths. Many of the reports documenting tillage-induced changes in soil porosity and organic matter were based on measurements at a specific time after initiating the tillage trial. Results obtained by different investigators were found to be most consistent when measurements were made ≥15 years after initiating the tillage trial. Data from different studies were used to generalize trends in pore and organic matter characteristics with depth and time. However, few studies provided measurements that permitted accurate prediction of either the rates of change or the maximum change that will occur following a change from CT to NT. Future research must enhance our ability to make these predictions if we wish to garner a better understanding of the effects of NT on the quality and productivity of agricultural soils and their ability to sequester carbon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) in Canadian agricultural soils plays an important role in the global cycle of C, and management can influence its fate. Although the scientific literature suggests that practicing no-till (NT) can sequester C, this is not always the case. Furthermore, there are many other factors including climate, management history, soil type and soil landscape processes that may affect the dynamics of SOC under NT. We measured the changes in SOC under NT in southern Ontario, at varying positions in the landscape in Gleyic and Orthic Luvisols at the end of a 15-year-period. Soil cores taken to depths beyond the solum, were segmented with depth, and total SOC was determined for each segment on an equivalent mass basis. When the entire soil column was considered, there was a loss of SOC in more profiles than there were gains. Furthermore, the erosion/deposition history at each landscape position appeared to influence the dynamics of SOC. In depression areas where Ap horizons were greater than 27 cm thick due to a history of soil deposition from upslope and local hydrology, there was a loss of total SOC after 15 years of NT. While where the Ap thickness was less than 27 cm, there were 18 profiles with SOC gains and 15 with net losses. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the change in SOC after 15 years was negatively related to the initial total SOC content and positively related to mass of clay. The results of this study suggest that landscape position and erosion/deposition history play a significant role in the ability of NT soils to sequester SOC. Interpretations of long-term SOC monitoring studies must take into account the location of samples within fields if useful information is to be gained on C dynamics in agricultural soils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There has been a careless use of terminology like “climate change mitigation” and “mitigate global warming” in scientific papers on no-tillage management in agriculture. This is because it has yet to be shown unequivocally that no-tillage can lead to carbon (C) sequestration let alone climate change mitigation. I briefly summarize evidence that shows that the claims of climate change mitigation through no-tillage agriculture are highly overstated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Agricultural soils can constitute either a net source or sink of the three principal greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). We compiled the most up-to-date information available on the contribution of agricultural soils to atmospheric levels of these gases and evaluated the mitigation potential of various management practices in eastern Canada and northeastern USA. Conversion of native ecosystems to arable cropping resulted in a loss of ∼22% of the original soil organic carbon (C)—a release of about 123Tg C to the atmosphere; drainage and cultivation of organic soils resulted in an additional release of about 15Tg C. Management practices that enhance C storage in soil include fertilization and legume- and forage-based rotations. Adopting no-till did not always increase soil C. This apparent absence of no-till effects on C storage was attributed to the type and depth of tillage, soil climatic conditions, the quantity and quality of residue C inputs, and soil fauna. Emission of N2O from soil increased linearly with the amount of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer applied (0.0119kgN2O-NkgN−1). Application of solid manure resulted in substantially lower N2O emission (0.99kgN2O-Nha−1 year−1) than application of liquid manure (2.83kgN2O-Nha−1 year−1) or mineral fertilizer (2.82kgN2O-Nha−1 year−1). Systems containing legumes produced lower annual N2O emission than fertilized annual crops, suggesting that alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and other legume forage crops be considered different from other crops when deriving national inventories of greenhouse gases from agricultural systems. Plowing manure or crop stubble into the soil in the autumn led to higher levels of N2O production (2.41kgN2O-Nha−1 year−1) than if residues were left on the soil surface (1.19kgN2O-Nha−1 year−1). Elevated N2O emission during freeze/thaw periods in winter and spring, suggests that annual N2O emission based only on growing-season measurements would be underestimated. Although measurements of CH4 fluxes are scant, it appears that agricultural soils in eastern Canada are a weak sink of CH4, and that this sink may be diminished through manuring. Although the influence of agricultural management on soil C storage and emission of greenhouse gases is significant, management practices often appear to involve offsets or tradeoffs, e.g., a particular practice may increase soil C storage but also increase emission of N2O. In addition, because of high variability, adequate spatial and temporal sampling are needed for accurate estimates of greenhouse gas flux and soil C stock. Therefore a full accounting of greenhouse gas contributions of agricultural soils is imperative for determining the true mitigation potential of management practices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The farm-level model Holos, developed to explore mitigation options for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from Canadian farming systems, includes soil carbon change as a prominent component. Soil carbon was assumed to be constant, except where there was recent change in land use or management (e.g., conventional vs. reduced vs. no tillage). The factors associated with the changes were derived using CENTURY model simulations. To make Holos more responsive to farm management (e.g., crop rotation and residue management) and inter-annual climate variation, it was decided to replace the carbon change factors with the Introductory Carbon Balance Model (ICBM), a simple two carbon pool model driven by inputs from above- and belowground crop residues and manure. We showcase how the model will simulate the impact of crop rotation management decisions on soil carbon change, focussing on the choice of crop and crop residue retention, but considering also tillage and fertilization management. We argue that simulating carbon change at each field involved in the rotation is advantageous because it allows to test the rotation resilience with respect to inter-annual climate variation as well as to validate the model outputs using measurements of scientific long-term field experiments. We propose to report the farm-level carbon change results ranging from annual to centennial time frames which would be in line with the reporting requirements in carbon credit programs, while giving the user the capability to project and test new crop rotation systems using long-term carbon change forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hummocky landscapes are naturally susceptible to erosion by water and tillage. Downslope movement of material results in the accumulation of soil in depositional positions and exposed sub-soils at the surface of eroded positions, affecting landscape-scale C cycling and productivity. Prolonged or extreme erosion can create inverted soil profiles with deeply buried C-rich surface material. The susceptibility of this C to decomposition is largely controlled by the potential of microorganisms to degrade it with long-term implications for C dynamics in agroecosystems. Our objective in this study was to evaluate whether the redistribution of soil along eroded hill slopes creates differences in the structure of the soil microbial community, both laterally across the landscape and vertically through the soil profile. Using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) and high-throughput DNA sequencing, we investigated the abundance, diversity and community structure of microbial communities along an eroded landscape. Microbial abundance and community structure were found to be strongly influenced by a depth gradient at the near-surface (0–20 cm). In a depositional backslope position, viable microbial biomass was detected to the depth of the A horizon (85 cm), with a C-rich buried layer that contained substantial viable biomass (10.1 –18.8 μg PLFA g −1 soil). Soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration was significantly correlated ( r = 0.40; p < 0.001) with PLFA concentration at all positions, indicating microbial abundance is determined by C availability. In contrast, community structure was related to the origin of the soil in the landscape, and may be regulated more strongly by SOC composition. Pyrosequencing of bacterial and fungal DNA showed that genetic diversity was largely maintained in former surface soils. Our work demonstrates that abundant microbial biomass is supported in C-rich buried soils while SOC is largely preserved for decades. The presence of an abundant and diverse community suggests that there is potential for enhanced C loss under changing conditions such as climate change or modified land-use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]