Long-term (47 yr) effects of tillage and frequency of summerfallow on soil organic carbon in a Dark Brown Chernozem soil in western Canada

Citation

Smith, E.G., Janzen, H.H., Scherloski, L., Larney, F.J., Ellert, B.H. (2016). Long-term (47 yr) effects of tillage and frequency of summerfallow on soil organic carbon in a Dark Brown Chernozem soil in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, [online] 96(4), 347-350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2015-0120

Plain language summary

Increases in the SOC stock obtained by eliminating tillage from spring wheat rotations with summerfallow were limited because of the use of summerfallow. Increases in this study amounted to less than 6% of the SOC stock in the surface 0-7.5 cm, and 4% for 0-45 cm soil layer.

Abstract

After 47 yr of no-till and reduced summerfallow at Lethbridge, Alberta, soil organic carbon concentration and stocks increased 2.14 g kg-1 and 2.22 Mg ha-1, respectively, in the surface 7.5 cm layer. These findings confirmed the conservation value of reducing tillage and summerfallow. The annual changes were relatively small.

Publication date

2016-06-16

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