Persistent soil carbon enhanced in Mollisols by well-managed grasslands but not annual grain or dairy forage cropping systems [Agricultural Sciences]

Intensive crop production on grassland-derived Mollisols has liberated massive amounts of carbon (C) to the atmosphere. Whether minimizing soil disturbance, diversifying crop rotations, or re-establishing perennial grasslands and integrating livestock can slow or reverse this trend remains highly uncertain. We investigated how these management practices affected soil organic carbon (SOC)...

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - February 10, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Yichao Rui, Randall D. Jackson, M. Francesca Cotrufo, Gregg R. Sanford, Brian J. Spiesman, Leonardo Deiss, Steven W. Culman, Chao Liang, Matthew D. Ruark Tags: Agricultural Sciences Biological Sciences Source Type: research