Mechanistic descriptions for organic matter turnover in planted soils
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
The quantity and quality of organic matter entering the soil is driven by plant root growth and turnover. The movement, recycling and fate of these inputs beyond the rhizosphere affects the structural arrangement of mineral particles in the soil, and thus key properties relevant to agricultural land use. We have a unique modelling framework that describes the bulk turnover of carbon and nitrogen according to the abundance (and established dynamic) of discrete soil organic matter fractions, which can be measured and monitored using a validated and widely cited and applied separation procedure that we also developed. Managed land, including research experiments, is at best in a state of 'dynamic equilibrium' due to seasonal root activity. We propose that the long-term Highfield bare fallow is closest to genuine equilibrium, having had almost no plant input for 60 years, and become highly depleted in organic matter. Monitoring, analysis and characterisation of organic matter fractions from this soil, replanted both with grass and wheat will, in the absence of 'noise' from other fresh organic matter, enable the dynamics of the new root-derived material to be evaluated by modelling the process of transition.
Objectives:
1. We will explicitly distinguish the dynamics of material derived from roots, and material added as physically incorporated manure, plant litter, and crop residues.
2. We will qualitatively, and later quantitatively, compare, using the same tools, the turnover of carbon in 'stratified' (grassland) and 'mixed' (arable) soil systems, and link the differences to simultaneous measurement (from another project) of meso-faunal activity.
Objectives:
1. We will explicitly distinguish the dynamics of material derived from roots, and material added as physically incorporated manure, plant litter, and crop residues.
2. We will qualitatively, and later quantitatively, compare, using the same tools, the turnover of carbon in 'stratified' (grassland) and 'mixed' (arable) soil systems, and link the differences to simultaneous measurement (from another project) of meso-faunal activity.
Planned Impact
unavailable
People |
ORCID iD |
| Keith Goulding (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
De Nobili M
(2008)
Assessment of chemical and biochemical stabilization of organic C in soils from the long-term experiments at Rothamsted (UK).
in Waste management (New York, N.Y.)
Dent, David
(2013)
Soil as World Heritage
Gregory A
(2013)
An assessment of subsoil organic carbon stocks in E ngland and W ales
in Soil Use and Management
Gregory Andrew
(2010)
The effects of soil management on subsoil organic matter
in EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
Gregory AS
(2016)
Long-term management changes topsoil and subsoil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a temperate agricultural system.
in European journal of soil science
Hirsch P
(2009)
Starving the soil of plant inputs for 50 years reduces abundance but not diversity of soil bacterial communities
in Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Markgraf W
(2012)
Influence of organic matter on rheological properties of soil
in Applied Clay Science
Paradelo R
(2015)
Net effect of liming on soil organic carbon stocks: A review
in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Powlson D
(2011)
Soil management in relation to sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services
in Food Policy
Rattan, Lal; Klaus, Lorenz; Huttl, Reinhard F; Schneider, Bernd Uwe; Von Braun, Professor Joachim (Univ. Of Kiel, Germany)
(2013)
Ecosystem Services and Carbon Sequestration in the Biosphere
| Description | The key findings from the project are for 'carbon turnover rates' (i.e. the speed with which organic material such as crop residues, manures and composts are broken down in the soil) for a range of soil types and countries. Knowing these enables us to calculate the proportion of any such added carbon that remains in the soil and is therefore sequestered, mitigating climate change, and what gains and losses of soil carbon occur under different land uses and managements. |
| Exploitation Route | The Roth-C model is a key component of 'KeySoil', the spin-off company set up to promote good soil management and being used by Vitacress fresh produce growers and under discussion with Sainsburys. The main exploitation route is via the Roth-C model, the results being used to improve the model and make it useable in many countries around the work. The model is currently (Feb 2017) licensed to 2619 users in 115 countries. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment |
| URL | http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/ssgs/RothC/RothC.php |
| Description | The main use of the findings from the project have been to improve the RothC carbon cycling model which, by the end of 2016, was used by 2619 scientists from 115 counties. In 2016 there were 379 new users. Most users are from the UK (286), India (219), USA (202), China (183) and Australia (175). There were a surprising number of requests for the model from Iran (40) and we have had requests from Palestine, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2008 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Title | eRA |
| Description | A new version of the Electronic Rothamsted Archive (eRA) has been launched: http://www3.rothamsted.ac.uk/cdera/extract/pages/data_extraction_prototype6.html. It includes: data from the North Wyke Farm Platform; open access data on yields for the Broadbalk and Hoosfield long-term (>150 years) experiments; plant species data for Park Grass; soil organic carbon trends; meteorological data; 3300 reports, maps and plans, which will be given DOIs and made publically available. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | eRA has been delivering data to enquirers for many years with a steadily increasing demand: 73 users in 2010/11 and 120 users in 2015/15. The new version of eRA was launched in 2014. |
| URL | http://www3.rothamsted.ac.uk/cdera/extract/pages/data_extraction_prototype6.html |
| Description | Remote sensing of soil carbon on Broadbalk |
| Organisation | University of Leuven |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | In November 2013 Louvain University, Belgium used a drone (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) to take aerial images of Broadbalk using a multi-spectral camera and construct a map of soil carbon. Funded by the EU ExpeER project. In March 2014 our Belgian collaborators returned to carry out additional aerial imaging over the Hoosfield Barley Experiment. We were able to provide access to the sites for this work and help develop the plans for the approach to be used. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaborators from Louvain provided the equipment and expertise to carry out the aerial imaging, subsequent data manipulation and analysis. |
| Impact | ALDANA-JAGUE E., GOULDING K., MACDONALD A., POULTON P., STEVENS A., VAN WESEMAEL B AND VAN OOST K. (2014) High-resolution spatial patterns of Soil Organic Carbon content derived from low-altitude aerial multi-band imagery on the Broadbalk Wheat Experiment at Rothamsted, UK. Proceedings of the European Geosciences Union Meeting, Vienna, May, 1, 2014. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | UK Biochar Research Centre |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Rothamsted is in partnership with the UK Biochar Research Centre (UKBRC) at the University of Edinburgh to research the production and use of biochar |
| Start Year | 2009 |
| Title | KeySoil model used by Sainsburys fresh produce producers |
| Description | The KeySoil model for helping farmers to manage and value soil organic matter has been adopted by Sainsburys for use by its (at least 250) fresh produce farmers. |
| IP Reference | |
| Protection | Copyrighted (e.g. software) |
| Year Protection Granted | 2010 |
| Licensed | Yes |
| Impact | The KeySoil model and KeySoil technology generally allows farmers to determine the organic matter status of their soil, whether it is increasing or decreasing, practical steps that they could take to increase or maintain soil organic matter and the cost of doing this. |
| Description | Royal Society Summer Exhibition: 'Journey to the centre of the Earth. The first 23 cm' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Multimedia display about soil biodiversity at the Royal Society's Summer Exhibition in June and July 2010, with closed presentations to Royal Society fellows and then a week's presentation to the public. Held at the Southbank Centre in London. Computer displays. Handouts. Games. no actual impacts realised to date |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | Soil based solutions to carbon management: soil carbon pools, stability and manipulation in the context of whole farm systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Type Of Presentation | keynote/invited speaker |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | My presentation contributed to the development of BBSRC strategy on soil science, particularly research into soil carbon. BBSRC strategic initiatives SARISA (soil-rhizosphere interactions) and SARIC (sustainable agriculture club). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |