Abstract
The practice of crop rotation can significantly impact carbon sequestration potential. In exploring whether crop rotation has the potential to improve soil carbon sequestration in China’s Loess Plateau, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water content (SWC), soil bulk density (SBD), and soil pH were compared across the 0–1.0 m soil profile, under four crop rotation patterns: lentil–wheat–maize, wheat–potato–lentil, wheat–maize–potato, and wheat–flax–pea. The lentil–wheat–maize and wheat–maize–potato rotations have been practiced over the past 20 years, while the wheat–potato–lentil and wheat–flax–pea rotations were established in 1978 (~40 year rotations). The results showed that under the 20-year lentil–wheat–maize rotation, SOC was not significantly different to that of the wheat–maize–potato rotation, at 6.81 g kg−1 and 6.91 g kg−1, respectively. However, under the lentil–wheat–maize rotation, SWC (9.81%) and SBD (1.19 Mg m−3) were significantly higher, but soil pH (8.42) was significantly lower than the same metrics under wheat–maize–potato rotation (8.43% and 1.16 Mg m−3, and 8.50, respectively). For the 40-year rotations, SWC (9.19%) and soil pH (8.41) under the wheat–potato–lentil were not significantly different to that of the wheat–flax–pea (8.87%, and 8.40, respectively). SOC (6.06 g kg−1) was significantly lower, but SBD (1.18 Mg m−3) was significantly higher under the wheat–potato–lentil than the wheat–flax–pea (7.29 g kg−1, and 1.15 Mg m−3, respectively) rotations. Soil carbon sequestration for the lentil–wheat–maize and wheat–potato–lentil rotations was co-influenced by SWC, SBD, and soil pH, while for wheat–maize–potato and wheat–flax–pea rotations, it was co-influenced by SWC and soil pH. The economic value of the four studied crops is, in order: potato > maize > wheat > flax. The results of the present study suggest that the lentil–wheat–maize and maize–flax–pea rotations are the most suitable patterns to optimize simultaneous economic and ecological development of the study area.
Highlights
Soil is an important carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems and is estimated to contain from 1200 to2200 Gt of soil organic carbon (SOC) [1,2]
(9.81%) was significantly higher than that of the wheat–maize–potato (8.43%) rotation, while for the more established 40-year rotations, no difference in soil water content (SWC) was found between wheat–potato–lentil
SWC values peaked at the 0.1–0.2 m soil layer both for the lentil–wheat–maize and wheat–potato–lentil rotations (10.92%, and 9.83%, respectively), while the SWC of the wheat–maize–potato rotation showed no clear change from one layer to another
Summary
Soil is an important carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems and is estimated to contain from 1200 to2200 Gt of soil organic carbon (SOC) [1,2]. Crop rotation is currently regarded by many to be an important method to improve SOC sequestration, as rotation patterns have significant effects on soil structural stability due to the action of crop root systems. Crop rotations favor a more efficient use of soil nutrients by plants, which can prevent SOC loss, enhance soil fertility, and raise crop yields—results that promote food security and help to mitigate climate change by maintaining the CO2 balance of the atmosphere [11]. Compared to conventional monoculture systems, plant disease diffusion has been shown to be reduced when crop rotation is employed [10,12,13,14,15,16]
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