C and N dynamics with repeated organic amendments can be simulated with the STICS model

Abstract

Repeated applications of organic amendments increase soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and nitrogen (N) availability for crops. Soil-crop models can facilitate the study of these effects and optimize the management of amendments. In soil-crop models, C and N mineralization of amendments is simulated by several pools of soil organic matter which have their specific turnover rate. We used the STICS model to quantify the effects of amendments on C and N dynamics in the long-term QualiAgro experiment, in which four amendments were spread every 2 years since 1998. We studied the model’s ability to simulate laboratory incubation and field experiments, depending on the calibration method and the partitioning of the amendment into one or two pools. The one-pool model simulated C and N dynamics in the field experiment as accurately as the two-pools model with a calibration based on field data. However, C and N dynamics measured under laboratory conditions could only be simulated with the two-pools model, which was then used to simulate C and N in the field. The root mean square errors were 1.6 t DM ha−1 for grain yield, 2.6 t C ha−1 for SOC and 41 kg N ha−1 for soil mineral N. Model parameters could be determined using the C:N ratio of amendments and the indicator of remaining organic carbon (IROC), measured at the laboratory. The STICS model can thus be used to simulate SOC and N dynamics with long-term amendments with a simple calibration.