Comparison of Topsoil Organic Carbon Stocks on Slopes under Soil-Protecting Forests in Relation to the Adjacent Agricultural Slopes

Michael Märker,Paweł Wiśniewski

doi:10.3390/f12040390

Abstract

Soil erosion is one of the major processes degrading the natural environment but also agricultural production areas. Soil erosion may lead to soil organic carbon (SOC) loss, especially from sloping agricultural terrain units. The use of phytomelioration in environmental management, particularly long-term, permanent forest vegetation, is widely recognized as a possible measure for soil erosion protection and mitigation of climate change through carbon sequestration. The aim of this study was to compare of the topsoil organic carbon stocks on the slopes under soil-protecting forests in relation to the adjacent agricultural slopes. The research was conducted in the young glacial landscape of North-Central Poland. The study indicated the significant role of forest management on the increase of soil organic matter content and SOC stock. The results show that land use and slope gradients are important factors controlling soil organic carbon pools in topsoil in young glacial areas. This topic is extremely important particularly as the effects of climate change become more and more visible, and society faces new challenges in preventing these changes.

Highlights

In the course of the ongoing civilization processes that lead to rapid changes of the natural environment, the carbon balance is increasingly important for a proper functioning of ecosystems and for the socio-economic development of many regions of the world [1]
As well as the analysis of material collected from the soil pits, recross sections, as the analysis material collected from the soil pits, reveal veal Soil the spatial variabilityasofwell soil morphology, as of well as the physical and chemical propthe spatial morphology, as well as up thetophysical properties of erties of thevariability soil withinof thesoil topsoil layer, a depth and of ca.chemical
Significant positive, very high correlation was found between Corg and SOCP both on agricultural slopes and slopes under soil-protecting forests (r = 0.737 and 0.843, respectively; p = 0.001)

Summary

Introduction

In the course of the ongoing civilization processes that lead to rapid changes of the natural environment, the carbon balance is increasingly important for a proper functioning of ecosystems and for the socio-economic development of many regions of the world [1]. Soil organic carbon (SOC) in the form of soil organic matter (SOM) plays an important role in the soil nutrient cycles and soil biodiversity. Benefits of soil organic matter include improvement of soil quality through increased retention of water and nutrients, resulting in greater productivity of plants in natural environments and agricultural settings. SOM improves soil structure and reduces erosion, leading to improved water quality in groundwater and surface waters, and to increased food security and decreased negative impacts to ecosystems [2]. It is a natural resource for the sustainable development of human society and a key foundation for sustainable forestry development [3]. SOC is the most important indicator of soil fertility, and monitoring its space-time changes is a prerequisite to establish strategies to reduce soil loss and to preserve soil quality [4]

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion