Deep soil flipping increases carbon stocks of New Zealand grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC) has been recognized as an opportunity to off-set global carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) emissions. Flipping (full inversion to 1-3 m) is a practice used on New Zealand's South Island West Coast to eliminate water-logging in highly podzolized sandy soils. Flipping results in burial of SOC formed in surface soil horizons into the subsoil and the transfer of subsoil material low in SOC to the "new" topsoil. The aims of this study were to quantify changes in the storage and stability of SOC over a 20-year period following flipping of high-productive pasture grassland. Topsoils (0-30 cm) from sites representing a chronosequence of flipping (3-20 years old) were sampled (2005/07) and re-sampled (2017) to assess changes in topsoil carbon stocks. Deeper

SUBMITTER: Schiedung M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6850463 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature