Winter cover crops increase readily decomposable soil carbon, but compost drives total soil carbon during eight years of intensive, organic vegetable production in California.

ABSTRACT: Maintaining soil organic carbon (SOC) in frequently tilled, intensive organic vegetable production systems is a challenge that is not well understood. Compost and cover crops are often used to add organic matter to the soil in these systems. Compost contributes relatively stabilized carbon (C) while cover crops provide readily degradable (labile) organic matter. Our objectives were to quantify C inputs, and to assess the effects of urban yard-waste compost, winter cover crop frequency and cover crop type on SOC and labile C stocks during eight years of intensive, organic production that usually included two vegetable crops per year in a long-term systems study in Salinas, California. Total C inputs from pelleted fertilizer, compost, vegetable transplant potting mix, vegetable residue and c

SUBMITTER: White KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7004306 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature