K. Coleman

A comparison of the performance of nine soil organic matter models using datasets from seven long-term experiments

Nine soil organic models were evaluated using twelve datasets from seven long-term experiments. Datasets represented three different land-uses (grassland, arable cropping and woodland) and a range of climatic conditions within the temperate region. Different treatments (inorganic fertilizer, organic manures and different rotations) at the same site allowed the effects of differing land management to be explored. Model simulations were evaluated against the measured data and the performance of the models was compared both qualitatively and quantitatively. Not all models were able to simulate all datasets; only four attempted all. No one model performed better than all others across all datasets. The performance of each model in simulating each dataset is discussed. A comparison of the overall performance of models across all datasets reveals that the model errors of one group of models (RothC, CANDY, DNDC, CENTURY, DAISY and NCSOIL) did not differ significantly from each other. Another group (SOMM, ITE and Verberne) did not differ significantly from each other but showed significantly larger model errors than did models in the first group. Possible reasons for differences in model performance are discussed in detail.

Simulating trends in soil organic carbon in long-term experiments using RothC-26.3

Abstract As part of a model evaluation exercise, RothC-26.3, a model for the turnover of organic carbon in non-waterlogged soils, was fitted to measurements of organic carbon from 18 different experimental treatments on 6 long-term experimental sites in Germany, England, the USA, the Czech Republic and Australia. In the fitting process, the model was first run with an annual return of plant C that had been selected iteratively to give the carbon content of the soil at the start of each experiment. This was done for the soil and climate of each site. If the radiocarbon content of the soil organic matter was known, the inert organic carbon (IOM) content of the soil was also calculated for the start of the experiment. Using these carbon and radiocarbon contents as a starting point, the model was then run for each of the experimental treatments to be fitted, using iteratively selected values for the annual return of plant materials to the soil. The value used for each treatment was selected to optimise the fit between modelled and measured data over the whole experimental period: fitting was done by eye. Thus fitted, RothC-26.3 gave an acceptable approximation to the measurements for 14 of the treatments, bearing in mind the experimental errors in measuring soil organic carbon on a per hectare basis. With four of the treatments (Highfield Bare Fallow, Park Grass plot 13d, Ruzyně farmyard manure plot and Tamworth rotation 5), the fit was less satisfactory.

Enhancing the carbon sink in European agricultural soils: including trace gas fluxes in estimates of carbon mitigation potential.

The possibility that the carbon sink in agricultural soils can be enhanced has taken on great political significance since the Kyoto Protocol was finalised in December 1997. The Kyoto Protocol allows carbon emissions to be offset by demonstrable removal of carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, forestry activities (Article 3.3) and changes in the use of agricultural soils (Article 3.4) that are shown to reduce atmospheric CO2levels may be included in the Kyoto emission reduction targets. The European Union is committed to a reduction in CO2 emissions to 92% of baseline (1990) levels during the first commitment period (2008–2012). We have shown recently that there are a number of agricultural land-management changes that show some potential to increase the carbon sink in agricultural soils and others that allow alternative forms of carbon mitigation (i.e. through fossil fuel substitution), but the options differ greatly in their potential for carbon mitigation. The changes examined were, (a) switching all animal manure use to arable land, (b) applying all sewage sludge to arable land, (c) incorporating all surplus cereal straw, (d) conversion to no-till agriculture, (e) use of surplus arable land to de-intensify 1/3 of current intensive crop production (through use of 1/3 grass/arable rotations), (f) use of surplus arable land to allow natural woodland regeneration, and (g) use of surplus arable land for bioenergy crop production. In this paper, we attempt for the first time to assess other (non-CO2) effects of these land-management changes on (a) the emission of the other important agricultural greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide, and (b) other aspects of the ecology of the agroecosystems. We find that the relative importance of trace gas fluxes varies enormously among the scenarios. In some such as the sewage sludge, woodland regeneration and bioenergy production scenarios, the inclusion of trace gases makes only a small (<10%) difference to the CO2-C mitigation potential. In other cases, for example the no-till, animal manure and agricultural de-intensification scenarios, trace gases have a large impact, sometimes halving or more than doubling the CO2-C mitigation potential. The scenarios showing the greatest increase when including trace gases are those in which manure management changes significantly. In the one scenario (no-till) where the carbon mitigation potential was reduced greatly, a small increase in methane oxidation was outweighed by a sharp increase in N2O emissions. When these land-management options are combined to examine the whole agricultural land area of Europe, most of the changes in mitigation potential are small, but depending upon assumptions for the animal manure scenario, the total mitigation potential either increases by about 20% or decreases by about 10%, shifting the mitigation potential of the scenario from just above the EUs 8% Kyoto emission reduction target (98.9 Tg C y−1) to just below it. Our results suggest that (a) trace gas fluxes may change the mitigation potential of a land management option significantly and should always be considered alongside CO2-C mitigation potentials and (b) agricultural management options show considerable potential for carbon mitigation even after accounting for trace gas fluxes.

Seasonal changes of soil microbial biomass in an arable and a grassland soil which have been under uniform management for many years

Annual changes in biomass C, N and P were followed in two soils from the Rothamsted Classical Experiments that have been under the same management for > 100 yr, one under continuous wheat and the other under grass. Sampling was at approximately monthly intervals, over a period of ca 1 yr. Annual changes were small in both soils and largely masked by experimental and sampling error. Over the year, the arable soil (0–23 cm) contained a mean of 689 ± 11.6 kg biomass C ha−1, 154 ± 2.9 kg biomass N ha−1 and 47 ± 3.3 kg biomass P ha−1, The corresponding means for the grassland soil were 1121 ± 24.6 kg biomass C ha−1, 255 ± 10.4 kg biomass N ha−1 and 129 ± 4.8 kg biomass P ha−1.

Regional estimates of carbon sequestration potential: linking the Rothamsted carbon model to GIS databases

Abstract Soil organic matter (SOM) represents a major pool of carbon within the biosphere. It is estimated at about 1400 Pg globally, which is roughly twice that in atmospheric CO2. The soil can act as both a source and a sink for carbon and nutrients. Changes in agricultural land use and climate can lead to changes in the amount of carbon held in soils, thus, affecting the fluxes of CO2 to and from the atmosphere. Some agricultural management practices will lead to a net sequestration of carbon in the soil. Regional estimates of the carbon sequestration potential of these practices are crucial if policy makers are to plan future land uses to reduce national CO2 emissions. In Europe, carbon sequestration potential has previously been estimated using data from the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems Soil Organic Matter Network (GCTE SOMNET). Linear relationships between management practices and yearly changes in soil organic carbon were developed and used to estimate changes in the total carbon stock of European soils. To refine these semi-quantitative estimates, the local soil type, meteorological conditions and land use must also be taken into account. To this end, we have modified the Rothamsted Carbon Model, so that it can be used in a predictive manner, with SOMNET data. The data is then adjusted for local conditions using Geographical Information Systems databases. In this paper, we describe how these developments can be used to estimate carbon sequestration at the regional level using a dynamic simulation model linked to spatially explicit data. Some calculations of the potential effects of afforestation on soil carbon stocks in Central Hungary provide a simple example of the system in use.

Trends in herbage yields over the last century on the Rothamsted long-term continuous Hay experiment

Yields from five of the plots on the Park Grass Continuous Hay experiment at Rothamsted, started in 1856, were examined to see if any long-term trends could be detected over the last 100 years. Three of the plots examined are unfertilized; two receive inorganic nutrients every year; all are harvested twice a year. In 1959 the harvesting procedure was changed: yields for the periods before and after this change were examined separately and together. On none of the three unfertilized plots was the slope of the regression of total yield (i.e. first and second cutscombined) on time significantly ( P A linear regression model was fitted to the data in an attempt to separate the effects of meteorological variables (rainfall and sunshine hours over selected parts of the year) on total yield from possible long-term effects brought about, for example, by the increasing concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere. On four of the five plots this model accounted for between 12 and 21% of the yield variance in the pre-1959 period and between 45 and 63% after 1960. On the fifth plot, which received the highest level of N, the model accounted for 29% of the variance in the first period but only for 16% in the second period. When a linear trend with time was included in the model, this was not significant on any of the plots over the entire 1891–1992 period, although some significant trends appeared when the two periods were considered separately. The model was also fitted with the atmospheric CO 2 concentration in place of the linear trend with time: again there were no consistent trends. Neither changes in the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere over the last century nor increasing inputs of combined N in rainfall or in dry deposition have had any detectable effects on yield in these plots.

EuroSOMNET – a European database of long-term experiments on soil organic matter: the WWW metadatabase

Since 1997, the EuroSOMNET project, funded by the EU-ENRICH programme, has assembled a metadatabase, and separate experimental databases, of European long-term experiments that investigate changes in soil organic matter. In this paper, we describe the WWW-based metadatabase, which is a product of this project. The database holds detailed records of 110 long-term soil organic matter experiments, giving a wide geographical coverage of Europe, and includes experiments from the European part of the former Soviet Union, many of which have not been available previously. For speed of access, records are stored as hyper-text mark-up language (HTML) files. In this paper, we describe the metadatabase, the experiments for which records are held, the information stored about each experiment, and summarize the main characteristics of these experiments. Details from the metadatabase have already been used to examine regional trends in soil organic matter in Germany and eastern Europe, to construct and calibrate a regional statistical model of humus balance in Russia, to examine the effects of climatic conditions on soil organic matter dynamics, to estimate the potential for carbon sequestration in agricultural soils in Europe, and to test and improve soil organic matter models. The EuroSOMNET metadatabase provides information applicable to a wide range of agricultural and environmental questions and can be accessed freely via the EuroSOMNET home page at URL: http://www.iacr.bbsrc.ac.uk/aen/eusomnet/index.htm.

Simulation of nitrogen in soil and winter wheat crops: modelling nitrogen turnover through organic matter

A computer model is described that simulates leaching, organic matter turnover and nitrogen uptake by a winter wheat crop. The model is assessed against a data set from the Netherlands where winter wheat was grown in two seasons (1982–3 and 1983–4) on three different soils in two different parts of the country. The model satisfactorily simulated the growth, N uptake and production of grain. It also simulated the dynamics of indigenous soil N well but it did not always account for the fate of applied fertilizer N. Some possible reasons for this and ways of improving the model are discussed.

EuroSOMNET—a database for long-term experiments on soil organic matter in Europe

Abstract Long-term experiments are usually connected with a large volume of data published in many different papers. Centralised storage of information in the form of databases is a suitable way to make the data more accessible for possible users. Although a collection of metadata exists on long-term experiments in Europe, related to the turnover of soil organic matter, a convenient method to access the actual data was required. The EuroSOMNET database has been designed in order to save detailed information from those experiments. The data model contains five pools of information: basics, climate, soil information, field management and results. Dataholders decide on the state of accessibility of their dataset (related to each experiment). Possible states range from private (access only for dataholders) to public (access to all Internet users). The most important advantages of this system are a standardised yet flexible data structure that facilitates the data exchange between different users. At this time there are 25 experiments at different states of data processing stored. The sites extend from Russia to Great Britain. Land use systems contained are arable systems, grassland, bare fallow and vegetable production.

The influence of fertilizer nitrogen and season on the carbon-13 abundance of wheat straw

Carbon-13 abundance, expressed as δ13C in ‰, was measured in wheat straw grown between 1984 and 1989 on the Broadbalk Continuous Wheat Experiment at Rothamsted. In all six years, straw grown without fertilizer N contained less carbon-13 (i.e.δ13C was more negative) than straw grown with fertilizer, although the magnitude of this difference varied with year. In a dry year, when dry matter response to fertilizer N was relatively small, there was a large difference between the δ13C of straw grown with and without N. Conversely, in a wet year, when there was a marked response to N, there was little difference in the isotopic composition of N-fertilized and unfertilized straw. Over the six years, the difference between the δ13C value of straw grown with and without nitrogen (D13C, in ‰) was related to drought, measured as the calculated soil water deficit on 15 July (Wj, in mm), by the equation D13C=−0.299+0.01034 Wj (r=0.87). H Lambers Section editor