Long-Term Effect of Nitrogen and Tillage Management on Soil Carbon Pools in the Semiarid Northern Great Plains

ABSTRACT

No-tillage and manure application effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) concentrations were studied under a 27-year-old 4-year rotation consisting corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-field pea (Pisum sativum L.). Under each crop, four applied N treatments were control, annual urea-N applications at the rate of 45 and 89 kg N ha⁻¹, and composted beef cattle feedlot manure-N at the rate 179 kg N ha⁻¹ applied once every four year. For each fertilizer treatment, no-till (NT) and conventional till (CT) were compared for basic soil properties, SOC, and total N within 0–15 cm soil. Manure application significantly reduced soil bulk density and increased SOC and total N over urea-N. Particulate organic matter, mineralizable N, and permanganate-oxidizable C fractions significantly related with SOC. Long-term manure additions and no-tillage had potential to improve soil compaction and maintain SOC over chemical fertilizer N and CT.

KEYWORDS:

• Manure
• no-tillage
• particulate organic matter (POM)
• permanganate oxidizable carbon (POC)
• soil carbon