Soil Carbon Changes After 10 Years of Corn Stover Removal in An Irrigated System.

An experiment was initiated in 2001 to investigate the effects of removing corn stover for cellulosic ethanol on the soil resource in eastern Nebraska. Treatments in the experiment were tillage system (disk versus notill) and corn stover removal (3 levels). Every year after grain harvest, corn stover has been harvested at three levels, (approximately 0, 50, and 100% of the aboveground stover produced) in an irrigated continuous corn experiment. Soil samples were collected from all plots to a depth of 150-cm prior to initiation of the study and again in the fall of 2010 after grain and stover harvest. All samples were processed and analyzed for total organic C, C4-C, and C3-C. Soil C results from the two sampling dates  in relationship to the treatments will be presented and discussed.