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Dynamics of Deep Soil Carbon: Microbial Community Structure and C Stability.

Poster Number 1813

Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Tampa Convention Center, East Hall, Third Floor

Stuart M. Watts and Charles W. Rice, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Increasing atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases are drivers of global climate change. Soil carbon sequestration has been proposed as a means to mitigate atmospheric CO2 and the effects of climate change. Soil microorganisms play a key role in soil C cycling. Recent studies have shown that deeper layers of soil are more dynamic in carbon cycling than previously thought. The objective of this research was to assess the effect of tillage and N source on deep soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, C stability and microbial community structure. The soil was a Kennebec silt loam previously planted with C3 crops prior to cultivation of continuous corn (Zea mays L.) established in 1990. The experiment was a split-block design with main treatments of conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) and subtreatments of organic fertilizer (OF) and mineral fertilizer (MF). Samples were collected to a depth of 1.2 m. Measurements included SOC, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microbial community using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Source and stability of carbon was measured using δ13C in soil and CO2 during an incubation experiment.
See more from this Division: SSSA Division: Soil Biology & Biochemistry
See more from this Session: Microbial Community Diversity: II

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