Cover crop root contributions to soil carbon in a no‐till corn bioenergy cropping system
Open accessAbstract
Crop residues are potential biofuel feedstocks, but residue removal may reduce soil carbon (C). The inclusion of a cover crop in a corn bioenergy system could provide additional biomass, mitigating the negative effects of residue removal by adding to stable soil C pools. In a no‐till continuous corn bioenergy system in the northern US Corn Belt, we used 13CO2 pulse labeling to trace plant C from a winter rye (Secale cereale) cover crop into different soil C pools for 2 years following rye cover crop termination. Corn stover left as residue (30% of total stover) contributed 66, corn roots 57, rye shoots 61, rye roots 50, and rye rhizodeposits 25 g C m−2 to soil. Five months following cover crop termination, belowground cover crop inputs were three times more likely to remain in soil C pools than were aboveground inputs, and much of the root‐derived C was in mineral‐associated soil fractions. After 2 years, both above‐ and belowground inputs had declined substantially, indicating that the majority of both root and shoot inputs are eventually mineralized. Our results underscore the importance of cover crop roots vs. shoots and the importance of cover crop rhizodeposition (33% of total belowground cover crop C inputs) as a source of soil C. However, the eventual loss of most cover crop C from these soils indicates that cover crops will likely need to be included every year in rotations to accumulate soil C.
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Typically, perennial energy crop cultivation reduces soil C mineralization by enhancing physical protection derived from aggregation due to no-till systems, root exudates, and a longer growth period.
“Typically, perennial energy crop cultivation reduces soil C mineralization by enhancing physical protection derived from aggregation due to no- till systems, a large number of root exudates, and a longer growth period (Austin et al.,2017; Sartori et al.,2006; Tiemann & Grandy, 2015).”
From Marginal land conversion to perennial energy crops with biomass removal enhances soil carbon sequestration (2022) · cites this paper as Austin et al.,2017
The Discussion (page not available in our copy) says root exudates may promote aggregation and that physical protection in aggregates may slow decomposition. But this study concerns a winter rye cover crop in a no-till corn system, not perennial energy crops; it does not establish that perennial cultivation typically reduces soil C mineralization because of no-till, more exudates, or a longer growth period. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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Cites
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- Authors
- Austin, E. E., Wickings, K., McDaniel, M. D., Robertson, G. P., & Grandy, A. S.
- Affiliations
- University of New Hampshire (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Iowa State University (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Austin, Emily E.
- Venue
- GCB Bioenergy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-01-30
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1252-1263
- ISSN
- 1757-1693 (ISSN-L)
- 1757-1707
- OpenAlex
- W2581952877
- Cited by
- 192
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 19.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- GCB Bioenergy (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- University of New Hampshire Scholars Repository (University of New Hampshire at Manchester) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Department of Energy's Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (DE-ACO5-76RL01830)
- DOE Office of Science (DE FC02-07ER64494)
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewal (DE-ACO5-76RL01830)
- National Science Foundation LTER program
- University of New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Bioenergy crop production and management
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Management and Crop Yield
- Keywords
- cover crops, soil carbon, root-derived carbon, winter rye, no-till corn, bioenergy cropping systems, crop residue removal, rhizodeposition, 13CO2 pulse labeling, mineral-associated organic carbon, carbon mineralization, continuous corn, crop rotation
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