Simulation of soil organic carbon stocks in a Mediterranean olive grove under different soil‐management systems using the RothC model
Abstract
Agricultural soils play a very important role in regulating the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) content of the atmosphere, and can behave either as carbon sources or sinks. We have simulated the dynamics of carbon in the soil under different land uses and soil‐management systems in a Mediterranean olive grove with the Rothamsted carbon (RothC) model. To this end we chose patches of native vegetation (NV) and two different olive grove soils (chromic calcisols and calcic vertisols) under different soil‐management systems: conventional tillage (T), and mulching with shredded olive‐pruning debris and residues from olive‐fruit cleaning (PD + CR). We measured the clay content, bulk density, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) in each patch. The SOC and N values decreased by more than 30% as a result of a change in soil use from NV to T olive grove. After adding PD + CR these values rose once more, even to levels above NV. The RothC model performed well for covered soils (NV and PD + CR) but overestimated the SOC values after the soil use was changed from NV to T olive grove, probably due to high carbon losses caused by erosion, common to T soils in the Mediterranean basin. As a result of mulching the soil with only pruning debris, CO 2 emitted to the atmosphere was reduced by >55% for both soils. Associated with this decrease in the emission rate, RothC estimated a potential carbon sequestration of 0.5 and 0.6 t C/ha/yr for chromic calcisols and calcic vertisols, respectively. The reuse of organic debris generated in the olive grove, such as pruning debris and residues from olive‐fruit cleaning, is an efficient way of improving soil properties, diminishing CO 2 emissions and increasing the soil’s capacity to store carbon.
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Authors have modified and coupled RothC by adding and calibrating new specific soil and residue C pools, accounting for tree and crop residues.
“Authors have modified and coupled RothC by adding and calibrating new specific soil and residue C pools, accounting for tree [164] and crop [165] residues.”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [164]
Variation in bulk density increases uncertainty of stock changes and needs to be accounted for to capture spatial heterogeneity effects on SOC dynamics and sequestration.
“Bulk density in particular is a dynamic property when changing from arable to perennial agricultural systems [24], and its variation increases the uncertainty of stock changes [80, 164, 184] and needs to be accounted for to capture the effect of spatial heterogeneity on SOC dynamics and sequestration.”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [164]
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Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out?
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- Authors
- Nieto, O. M., Castro, J., Fernández, E., & Smith, P.
- Affiliations
- Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (ES)
- Universidad de Granada (ES)
- University of Aberdeen (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Nieto, O. M.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Soil Use and Management
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-05-18
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 118-125
- ISSN
- 0266-0032 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-2743
- OpenAlex
- W1948322064
- Cited by
- 130
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 10.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Soil Use and Management (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil erosion and sediment transport
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Management and Crop Yield
- Keywords
- soil organic carbon, RothC model, olive groves, soil management, mulching, conventional tillage, carbon sequestration, CO2 emissions, soil erosion, soil carbon dynamics, Mediterranean agriculture, land use change
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