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Cited by 802Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsAgricultural Science and FertilizationSoil Management and Crop Yield

Global meta-analysis of the relationship between soil organic matter and crop yields

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Oldfield, Emily E., Bradford, Mark A., Wood, Stephen A.·2019·SOIL
DOI 10.5194/soil-5-15-2019

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Abstract

Resilient, productive soils are necessary to sustainably intensify agriculture to increase yields while minimizing environmental harm. To conserve and regenerate productive soils, the need to maintain and build soil organic matter (SOM) has received considerable attention. Although SOM is considered key to soil health, its relationship with yield is contested because of local-scale differences in soils, climate, and farming systems. There is a need to quantify this relationship to set a general framework for how soil management could potentially contribute to the goals of sustainable intensification. We developed a quantitative model exploring how SOM relates to crop yield potential of maize and wheat in light of co-varying factors of management, soil type, and climate. We found that yields of these two crops are on average greater with higher concentrations of SOC (soil organic carbon). However, yield increases level off at ∼2 % SOC. Nevertheless, approximately two-thirds of the world's cultivated maize and wheat lands currently have SOC contents of less than 2 %. Using this regression relationship developed from published empirical data, we then estimated how an increase in SOC concentrations up to regionally specific targets could potentially help reduce reliance on nitrogen (N) fertilizer and help close global yield gaps. Potential N fertilizer reductions associated with increasing SOC amount to 7 % and 5 % of global N fertilizer inputs across maize and wheat fields, respectively. Potential yield increases of 10±11 % (mean ± SD) for maize and 23±37 % for wheat amount to 32 % of the projected yield gap for maize and 60 % of that for wheat. Our analysis provides a global-level prediction for relating SOC to crop yields. Further work employing similar approaches to regional and local data, coupled with experimental work to disentangle causative effects of SOC on yield and vice versa, is needed to provide practical prescriptions to incentivize soil management for sustainable intensification.

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  • Oldfield et al. (2019) showed that the yield effect of SOC saturates, with no further increase beyond a SOC content of approximately 2%.

    “This was very clearly demonstrated in the meta-­ analysis of Oldfield et al. (2019), who showed that the yield effect of SOC saturates, with no further increase beyond a SOC content of approximately 2%.”

    From Carbon for soils, not soils for carbon (2023) · cites this paper as Oldfield et al., 2019

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Oldfield, E. E., Bradford, M. A., & Wood, S. A.
Affiliations
  • Yale University (US)
  • The Nature Conservancy (US)
Corresponding author
  • Oldfield, Emily E.
  • Bradford, Mark A.
  • Wood, Stephen A.
ORCID
Venue
SOIL
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Published
2019-01-15
Volume
5
Issue
1
Pages
15-32
ISSN
  • 2199-3971 (ISSN-L)
  • 2199-398X
DOI
10.5194/soil-5-15-2019
OpenAlex
W2885268053
Cited by
802
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 143 · 2025: 133 · 2024: 121 · 2023: 127 · 2022: 92 · 2021: 91 · 2020: 75 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 2
FWCI
5.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • SOIL (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Science and Technology Council
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Agricultural Science and Fertilization
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Management and Crop Yield
Keywords
soil organic matter, soil organic carbon, crop yield, maize, wheat, yield gap, nitrogen fertilizer reduction, sustainable intensification, soil management, soil health, yield potential

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