TY - JOUR

T1 - Changes in the soil inorganic carbon dynamics in the tilled layer of a semi-arid Mediterranean soil due to irrigation and a change in crop

T2 - Uncertainties in the calculation of pedogenic carbonates

AU - De Soto, Isabel S.

AU - Barré, Pierre

AU - Zamanian, Kazem

AU - Urmeneta, Henar

AU - Antón, Rodrigo

AU - Enrique, Alberto

AU - Virto, Iñigo

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024

PY - 2024/11

Y1 - 2024/11

N2 - Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) accounts for more than one-third of the total soil carbon pool, but the effect of agricultural management on carbonates dynamics in Mediterranean semi-arid calcareous soils has largely been ignored and remains unclear. However, SIC plays a key role in physical, chemical and, biological properties of soils, which in turn can affect plant growth and productivity. Based on a 7-year field experiment in a paired irrigated and non-irrigated trial, with two different crops (maize and wheat), we investigated the effects of the land use change (from non-irrigated wheat to irrigated maize) on the SIC dynamics in the topsoil (0–30 cm) of a carbonate-rich soil in Navarre, northern Spain. The results obtained using the accepted equation for determining carbonate type showed that during the 7-year study period, irrigation application and the crop change modified the carbonate typology (lithogenic and pedogenic) in a very short period, without affecting the total SIC content. The main drivers of pedogenic carbonate formation in this case appear to be the water volume and the type of organic matter entering the soil (from C3 plants or C4 plants). However, the equation seems to be strongly dependent on the type of soil organic carbon, which can introduce uncertainties when used to determine the proportion of pedogenic carbonates in soils experiencing a crop change from C3 to C4 plants.

AB - Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) accounts for more than one-third of the total soil carbon pool, but the effect of agricultural management on carbonates dynamics in Mediterranean semi-arid calcareous soils has largely been ignored and remains unclear. However, SIC plays a key role in physical, chemical and, biological properties of soils, which in turn can affect plant growth and productivity. Based on a 7-year field experiment in a paired irrigated and non-irrigated trial, with two different crops (maize and wheat), we investigated the effects of the land use change (from non-irrigated wheat to irrigated maize) on the SIC dynamics in the topsoil (0–30 cm) of a carbonate-rich soil in Navarre, northern Spain. The results obtained using the accepted equation for determining carbonate type showed that during the 7-year study period, irrigation application and the crop change modified the carbonate typology (lithogenic and pedogenic) in a very short period, without affecting the total SIC content. The main drivers of pedogenic carbonate formation in this case appear to be the water volume and the type of organic matter entering the soil (from C3 plants or C4 plants). However, the equation seems to be strongly dependent on the type of soil organic carbon, which can introduce uncertainties when used to determine the proportion of pedogenic carbonates in soils experiencing a crop change from C3 to C4 plants.

KW - Irrigation

KW - Pedogenic carbonates

KW - Semi-arid land

KW - Soil inorganic carbon dynamics

KW - Stable carbon isotopes

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85203149236&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.catena.2024.108362

DO - 10.1016/j.catena.2024.108362

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85203149236

VL - 246

JO - CATENA

JF - CATENA

SN - 0341-8162

M1 - 108362

ER -