Alan Wright, Everglades Research & Education Center, Univ of Florida, 3200 E Palm Beach Rd, Belle Glade, FL 33430, Fugen Dou, Int'l Arctic Research Center, Univ of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7340, and Frank Hons, Texas A&M Univ, Crop &Soil Dept, West Campus Mail Stop 2474, College Station, TX 77843-2474.
Effects of long-term tillage and cropping sequences on soil dissolved organic C (DOC) stratification were investigated. Soil DOC, soil organic C (SOC), and total N were measured in increments to 105 cm in continuous sorghum and a sorghum-wheat-soybean rotation after 20 years of treatment imposition. For continuous sorghum, DOC was greater under NT than CT throughout the profile. For the sorghum-wheat-soybean rotation, DOC was greater under NT than CT only for the 0-5 cm depth. Differences in DOC between cropping sequences were observed down to 55 cm, and down to 80 cm for tillage treatments. The DOC stratification with depth was similar to SOC for both cropping sequences. The DOC was highest at 0-5 cm (156 mg kg-1) and lowest at 80-105 cm (55 mg kg-1), while SOC (13 g kg-1) and total N (1340 mg kg-1) were 7 and 9 times greater at 0-5 cm than 80-105 cm. The percentage of SOC as DOC ranged from 1% (0-5 cm) to 3% (80-105 cm), and was generally higher for NT than CT, although no effects of cropping sequence were observed. Increases in DOC with depth for CT were likely a result of residue incorporation by tillage operations, while DOC changes with depth were related to SOC.
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