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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Morris, Minnesota » Soil Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #118656
Title: TILLAGE-INDUCED CARBON DIOXIDE LOSS ACROSS AN ERODED LANDSCAPE

Author
item Reicosky, Donald
item Lindstrom, Michael
item SCHUMACHER, T - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item LOBB, D - UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

Submitted to: Soil and Water Conservation Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Soil carbon (C) losses and soil translocation from tillage operations has been identified as a cause of soil degradation and soil erosion. The objective of this work was to quantify the variability in tillage-induced CO2 loss by moldboard and chisel plowing across an eroded landscape and relate the C loss to soil properties. The study site was a 4-ha wheat field with rolling topography and three soil types in the Barnes-Langhei complex in west central Minnesota (N. Lat. = 45 deg 41', W. Long. = 95 deg 43'). Soil properties were measured at several depths at a 10-m spacing along east-west and north-south transects that included severely eroded, moderately eroded and non-eroded sites. Conventional moldboard plow (25 cm deep) and chisel plow (15 cm deep) equipment were used along the pre-marked transects. Gas exchange measurements utilized a large, portable chamber within 2 m of each sample site following tillage. The measured CO2 fluxes were largest with the moldboard plow > chisel plow > not tilled (before tillage). The variation in CO2 flux in the north-south transect was nearly four-fold immediately after plowing. The CO2 loss was partially related to soil properties with lower CO2 flux on the severely eroded sites. The CO2 loss partially reflected the degradation of soil properties as a result of wind and water erosion and tillage-induced soil translocation. The spatial variation across the landscape suggests non-point sources of soil C loss are complex and the need for improved conservation tillage methods to maintain soil and air quality in agricultural production systems.