Author
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Franzluebbers, Alan |
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CUASARANO, H - AUBURN, UNIVERSITY |
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Reeves, Donald |
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SHAW, J - AUBURN, UNIVERSITY |
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NORFLEET, M - USDA-NRCS, TEMPLE, TX |
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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 3/21/2005 Publication Date: 3/21/2005 Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J., Cuasarano, H.J., Reeves, D.W., Shaw, J.N., Norfleet, M.L. 2005. Soil organic carbon sequestration in cotton production systems of the southeastern USA [abstract]. Third USDA Symposium on Greenhouse Gasses and Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture and Forestry. 21-24 March 2005, Baltimore, Maryland. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Conservation-oriented agricultural management systems have been suggested to sequester soil organic C (SOC), improve soil quality, and increase crop productivity. Our objective was to summarize and synthesize available literature related to SOC sequestration in cotton production systems of the southeastern USA. From a review of 20 studies in the region, SOC increased with no tillage compared with conventional tillage by 0.2 +/- 0.2 ton/acre/year. Variation was large, but was expected based on the diversity of soils, cropping systems, and experimental conditions that occurred among locations. By implementing no tillage continuously for 10 years on a typical soil in the southeastern USA, SOC to a depth of 8 inches could be expected to increase from 11 ton C/acre initially to 13 ton C/acre (19% increase). More diverse rotations of cotton with high-residue-producing crops such as corn and small grains would sequester greater quantities of SOC than continuous cotton. Conservation tillage with cover cropping is an appropriate technology for SOC sequestration and complements additional benefits of reducing soil erosion, reducing fuel cost, increasing biological diversity, and improving nutrient cycling. |
