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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Soil, Water & Air Resources Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #399269
Research Project: Optimizing Carbon Management for Enhancing Soil and Crop Performances

Location: Soil, Water & Air Resources Research

Title: Stimulation of corn root growth by humic products in Iowa fields: implications for soil properties

Author
item Olk, Daniel - Dan
item Dinnes, Dana

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2022
Publication Date: 11/6/2022
Citation: Olk, D.C., Dinnes, D.L. 2022. Stimulation of corn root growth by humic products in Iowa fields: implications for soil properties [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting. Paper No. 147-5.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In three years of sampling corn roots at two field locales in central Iowa, humic product application caused a late-season increase in root length and cross-sectional area within a defined soil volume, by on average about 15%. In droughtier conditions, humic product application caused greater proportional increases in root growth, reaching as high as a 50% increase, together with greater root lignification, resulting in yet greater input of recalcitrant compounds to soil. These trends potentially carry positive implications for soil properties, as roots might be the primary source of stable carbon in soils. Accordingly, in one nearby long-term field experiment, benefits to soil physical properties were evident in subsoil depths.