What is the stability of additional organic carbon stored thanks to alternative cropping systems and organic waste product application? A multi-method evaluation

Abstract

The implementation of agroecological practices often leads to additional soil organic carbon storage, and we have sought to assess the biogeochemical stability of this additional carbon. To achieve this, we implemented a multi-method approach using particle size and density fractionation, Rock-Eval® (RE) thermal analyses and long-term incubation (484 d), which we applied to topsoil samples (0–30 cm) from temperate Luvisols that had been subjected in >20-year-long experiments in France to conservation agriculture (CA), organic agriculture (ORG) and conventional agriculture (CON-LC) in the La Cage experiment and to organic waste product (OWP) applications in the QualiAgro experiment, including biowaste compost (BIOW), residual municipal solid waste compost (MSW), farmyard manure (FYM) and conventional agriculture without organic inputs (CON-QA). The additional carbon resulting from agroecological practices is the difference between the carbon stock of the bulk soil and physical fractions or carbon pools in the soil affected by agroecological practices and that of the same soil affected by a conventional practice used as control. The incubations provided information on the additional carbon stability in the short term (i.e. mean residence time, MRT, of <2 years) and showed that the additional soil organic carbon mineralized faster than the carbon in the conventional control at La Cage but slower at QualiAgro. In OWP-treated plots at QualiAgro, 60 %–66 % of the additional carbon was stored as mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM-C) and 34 %–40 % as particulate organic matter (POM-C). In CA and ORG systems at La Cage, 77 %–84 % of the additional carbon was stored as MAOM-C, whereas 16 %–23 % was stored as POM-C. Management practices hence influenced the distribution of additional carbon in physical fractions. Utilizing the PARTYSOC model with Rock-Eval® thermal analysis parameters, we found that most, if not all, of the additional carbon belonged to the active carbon pool (MRT∼30–40 years). In summary, our comprehensive multi-method evaluation indicates that the additional soil organic carbon is less stable over decadal and pluri-decadal timescales compared to soil carbon under conventional control conditions. Our results show that particle size and density fractions can be heterogenous in their biogeochemical stability. On the other hand, although the additional carbon is mainly associated with MAOM, the high proportion of this carbon in the active pool suggests that it has a mean residence time which does not exceed ∼50 years. Furthermore, agroecological practices with equivalent additional carbon stocks (MSW, FYM and CA) exhibited a higher proportion of additional carbon in POM-C under MSW (40 %) and FYM (34 %) compared to CA (16 %), which suggests a high chemical recalcitrance of POM-C under OWP management relative to conservation agriculture. Additional soil organic carbon derived from organic waste, i.e. biomass that has partially decomposed and has been transformed through its processing prior to its incorporation in soil, would be more biogeochemically stable in soil than that derived directly from plant biomass. The apparent contradictions observed between methods can be explained by the fact that they address different kinetic pools of organic carbon. Care must be taken to specify which range of residence times is considered when using any method with the intent to evaluate the biogeochemical stability of soil organic matter, as well as when using the terms stable or labile. In conclusion, the contrasting biogeochemical stabilities observed in the different management options highlight the need to maintain agroecological practices to keep these carbon stocks at a high level over time, given that the additional carbon is stable on a pluri-decadal scale.