Contributions of Different Perennial Grass Species and Their Roots’ Characteristics to Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation

Aida Skersiene (), Alvyra Slepetiene, Vaclovas Stukonis and Egle Norkeviciene
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Aida Skersiene: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Akademija, Lithuania
Alvyra Slepetiene: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Akademija, Lithuania
Vaclovas Stukonis: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Akademija, Lithuania
Egle Norkeviciene: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Akademija, Lithuania

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: Growing perennial grasses is often cited as one of the possible and most affordable solutions for mitigating climate change. This practice is also recommended for sustainable soil management in agriculture. Our experiment involved timothy grass ( Phleum pratense L.), red clover ( Trifolium pratense L.), and their mixture; tall oat grass ( Arrhenatherum elatius L.), alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.), and their mixture, with the aim of diversifying the annual rotation; and periodical, twice-per-season cultivated plots in the same area (the bare soil fallow). Soil samples were collected in late October after plant vegetation’s first, second, and third growth years from three field replicates at the soil layers 0–0.1 m, 0.1–0.2 m, and 0.2–0.3 m and plant roots—at the beginning of November in the second cultivation year. After three years, the SOC content increased in all the study areas occupied by plants, regardless of their species composition, while it decreased in fallow plots. Grass roots were characterized by the highest C/N ratio (38.2 and 45.5). The roots of the red clover–timothy grass mixture also reached a C/N ratio greater than 30. Based on our research, choosing a combination of at least two plants, such as legumes and grasses, is possibly more effective for enriching the soil with carbon compounds in a short period.

Keywords: carbon sequestration; sustainable soil management; rotation; legume; grass (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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