Soil organic matter dynamics in Portuguese natural and sown rainfed grasslands

R.F.M. Teixeira, Tiago Domingos, A.P.S.V. Costa, R. Oliveira, L. Farropas, F. Calouro, A.M. Barradas and J.P.B.G. Carneiro

Ecological Modelling, 2011, vol. 222, issue 4, 993-1001

Abstract: Soil organic matter (SOM) is a particularly important parameter in soil management, especially in mineral soils in Mediterranean and semi-arid countries where its concentration is low. In these conditions, increasing SOM concentration has several agronomic and environmental benefits, ranging from increase in water holding capacity to soil protection and carbon sequestration. We develop a model to express the short-term trend of SOM increase in grasslands as the balance between input and mineralization. This model is calibrated using five years of soil analyses from eight locations. In each location there were either two or three plots with the different grassland systems considered: sown biodiverse permanent pastures rich in legumes (SBPPRLs), fertilized natural grasslands (FNGs), and (un-improved) natural grasslands (NGs). SBPPRL are a new system consisting in the use of plant biodiversity to increase pasture productivity and resilience. So far, they exist mostly in Portugal.

Keywords: Soil organic matter; Grasslands; Fertility; Soil science; Land use; Modelling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:222:y:2011:i:4:p:993-1001

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.11.013

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