Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization of Common Organic Amendments in Olive Grove Soils

Pablo Domouso (), Evangelina Pareja-Sánchez, Julio Calero and Roberto García-Ruiz
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Pablo Domouso: Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Jaen, Campus Universitario de Las Lagunillas, 23071 Jaen, Spain
Evangelina Pareja-Sánchez: Ecology Unit, University Institute of Research in Olive Grove and Olive Oil (INUO), University of Jaen, Campus Universitario de Las Lagunillas, 23071 Jaen, Spain
Julio Calero: Center for Advanced Studies in Earth Science, Energy and Environment (CEACTEMA), University of Jaen, Campus Universitario de Las Lagunillas, 23071 Jaen, Spain
Roberto García-Ruiz: Ecology Unit, University Institute of Research in Olive Grove and Olive Oil (INUO), University of Jaen, Campus Universitario de Las Lagunillas, 23071 Jaen, Spain

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: Cover crops (CC), pruning residues (PR), and olive mill pomace (OP) are common amendments to enhance soil quality in olive groves; however, there is limited information on the dynamics of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) during their decomposition under varying conditions. In this laboratory decomposition experiment, we assessed the C and N mineralization of CC, PR, and OP at application rates of 2 and 5 mg C g −1 in soils with varying organic C levels, both with and without the addition of NO 3 − . The results indicated that C and N mineralization patterns varied significantly between amendments, although the predicted remaining C after one year was similar for CC and PR (46.7–48.9%) and slightly lower for OP (40.0%). Soil organic carbon level did not affect remaining amendment-C. The addition of N accelerated the decomposition rate of labile C by 15% but slowed down that of the recalcitrant C another 13%, with no significant effect on remaining C. Conversely, increasing the C dose led to a 13% overall reduction in amendment-C mineralization across all combinations of factors. CC decomposition released between −8 and 31% of the amendment-N by day 130, while PR and OP showed net N immobilization. Therefore, CC residues contribute to both C sequestration and N availability, while PR and OP residues can improve N retention in the olive groves while also contributing to C sequestration.

Keywords: cover crop; pruning residues; olive mill pomace; carbon sequestration; nitrogen immobilization; decomposition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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