The Relationship Between Organic Carbon and Ca in the Profile of Luvisols: A Case Study of a Long-Term Experiment in Pulawy, Poland

Dorota Pikuła (), Žaneta Pauková, Elżbieta Wójcik-Gront and Vladimír Šimanský ()
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Dorota Pikuła: Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, Puławy, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
Žaneta Pauková: Institute of Law and Sustainable Development, Faculty of European Studies and Regional Development, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Elżbieta Wójcik-Gront: Department of Biometry, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Vladimír Šimanský: Institute of Agrochemistry and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of multi-year variations in nitrogen fertilisation (N) and farmyard manure application (FYM) in two 4-year crop rotations, A and B—which differed primarily in terms of their organic matter management systems (A: poor vs. B: enrichment)—on changes in the content of calcium and soil organic carbon at three soil horizons of Luvisols, and on the dynamics of these changes over the past 40 years. Mineral N fertilisation was found to affect the movement of Ca in the profiles of both rotations. Most Ca accumulated in the soil layer at >55 cm in the profiles of both rotations. The total Ca content was similar in both rotations; however, a correlation analysis revealed a stronger relationship between organic carbon and Ca in the enriched-cropping system (rotation B) compared to the poor-organic-matter system (rotation A). In the 0–30 cm soil layer, the correlation coefficient between organic carbon and Ca was r = 0.52 in rotation B, while in rotation A, it was lower at r = 0.23. In deeper layers, this relationship weakened or became non-significant. Under the climatic and soil conditions of Poland, where the phenomenon of nutrient leaching into the soil profile is prevalent, it is extremely important to manage these nutrients in a sustainable way in order to limit their loss. The predominantly sandy texture of the topsoil horizons (0–30 cm) of the Luvisols prevents any significant enrichment of these horizons in Corg, even over a very long period of time, i.e., more than 40 years.

Keywords: calcium; fertilisation; soil organic carbon; Luvisol (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: 2025
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