Ten-Year Impact of Cover Crops on Soil Organic Matter Quantity and Quality in Semi-Arid Vineyards

Marco Antonio Jiménez-González, Hugo López-Romano, Pilar Carral, Ana María Álvarez-González, Juan-Emilio Herranz-Luque, Blanca Esther Sastre-Rodríguez, Andrés García-Díaz, Gregorio Muñoz-Organero and María José Marques ()
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Marco Antonio Jiménez-González: Geology and Geochemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 7, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Hugo López-Romano: Geology and Geochemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 7, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Pilar Carral: Geology and Geochemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 7, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Ana María Álvarez-González: Geology and Geochemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 7, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Juan-Emilio Herranz-Luque: Geology and Geochemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 7, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Blanca Esther Sastre-Rodríguez: Madrid Institute for Research and Rural Development in Food and Agriculture (IMIDRA), Finca El Encín, Carretera A-2, km 38.2, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
Andrés García-Díaz: Madrid Institute for Research and Rural Development in Food and Agriculture (IMIDRA), Finca El Encín, Carretera A-2, km 38.2, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
Gregorio Muñoz-Organero: Madrid Institute for Research and Rural Development in Food and Agriculture (IMIDRA), Finca El Encín, Carretera A-2, km 38.2, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
María José Marques: Geology and Geochemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 7, 28049 Madrid, Spain

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-12

Abstract: Soil organic matter depletion is a significant concern in agricultural soils, impacting crucial aspects of ecosystem health, especially soil properties such as fertility and soil moisture retention. Adopting sustainable soil management practices, such as cover crops, can mitigate this issue. In this study, we analyzed the soil organic carbon (SOC) content and quality in vineyards using two distinct management methods: permanent spontaneous cover crops and conventional tillage. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was quantified and chemically characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy. Our results showed an increase of 4.7 Mg C/ha in the carbon stock (50 cm depth) after 10 years of implementing vegetation covers compared with tilled soil. Additionally, cover crop management increased less humified soluble carbon in surface soil layers, while tillage transformed the solubilized carbon. This finding is important because tilled soil becomes more accessible to microbial degradation and leaching, which, in the long term, leads to a SOM content decrease. In conclusion, an increase in carbon stock was observed when using cover crops due to the incorporation of fresh organic matter, whereas tilled soils showed a depletion of carbon stock, including the mobilization of more stable carbon.

Keywords: dissolved organic carbon; groundcovers; carbon sequestration; sustainable land management practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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