Soil Carbon Investigation in Three Pedoclimatic and Agronomic Settings of Northern Italy

Valentina Brombin, Enrico Mistri, Mauro De Feudis, Camilla Forti, Gian Marco Salani, Claudio Natali, Gloria Falsone, Livia Vittori Antisari and Gianluca Bianchini
Additional contact information
Valentina Brombin: Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Enrico Mistri: Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Mauro De Feudis: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Camilla Forti: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Gian Marco Salani: Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Claudio Natali: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy
Gloria Falsone: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Livia Vittori Antisari: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Gianluca Bianchini: Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-19

Abstract: Sustainable agricultural management is needed to promote carbon (C) sequestration in soil, prevent loss of soil fertility, and reduce the release of greenhouse gases. However, the influence of agronomic practices on soil C sequestration depends on the existing pedoclimatic features. We characterized the soils of three farms far away each other in the Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy): an organic farm in the Northern Apennines, a biodynamic farm, and a conventional farm on the Po Plain. The total, inorganic, and organic carbon in soil, as well as the distinct humic fractions were investigated, analyzing both the elemental and isotopic ( 13 C/ 12 C) composition. In soils, organic matter appears to be variously affected by mineralization processes induced by microorganisms that consume organic carbon. In particular, organic carbon declined in farms located in the plain (e.g., organic carbon down to 0.75 wt%; carbon stock 0-30 cm down to 33 Mg/ha), because of the warmer climate and moderately alkaline environment that enhance soil microbial activity. On the other hand, at the mountain farm, the minimum soil disturbance, the cold climate, and the neutral conditions favored soil C sequestration (organic carbon up to 4.42 wt%; carbon stock 0-30 cm up to 160 Mg/ha) in humified organic compounds with long turnover, which can limit greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. This work shows the need for thorough soil investigations, to propose tailored best-practices that can reconcile productivity and soil sustainability.

Keywords: soil organic matter; sustainable agriculture; isotopic analyses; humic substances; soil management; carbon sequestration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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