Different Contribution of Olive Groves and Citrus Orchards to Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration: A Field Study in Four Sites in Crete, Greece

Eleni Sofoulaki, Vasileios A. Tzanakakis (), Georgios Giannopoulos, Iosif Kapellakis, Emmanouil Kabourakis, Theocharis Chatzistathis and Nikolaos Monokrousos
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Eleni Sofoulaki: Department of Humanities Social Sciences and Economics, International Hellenic University, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasileios A. Tzanakakis: Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece
Georgios Giannopoulos: School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Iosif Kapellakis: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Architecture, Engineering, Land and Environmental Sciences, Neapolis University, 2 Danais Av., 8042 Pafos, Cyprus
Emmanouil Kabourakis: Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece
Theocharis Chatzistathis: Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO-Dimitra), 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Nikolaos Monokrousos: Department of Humanities Social Sciences and Economics, International Hellenic University, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: In this work, we evaluated the effects of cultivation practices and sites (representing four locations in Crete, Greece) on soil organic carbon sequestration in established citrus orchards, olive groves, and uncultivated fields (used as a control). Soil pH, soil texture, soil organic matter (SOM), Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon (POXC), Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), Carbon and Nitrogen ratio (C:N), as well as soil CO 2 respiration rates, and specific enzymes’ activity (i.e., N-Acetyl Glutamate (NAG), Beta Glucosidase (BG), Dehydrogenase) were determined in the upper soil layer (0–20 cm). It was shown that citrus and olive orchards under the South Mediterranean conditions could substantially increase C storage in the soil. However, soils planted with orange trees showed lower capacity than olive trees, which was related to litter chemistry (i.e., leaf C:N ratio). Sites had no significant impact on SOM. In our study, SOM had a positive relationship with TKN (and less with POXC) and the C:N ratio of the tree crop species litter. Our findings have implications for designing soil conservation practices in Mediterranean conditions and developing initiatives describing achievable targets of SOM restoration depending on soil properties and cropping systems.

Keywords: organic C sequestration; olive groves; citrus orchards; SOM; POXC; Mediterranean agroecosystems; adaptation and mitigation of climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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