Emerging land use practices rapidly increase soil organic matter

Megan B. Machmuller, Marc G. Kramer, Taylor K. Cyle, Nick Hill, Dennis Hancock and Aaron Thompson ()
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Megan B. Machmuller: Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Marc G. Kramer: Soil and Water Science, University of Florida Gainesville, Florida, USA
Taylor K. Cyle: Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Nick Hill: Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Dennis Hancock: Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Aaron Thompson: Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-5

Abstract: Abstract The loss of organic matter from agricultural lands constrains our ability to sustainably feed a growing population and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Addressing these challenges requires land use activities that accumulate soil carbon (C) while contributing to food production. In a region of extensive soil degradation in the southeastern United States, we evaluated soil C accumulation for 3 years across a 7-year chronosequence of three farms converted to management-intensive grazing. Here we show that these farms accumulated C at 8.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1, increasing cation exchange and water holding capacity by 95% and 34%, respectively. Thus, within a decade of management-intensive grazing practices soil C levels returned to those of native forest soils, and likely decreased fertilizer and irrigation demands. Emerging land uses, such as management-intensive grazing, may offer a rare win–win strategy combining profitable food production with rapid improvement of soil quality and short-term climate mitigation through soil C-accumulation.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7995

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