Comparison of Prairie and Eroded Agricultural Lands on Soil Organic Carbon Retention (South Dakota)

K. R. Olson, A. N. Gennadiyev, R. G. Kovach, T. E. Schumacher

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
Plant Science Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ojss.2014.44017                

Abstract

The primary objective of this research was to predict changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil nitrogen (TSN) stocks as a result of land use change from prairie to agricultural land if the mesic-frigid temperature line moved north in the US and the former frigid soils were cultivated. The conversion of prairie to agricultural use, as a result of climate shift, would release SOC to atmosphere and enhance greenhouse gas emissions. The SOC and TSN differences between the prairie site and agricultural land were compared in South Dakota. The agricultural land had 18% less SOC and 16% less TSN or only half of the expected loss from prairie levels. An attempt was made to document the land use history of the prairie site to understand why SOC and TSN losses were less than anticipated. The fly ash concentration levels on prairie side slopes suggested that the prairie was historically disturbed and eroded. Intensive grazing and burning contributed to the disturbance. The SOC and TSN stock losses appear to represent the minimal change that would occur in the next 100-year time period if a prairie was shifted to agricultural use as a result of climate shift and the mesic-frigid temperature line in US was to move north.

Keywords

oil Organic Carbon, Fly Ash, Erosion, Prairie, Cultivation, Grazing

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Six, J., Elliott, E.T., Paustaina, K. and Doran, J.W. (1998) Aggregation and Soil Organic Matter in Cultivated and Native Grassland Soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 62, 1367-1373. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1998.03615995006200050032x
[2]	Davidson, I. and Ackerman, L. (1993) Changes in Soil Carbon Inventories Following Cultivation of Previously Untilled Soils. Biogeochemistry, 20, 161-193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00000786
[3]	Van Oost, K., Quine, T.A.G., Govers, S., De Gryze, J., Six, J.W., Harden, J.C., Ritchie, G.W., McCarty, G., Hechrath, C., Kosmas, J.V., Giraldez, J.R., da Silva, M. and Merchx, R. (2007) The Impact of Agricultural Soil Erosion on the Global Carbon Cycle. Science, 318, 626-629. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1145724
[4]	Lal, R. (2003) Soil Erosion and the Global Carbon Budget. Environmental International, 29, 437-450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00192-7
[5]	Gregorich, E.G., Greer, K.J., Anderson, D.W. and Liang, B.C. (1998) Carbon Distribution and Losses: Erosion and Depositional Effects. Soil and Tillage Research, 47, 291-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(98)00117-2
[6]	Vanden Bygaart, A.J. (2001) Erosion and Deposition History Derived by Depth-Stratigraphy of 137 Cs and Soil Organic Carbon. Soil and Tillage Research, 61, 187-192. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(01)00203-3
[7]	Janzen, H.H., Campbell, C.A., Izzaurralde, R.C., Ellert, B.H., Juma, N., McGill, W.B. and Zentner, R.P. (1998) Management Effects on Soil C Storage on the Canadian Prairies. Soil and Tillage Research, 47, 181-195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(98)00105-6
[8]	Vanden Bygaart, A.J., Yang, X.M., Kay, B.D. and Aspinall, J.D. (2002) Variability in Carbon Sequestration Potential in No-Till Soil Landscapes of Southern Ontario. Soil and Tillage Research, 65, 231-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(02)00003-X
[9]	Olson, K.R., Gennadiyev, A.N., Jones, R.L. and Chernyanskii, S. (2002) Erosion Patterns on Cultivated and Forested Hillslopes in Moscow Region, Russia. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 66, 193-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2002.0193
[10]	Olson, K.R., Jones, R.L., Gennadiyev, A.N., Chernyanskii, S., Woods, W.I. and Lang, J.M. (2003) Soil Catena Formation and Erosion of two Mississippian Mounds at Cahokia Archaeological Site, Illinois. Soil Science, 168, 812-824.
[11]	Shukla, M.K. and Lal, R. (2005) Erosion Effects on Soil Organic Carbon Stock of Six Miamian Soils in West Central Ohio. Soil and Tillage Research, 81, 173-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2004.09.006
[12]	Tiessen, H., Stewart, W.B. and Betany, J.R. (1982) Cultivation Effects on the Amounts and Concentration of C, N, and P in Grassland Soils. Agronomy Journal, 74, 831-835. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/agronj1982.00021962007400050015x
[13]	McGill, W.B., Dormaar, J.F. and Reinl-Dwyer, E. (1988) New Perspectives on Soil Organic Matter Quality, Quantity, and Dynamics on the Canadian Prairies. In: Proceedings of Canadian Society of Soil Science and Canadian Society of Extension. Joint Symposium, Land Degradation: Assessment and Insight into a Western Canadian Problem. Calgary, Canada, 23 August 1988, 30-48.
[14]	Bowman, R.A., Reeder, R.J. and Laber, W.R. (1990) Changes in Soil Properties in a Central Plains Rangeland Soil after 3, 20 and 60 Years of Cultivation. Soil Science, 150, 851-857. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00010694-199012000-00004
[15]	Malhi, S.S., Brandt, S. and Gill, K.S. (2003) Cultivation and Grassland Type Effects on Light Fraction and Total Organic C and N in a Dark Brown Chernozemic Soil. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 83, 145-153. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/S02-028
[16]	Campbell, C.A. and Souster, W. (1982) Loss of Organic Matter and Potential Mineralizable Nitrogen from Saskatchewan Soils Due to Cropping. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 62, 651-656. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjss82-071
[17]	Mann, L.K. (1985) A Regional Comparison of Carbon in Cultivated and Uncultivated Alfisols and Mollisols in Central United States. Geoderma, 36, 241-253. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0016-7061(85)90005-9
[18]	Mann, L.K. (1986) Changes in Soil Carbon Storage after Cultivation. Soil Science, 142, 279-288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00010694-198611000-00006
[19]	Schimel, D.S. (1986) Carbon and Nitrogen Turnover in Adjacent Grassland and Cropland Ecosystems. Biogeochemistry, 2, 345-357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02180325
[20]	Johnson, M.G. and Kern, J.S. (1991) Sequestering Carbon in Soils: A Workshop to Explore the Potential for Mitigating Global Climate Change. USEPA Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis.
[21]	Rasmussen, P.E. and Parton, W.J. (1994) Long-Term Effects of Residue Management in Wheat-Fall: I. Inputs, Yield and Soil Organic Matter. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 58, 523-530. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1994.03615995005800020039x
[22]	Houghton, R.A. (1995) Changes in Storage of Terrestrial Carbon since 1850. In: Lal, R., Kimble, J., Levine, E. and Stewart, B.A., Eds., Soils and Global Change, CRC/Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton.
[23]	Kern, J.S. (1994) Spatial Patterns of Soil Organic Carbon in the Contiguous United States. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 58, 439-455. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1994.03615995005800020029x
[24]	Lal, R., Kimble, J.M., Follet, R.F. and Cole, C.V. (1998) The Potential of U.S. Cropland to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect. Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea.
[25]	Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2001) Soil Carbon Sequestration for Improved Land Management. World Resource. Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations, 62.
[26]	Lal, R. (1995) Global Soil Erosion by Water and Carbon Dynamics. In: Lal, R., Kimble, J.M., Levine, E. and Stewart, B.A., Eds., Soils and Global Change, CRC/Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, 131-142.
[27]	Schumacher, T.E., Lindstrom, M.J., Schumacher, J.A., Reicosky, D.C. and Malo, D.D. (2003) Carbon Distribution in a Hummocky Landscape: An Estimate of Surface Translocation by Tillage and Water. Soil Water Conservation Society Program Abstracts, 75.
[28]	Schumacher, T.E., Lindstrom, M.J., Schumacher, J.A. and Lemme, G.D. (1999) Modeling Spatial Variation in Productivity Due to Tillage and Water Erosion. Soil and Tillage Research, 51, 331-339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(99)00046-X
[29]	Malo, D.D., Schumacher, T.E. and Doolittle, J.J. (2005) Long-Term Cultivation Impacts on Selected Soil Properties in the Northern Great Plains. Soil and Tillage Research, 81, 277-291. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2004.09.015
[30]	Farenhorst, A., Papiernik, S.K., Saiyed, I., Messing, P., Stephens, K.D., Schumacher, J.A., Lobb, D.A., Li, S., Lindstrom, M.J. and Schumacher, T.E. (2008) Herbicide Sorption Coefficients in Relations to Soil Properties and Terrain Attributes on a Cultivated Prairie. Journal of Environmental Quality, 37, 1201-1208. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2007.0109
[31]	Schumacher, J.A., Kaspar, T.C., Ritchie, J.C., Schumacher, T.E., Karlen, D.L., Venteris, E.R., McCarty, G.W., Colvin, T.S., Jaynes, D.B., Lindstrom, M.J. and Fenton, T.E. (2005) Identifying Spatial Patterns of Erosion for Use in Precision Conservation. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 60, 355-362.
[32]	Alba-De, S., Lindstrom, M., Schumacher, T.E. and Malo, D.D. (2004) Soil Landscape Evolution Due to Soil Redistribution by Tillage: A New Conceptual Model of Soil Catena Evolution in Agricultural Landscapes. Catena, 58, 77-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2003.12.004
[33]	Olson, K.R., Jones, R.L., Gennadiyev, A.N., Chernyanskii, S.S., Woods, W.I. and Lang, J.M. (2006) Fly-Ash Distributions to Assess Erosion and Deposition in Illinois Landscapes. Soil and Tillage Research, 89, 155-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2005.07.007
[34]	Olson, K.R., Gennadiyev, A.N. and Golosov, V.N. (2008) Comparison of Fly-Ash and Radio-Cesium Tracer Methods to Assess Soil Erosion and Deposition in Illinois Landscapes (USA). Soil Science, 173, 575-586. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/SS.0b013e318182b094
[35]	Olson, K.R., Gennadiyev, A.N., Zhidkin, A.P. and Markelov, M.V. (2011) Impact of Land Use Change and Soil Erosion in Upper Mississippi River Valley on Soil Organic Carbon Retention and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Soil Science, 176, 449-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/SS.0b013e3182285cde
[36]	Olson, K.R., Gennadiyev, A.N., Zhidkin, A.P., Markelov, M.V., Golosov, V.N. and Lang, J.M. (2013) Use of Magnetic Tracer and Radio-Cesium Methods to Determine Past Cropland Soil Erosion Amounts and Rates. Catena, 104, 103-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2012.10.015
[37]	Olson, K.R., Gennadiyev, A.N., Kovach, R.G. and Lang, J.M. (2013) The Use of Fly Ash to Determine the Extent of Sediment Transport on Nearly Level Western Illinois Landscapes. Soil Science, 178, 24-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/SS.0b013e318284b5cd
[38]	Gennadiyev, A.N., Golosov, V.N., Chernyanskii, S.S., Markelov, M.V., Olson, K.R., Kovach, R.G. and Belyaev, V.R. (2005) The Concurrent Use of Radioactive and Magnetic Tracers for Soil Erosion Quantification. Eurasian Soil Science, 38, 954-965.
[39]	Olson, K.R., Gennadiyev, A.N., Zhidkin, A.P. and Markelov, M.V. (2012) Impact of Land Use Change, Slope and Erosion on Soil Organic Carbon Retention and Storage USA. Soil Science, 177, 269-278. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/SS.0b013e318244d8d2
[40]	Ode, D. (1978) The Nature Conservancy Preserves Master Plan for the Sioux Prairie, South Dakota Chapter.
[41]	Soil Survey Staff (2004) Soil Survey Laboratory Methods Manual. Soil Survey Investigations Report No.42, Version 4.0. National Soil Survey Center, NRCS, USDA, Lincoln.
[42]	Jones, R.L. and Olson, K.R. (1990) Fly Ash Use as a Time Marker in Sedimentation Studies. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 54, 855-859. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1990.03615995005400030040x
[43]	SAS Institute (2002) SAS/STAT Guide for Personal Computers. Version 6, SAS Institute, Cary.
[44]	Welbon, C. (1978) Soil Survey of Sioux Prairie. Soil Conservation Service, Flandreau.