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Research Project: Strategies to Optimize Productivity through Enhancement of Plant Stress Tolerance and Agroecological Farming Systems in the Southeastern US

Location: Plant Science Research

Title: The changing nature of soil

Author
item Franzluebbers, Alan

Submitted to: Hay and Forage Grower
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2024
Publication Date: 5/1/2024
Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J. 2024. The changing nature of soil. Hay and Forage Grower. Apr-May, p. 15. https://issuu.com/hayandforagegrower/docs/hfg-apr-may-2024.

Interpretive Summary: Soil organic matter under perennial forages can change slowly over time. An ARS scientist in Raleigh North Carolina described how organic matter changed over the course of several dozen years of pasture management from a diversity of on-farm trials conducted primarily in North Carolina and Virginia. Soil organic carbon and nitrogen both accumulated faster in the first 10 years of management than in the ensuing 40 years of management. Therefore, soil under forages could be considered a sink for carbon that otherwise accumulates in the atmosphere. Nitrogen is also stored in soil organic matter, acting as a reservoir for current and future needs to support pasture productivity. This summary of soil organic matter change over time in perennial pastures continues a series of popular press articles aimed at farmers managing forage and grazing lands in the US.

Technical Abstract: Soil organic matter under perennial forages can change slowly over time. An ARS scientist in Raleigh North Carolina described how organic matter changed over the course of several dozen years of pasture management from a diversity of on-farm trials conducted primarily in North Carolina and Virginia. Soil organic carbon and nitrogen both accumulated faster in the first 10 years of management than in the ensuing 40 years of management. Therefore, soil under forages could be considered a sink for carbon that otherwise accumulates in the atmosphere. Nitrogen is also stored in soil organic matter, acting as a reservoir for current and future needs to support pasture productivity. This summary of soil organic matter change over time in perennial pastures continues a series of popular press articles aimed at farmers managing forage and grazing lands in the US.