Elastic and plastic soil deformation and its influence on emission of greenhouse gases
 
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1
Institute for Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, CAU Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 2, 24118 Kiel, Germany
 
2
Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, P.O. Box 201, 20-290 Lublin 27, Poland
 
 
Publication date: 2016-05-09
 
 
Int. Agrophys. 2016, 30(2): 173-184
 
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ABSTRACT
Soil management alters physical, chemical and biological soil properties. Stress application affects microbiological activity and habitats for microorganisms in the root zone and causes soil degradation. We hypothesized that stress application results in altered greenhouse gas emissions if soil strength is exceeded. In the experiments, soil management dependent greenhouse gas emissions of intact soil cores (no, reduced, conventional tillages) were determined using two experimental setups; CO2 emissions were determined with: a dynamic measurement system, and a static chamber method before and after a vertical soil stress had been applied. For the latter CH4 and N2O emissions were analyzed additionally. Stress dependent effects can be summed as follows: In the elastic deformation range microbiological activity increased in conventional tillage soil and decreased in reduced tillage and no tillage. Beyond the precompression stress a release of formerly protected soil organic carbon and an almost total loss of CH4 oxidizability occurred. Only swelling and shrinkage of no tillage and reduced tillage regenerated their microhabitat function. Thus, the direct link between soil strength and microbial activity can be applied as a marker for soil rigidity and the transition to new disequilibria concerning microbial activity and composition.
eISSN:2300-8725
ISSN:0236-8722
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