Soil Carbon Dioxide Flux and Organic Carbon in Grassland after Manure and Ammonium Nitrate Application

Soil Carbon Dioxide Flux and Organic Carbon in Grassland after Manure and Ammonium Nitrate Application

Fertilization effects on changes in soil $CO_2$ flux and organic C in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) land managed for biomass production were investigated. The mean daily soil $CO_2$ flux in the manure treatment was 5.63 g $CO_2-C\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$, and this was significantly higher than the mean value of 3.36 g $CO_2-C\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$ in the control. The mean daily $CO_2$ fluxes in N and P fertilizer treatments plots were not different when compared to the value in the control plots. Potentially mineralizable C (PMC), soil microbial biomass C (SMBC), and particulate organic C (POC) were highest at the 0 to 10 cm depth of the manure treatment. Potentially mineralizable C had the strongest correlation with SMBC (r = 0.91) and POC (r = 0.84). There was also a strong correlation between SMBC and POC (r = 0.90). Our results indicated that for the N and P levels studied, fertilization had no impact on temporal changes in soil organic C, but manure application had a significant impact on temporal changes in soil $CO_2$ evolution and active C constituents such as PMC, SMBC, and POC.