Stone and gravel contents of arable soils influence estimates of C and N stocks

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
In this study, relative volumes of stones and gravel were investigated in the top soils, i.e. down to 30 cm depth, of five Swedish arable sites. Bulk density and gravel volume were determined by soil coring and stone volume using the rod penetration method. A function for estimation of relative stone volume from mean penetration depth was developed. The results showed that although the relative volumes of stones and gravel were small, at most 8%, neglecting the volume occupied by rock fragments led to an overestimation of C and N stocks by 8-9%. It was concluded that the inclusion of stone and gravel volume of arable soils may be important if nutrient stocks of different sites are compared, or the effects of land use changes are scaled up to regional or global levels.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2012, vol. 95, p. 153-159, nombre de pages : 7, Références bibliographiques : 45 ref.

Date :
2012

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena