Alternative arable cropping systems: A key to increase soil organic carbon storage? Results from a 16 year field experiment

Alternative cropping systems such as conservation agriculture and organic farming are expected to decrease negative impacts of conventional systems through sequestration of organic carbon in soil and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. We studied soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in the long-term (16 years) field experiment “La Cage” (France) which compares four arable cropping systems, free from manure application, under conventional (CON), low input (LI), conservation agriculture (CA) and organic (ORG) management. Bulk densities and SOC concentrations were measured at different dates between 1998 and 2014. SOC stocks were calculated at equivalent soil mass taking into account bulk density variations and SOC redistribution across the different soil layers. We analyzed the evolution of SOC stocks and compared it with outputs of the simulation model AMG. The rate of change in SOC stocks in the old ploughed layer (ca. 0–30 cm) during the 16 years was 0.08, 0.02, 0.63 and 0.28 t ha−1 yr−1 in the CON, LI, CA and ORG systems respectively and significantly differed from 0 in the CA and ORG treatments. The AMG model satisfactorily reproduced the observed evolution of SOC stocks in the old ploughed layer in all treatments. A Bayesian optimization procedure was used to assess the mean and the distribution of the most uncertain parameters: the SOC mineralization rate and the C inputs derived from belowground biomass of cover crops which were fescue (Festuca rubra) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa). The model thus parameterized was able to predict SOC evolution in each block and soil layer (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm). There was no significant difference in SOC mineralization rates between all cropping systems including CA under no-till. In particular, the increased SOC storage in CA was explained by higher carbon inputs compared to the other cropping systems (+1.72 t C ha−1 yr−1 on average). The CA and ORG systems were less productive than the CON and LI systems but the smaller C inputs derived from cash crop residues were compensated by the extra inputs from additional crops (fescue and alfalfa) specifically grown in CA and ORG, resulting in a positive carbon storage in soil. We conclude that alternative arable systems have potential to sequester organic carbon in temperate climate conditions, through higher carbon input rather than by the effect of reduced soil tillage.