The Positive Effects of Soil Organic Carbon on European Cereal Yields Level Off at 1.4%

ABSTRACT Introduction Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) in croplands is a natural climate mitigation effort that can also enhance crop yields. However, there is a lack of comprehensive field studies examining the impact of SOC on crop yields across wide climatic, soil, and farming gradients. Furthermore, it is largely unknown how water retention, soil microbial diversity, and nutrient availability modulate the SOC‐crop yield relationship. Materials and Methods We conducted an observational study across 127 cereal fields along a 3000 km north‐south gradient in Europe, measured topsoil (0–20 cm) organic C content, and collected data on climate, soil properties, crop yield and farming practices. Additionally, we explored the relationship between crop yield, particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC) contents at three soil depths (0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm) in a subset of sites. Results Relative yield increases levelled off at 1.4% SOC, indicating an optimal SOC content for cereals along a European gradient. The quadratic relationship between SOC and cereal yield was conspicuous even after controlling for large differences in climate, soil and farming practices across countries. The relationship varied significantly across soil depths and C fractions. MAOC dominated the SOC pool, and was significantly related to relative yield up to an optimal level that varied with soil depth. Soil microbial diversity and nutrient availability emerged as main drivers of the SOC‐yield relationship, while water retention did not exhibit a notable influence. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that SOC is as a key determinant of cereal yield along a European gradient, and identifying this threshold can inform soil management strategies for improved carbon capture based on initial SOC levels. Nevertheless, the complex SOC‐yield relationship highlights the necessity for tailored soil management strategies that consider specific site conditions to optimize C storage and crop yield.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
Published
2024-10-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70017
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.00

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article

The Positive Effects of Soil Organic Carbon on European Cereal Yields Level Off at 1.4%

Pablo García‐Palacios, Sara Hallin, Laurent Philippot, Sana Romdhane et al.
6 citations
Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
2.00
article

The Positive Effects of Soil Organic Carbon on European Cereal Yields Level Off at 1.4%

Pablo García‐Palacios, Sara Hallin, Laurent Philippot, Sana Romdhane, César Plaza, Samiran Banerjee, Gina Garland, Aymé Spor, Fernando T. Maestre, Enrique Valencia, David S. Pescador, Marcel G. A. van der Heijden, Chantal Herzog, Matthias C. Rillig, Anna Edlinger, Aurélien Saghaï, Ana Campos‐Cáliz
article en
6 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) in croplands is a natural climate mitigation effort that can also enhance crop yields. However, there is a lack of comprehensive field studies examining the impact of SOC on crop yields across wide climatic, soil, and farming gradients. Furthermore, it is largely unknown how water retention, soil microbial diversity, and nutrient availability modulate the SOC‐crop yield relationship. Materials and Methods We conducted an observational study across 127 cereal fields along a 3000 km north‐south gradient in Europe, measured topsoil (0–20 cm) organic C content, and collected data on climate, soil properties, crop yield and farming practices. Additionally, we explored the relationship between crop yield, particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC) contents at three soil depths (0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm) in a subset of sites. Results Relative yield increases levelled off at 1.4% SOC, indicating an optimal SOC content for cereals along a European gradient. The quadratic relationship between SOC and cereal yield was conspicuous even after controlling for large differences in climate, soil and farming practices across countries. The relationship varied significantly across soil depths and C fractions. MAOC dominated the SOC pool, and was significantly related to relative yield up to an optimal level that varied with soil depth. Soil microbial diversity and nutrient availability emerged as main drivers of the SOC‐yield relationship, while water retention did not exhibit a notable influence. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that SOC is as a key determinant of cereal yield along a European gradient, and identifying this threshold can inform soil management strategies for improved carbon capture based on initial SOC levels. Nevertheless, the complex SOC‐yield relationship highlights the necessity for tailored soil management strategies that consider specific site conditions to optimize C storage and crop yield.

Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and EnvironmentVol. 3(4)
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (ES), University of Zurich (CH), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE), ETH Zurich (CH), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Agroécologie (FR), Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias (ES), Berlin Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (DE), Institut Agro Dijon (FR), Agroscope (CH), North Dakota State University (US), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA), Freie Universität Berlin (DE), Wageningen University & Research (NL)
National Science Foundation, McGill University, Biodiversa+, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Vetenskapsrådet, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
2.00
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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