Testing the suitability of the Rothamsted Carbon model for long-term experiments on Japanese non-volcanic upland soils

Abstract

We evaluated the suitability of the Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model for long-term experiments on Japanese non-volcanic upland soils using 6 long-term experimental data sets: 2 Brown Lowland Soils, 2 Yellow Soils, 1 Gray Lowland Soil, and 1 Brown Forest Soil. The predicted changes in the content of soil carbon with time were very close to the observed values in almost all the treatments at all the 6 sites. These 6 sites were distributed from North to South across Japan and included a variety of climatic conditions, soil textures, and land management practices. We therefore concluded that the RothC model adequately simulated changes in the soil carbon content with time in Japanese non-volcanic upland soils. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.