Soil carbon investigation in three pedoclimatic and agronomic settings of northern Italy

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural management is needed to promote carbon (C) sequestration in soil, prevent loss of soil fertility, and reduce the release of greenhouse gases. However, the influence of agronomic practices on soil C sequestration depends on the existing pedoclimatic features. We characterized the soils of three farms far away each other in the Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy): an organic farm in the Northern Apennines, a biodynamic farm, and a conventional farm on the Po Plain. The total, inorganic, and organic carbon in soil, as well as the distinct humic fractions were investigated, analyzing both the elemental and isotopic (13 C/12 C) composition. In soils, organic matter appears to be variously affected by mineralization processes induced by microorganisms that consume organic carbon. In particular, organic carbon declined in farms located in the plain (e.g., organic carbon down to 0.75 wt%; carbon stock0-30 cm down to 33 Mg/ha), because of the warmer climate and moderately alkaline environment that enhance soil microbial activity. On the other hand, at the mountain farm, the minimum soil disturbance, the cold climate, and the neutral conditions favored soil C sequestration (organic carbon up to 4.42 wt%; carbon stock0-30 cm up to 160 Mg/ha) in humified organic compounds with long turnover, which can limit greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. This work shows the need for thorough soil investigations, to propose tailored best-practices that can reconcile productivity and soil sustainability.