Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The influence of dung amendments on dissolved organic matter in grassland soil leachates
T2 - Preliminary results from a lysimeter study
AU - Bol, R.
AU - Ostle, N. J.
AU - Friedrich, C.
AU - Amelung, W.
AU - Sanders, I.
PY - 1999/1/1
Y1 - 1999/1/1
N2 - Understanding the carbon (C) cycle in grassland pasture systems requires more information about the fate of decomposing dung material within the soil. In this soil lysimeter study we successfully applied the natural 13C abundance labelling technique to trace dung-C within a temperate grassland soil. Dung was collected from beef steers fed on either maize (a C4 plant) or perennial ryegrass (a C3 plant) silages, and applied to a freely draining (C3) grassland soil. Leachates were collected from soil lysimeters (0-2.5) and (0-10 cm soil depth) to determine the organic carbon and 13C content of < 0.7 μm filtered solution. Leachates were taken from (i) control, no dung added, (ii) C3 dung and (iii) C4 dung amended soil. Results showed that, (i) the addition of dung resulted in a tenfold increase in C lost from the lysimeters in drainage waters, (ii) up to 50 % of the C present in the leachates was 'native' soil C and (iii) the application of dung produced a 'priming' effect. Further work is required to verify; (i) whether increased leaching of native C following dung application is a 'true priming' phenomenon, or merely the result of 'displacement' or 'pool substitution' of soil C, and (ii) the precise conditions and mechanisms under which organic amendments induce a true 'priming' effect in grassland and other agricultural soils.
AB - Understanding the carbon (C) cycle in grassland pasture systems requires more information about the fate of decomposing dung material within the soil. In this soil lysimeter study we successfully applied the natural 13C abundance labelling technique to trace dung-C within a temperate grassland soil. Dung was collected from beef steers fed on either maize (a C4 plant) or perennial ryegrass (a C3 plant) silages, and applied to a freely draining (C3) grassland soil. Leachates were collected from soil lysimeters (0-2.5) and (0-10 cm soil depth) to determine the organic carbon and 13C content of < 0.7 μm filtered solution. Leachates were taken from (i) control, no dung added, (ii) C3 dung and (iii) C4 dung amended soil. Results showed that, (i) the addition of dung resulted in a tenfold increase in C lost from the lysimeters in drainage waters, (ii) up to 50 % of the C present in the leachates was 'native' soil C and (iii) the application of dung produced a 'priming' effect. Further work is required to verify; (i) whether increased leaching of native C following dung application is a 'true priming' phenomenon, or merely the result of 'displacement' or 'pool substitution' of soil C, and (ii) the precise conditions and mechanisms under which organic amendments induce a true 'priming' effect in grassland and other agricultural soils.
KW - 'Priming' effect
KW - Carbon 13
KW - Decomposition
KW - Dissolved organic carbon
KW - Dung
KW - Grasslands
KW - Lysimeter
KW - Natural abundances
KW - Soil organic matter
U2 - 10.1080/10256019908234082
DO - 10.1080/10256019908234082
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:0033368013
VL - 35
SP - 97
EP - 109
JO - Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies
JF - Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies
SN - 1025-6016
IS - 1-2
ER -