Changes in organic carbon stocks in soils under different plant covers

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José I. Bojórquez Serrano

Abstract

The reserve of organic carbon in soils and their changes over time is a current environmental issue, besides, the loss of soil organic carbon (SOC), that occur with the conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural systems, contribute to emissions of greenhouse gases, to global warming and climatic change. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in SOC reserves under different plant covers that occur in the Mololoa river basin, in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. The analysis was performed by differences in time of sampling, using samples from the top 20 cm of the soil profile, coming from 13 soil profiles under different coverage: two with oak forest, two with pine forest, one under grass, one with avocado orchard and seven under sugarcane cropping. The soils under grass had the greatest reserve of SOC with 2,65 Mg ha-1 año-1, followed by: oak forest (0,40 and 0,47 Mg ha-1 año-1), pine forest (0,15 and 0,38 Mg ha-1 año-1) and avocado orchard (0,29 Mg ha-1 año-1). Soils with sugarcane crop had a decrease in SOC (between 0, 12-0,84 Mg ha-1 año-1).

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How to Cite
Bojórquez Serrano, J. I. (2016). Changes in organic carbon stocks in soils under different plant covers. Cultivos Tropicales, 36(4), 63–69. Retrieved from https://ediciones.inca.edu.cu/index.php/ediciones/article/view/1081
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Original Article