Low-intensity management promotes the soil priming effect in European agroecosystems

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Soil Science
• Ecology

Background:

• Soil carbon (C) stocks, pools, and fluxes are critically shaped by agricultural management.
• The soil priming effect (PE) is a key component of the global C cycle, indicating changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization due to fresh C inputs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of soil priming effect (PE) in predicting soil C content across European Long-Term Experiments (LTEs).
• To assess how agricultural management intensity influences PE at continental and global scales.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from European Long-Term Experiments (LTEs).
• Evaluation of the relationship between management intensity (fertilization, tillage) and PE.
• Assessment of indirect effects of management on PE via SOC, aggregate stability, and microbial biomass.

Main Results:

• Priming effect (PE) can predict soil C content across European LTEs, with this finding holding true at continental and global scales.
• Lower-intensity agricultural management significantly enhances PE in European croplands.
• High-intensity management results in lower or negative PE, influenced by direct effects on SOC and indirect effects on aggregate stability and microbial biomass. Organic fertilization and no-tillage practices show higher PE values.

Conclusions:

• Agricultural management intensity is a key driver of the soil priming effect (PE).
• Understanding PE is crucial for predicting soil C dynamics and informing sustainable agricultural practices.
• Findings advance the understanding of long-term agricultural management impacts on the continental C cycle.