Changes of the soil CO2 efflux in response to compost addition were investigated for 64 days by a mesocosm-style experiment located in a greenhouse. Each mesocosm was divided internally into four equal sectors and then filled with quartz sand or a soil/perlite mixture amended with increasing doses of orange waste compost (corresponding to 0, 18 and 36 t ha-1). Planted (with a maize plant grown in the central core space) and unplanted mesocosms allowed to separate basal respiration from the rhizosphere-derived CO2 efflux. Soil disturbance due to initial physical mixing promoted an extra release of soil organic matter-derived CO2 thus leading to an overestimation of the heterotrophic flux component: this "tillage effect" lasted for as long as 40 days. It was found that compost addition stimulated soil basal respiration. Whereas soil respiration increased with higher compost rates in soil-plant mesocosms due to the increasing contribution of the rhizosphere-derived CO2 efflux. The total CO2 efflux was statistically affected by soil temperature, but not by water content. Care is needed when using quartz sand as a reference substrate for calibrating closed dynamic chamber systems.

Influence of compost amendment and maize root system on soil CO2 efflux: a mesocosm approach / Tortorella, D; Gelsomino, Antonio. - In: AGROCHIMICA. - ISSN 0002-1857. - LV:3(2011), pp. 161-167.

Influence of compost amendment and maize root system on soil CO2 efflux: a mesocosm approach

GELSOMINO, Antonio
2011-01-01

Abstract

Changes of the soil CO2 efflux in response to compost addition were investigated for 64 days by a mesocosm-style experiment located in a greenhouse. Each mesocosm was divided internally into four equal sectors and then filled with quartz sand or a soil/perlite mixture amended with increasing doses of orange waste compost (corresponding to 0, 18 and 36 t ha-1). Planted (with a maize plant grown in the central core space) and unplanted mesocosms allowed to separate basal respiration from the rhizosphere-derived CO2 efflux. Soil disturbance due to initial physical mixing promoted an extra release of soil organic matter-derived CO2 thus leading to an overestimation of the heterotrophic flux component: this "tillage effect" lasted for as long as 40 days. It was found that compost addition stimulated soil basal respiration. Whereas soil respiration increased with higher compost rates in soil-plant mesocosms due to the increasing contribution of the rhizosphere-derived CO2 efflux. The total CO2 efflux was statistically affected by soil temperature, but not by water content. Care is needed when using quartz sand as a reference substrate for calibrating closed dynamic chamber systems.
2011
Chamber measurements; CO2 flux partitioning; Mesocosm; Quartz sand; Tillage effect
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12318/7569
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 4
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact