C-FARM Update from the Southern US
By Alan Franzluebbers, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC
A total of 73 farms in the Southern Coastal Plain and Atlantic Flatwoods Major Land Resource Areas were sampled during the winter of 2023/24. Depth distribution of soil organic C and N, soil-test biological activity, water-stable aggregation, and routine chemical analyses are being analyzed to understand the impact of conservation management of cotton and other cash crops on soil health and carbon storage. Management history of the 229 fields sampled will help inform how conservation management impacts soil conditions in this region. Soils in this warm, humid region with extensive cropland acreage had 32 to 88% sand content, and therefore, will be expected to have low soil organic matter concentrations. However, it is expected that conservation management with no-till, cover cropping, and diverse crop rotations can still elevate soil C and N storage. This project will use the concept of root-zone enrichment to isolate the effects of contemporary management from those of pedogenic origin. Additional Major Land Resource Areas will be sampled in future
years.
For more news from C-FARM and the Lal Carbon Center, explore our Autumn Newsletter.