Life Sciences Commons^™

Great Plains Soils May Be C Sinks, David E. Clay, Gregg C. Carlson, Sharon A. Clay, James Stone, Kurtis Reitsma, Ronald Gelderman

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Numerous studies with wide-ranging results have been conducted to resolve if Great Plains soils are a C source or sink. The authors addressed the source/sink question by examining the results from producer soil samples and production surveys that were analyzed and archived by the South Dakota Soil Testing Laboratory. Results showed that between 1985 and 2010, soil organic C content increased at a rate of 326 lb C/A/year, for a total increase of 24%. The increase was attributed to planting better adapted varieties and using better management practices that on average increased corn grain yields 2.29 bu/A/year. Higher soil organic …