Long-term trends in fertility of soils under continuous cultivation and cereal cropping in southern Queensland. IX*. Simulation of soil carbon and nitrogen pools using CENTURY model
C. R. Chilcott A B E , R. C. Dalal B , W. J. Parton C , J. O. Carter B and A. J. King DA Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 665 Fairfield Road, Yeerongpilly, Qld 4105, Australia.
B Queensland Department of Natural Resource, Mines and Water, 80 Meiers Road, Indooropilly, Qld 4068, Australia.
C Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
D Queensland Department of Natural Resource, Mines and Water, 203 Tor Street, Toowoomba, Qld 4350, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: Chris.Chilcott@dpi.qld.gov.au
Australian Journal of Soil Research 45(3) 206-217 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR06105
Submitted: 8 August 2006 Accepted: 22 March 2007 Published: 18 May 2007
Abstract
Cultivation and cropping of soils results in a decline in soil organic carbon and soil nitrogen, and can lead to reduced crop yields. The CENTURY model was used to simulate the effects of continuous cultivation and cereal cropping on total soil organic matter (C and N), carbon pools, nitrogen mineralisation, and crop yield from 6 locations in southern Queensland. The model was calibrated for each replicate from the original datasets, allowing comparisons for each replicate rather than site averages. The CENTURY model was able to satisfactorily predict the impact of long-term cultivation and cereal cropping on total organic carbon, but was less successful in simulating the different fractions and nitrogen mineralisation. The model firstly over-predicted the initial (pre-cropping) soil carbon and nitrogen concentration of the sites. To account for the unique shrinking and swelling characteristics of the Vertosol soils, the default annual decomposition rates of the slow and passive carbon pools were doubled, and then the model accurately predicted initial conditions. The ability of the model to predict carbon pool fractions varied, demonstrating the difficulty inherent in predicting the size of these conceptual pools. The strength of the model lies in the ability to closely predict the starting soil organic matter conditions, and the ability to predict the impact of clearing, cultivation, fertiliser application, and continuous cropping on total soil carbon and nitrogen.
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