Carbon concentrations within soil size and density fractions from a field experiment at ZALF (V210)

Carbon concentrations within different size and density fractions from different plots of the field experiment V210 at the Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg. This field experiment includes a control treatment and treatments of topsoil removal and topsoil duplication, combined with no fertilisation, mineral fertilisation and combined mineral and organic fertilisation. Sampling was conducted in 2019. Size fractions were determined by wet sieving with sieve sizes of 2 mm, 250 µm and 53 µm, density fractions were determined by density fractionation on the size fractions using polytungstate solutions with a 1.6 g ml-1 and 2.5 g ml-1 density. The light fraction has a density of lower than 1.6 g ml-1, the intermediate fraction has a density between 1.6 and 2.5 g ml-1. The heavy fraction was not considered. Carbon content was determined using elemental analysis.

Research domain: Soil Sciences

Research question: How do topsoil removal or duplication, in combination with different fertilizer treatments affect C sequestration in different size and density fractions, 55 years after start of the experiment.