13C enrichment in the microbial biomass C of soil samples taken from cover crop root channels and bulk soil under a maize stand at BBCH35, 16 weeks after pulse labeling the cover crops with 13CO2

Winter cover crop mixtures were exposed to 13CO2 labeling with two pulses of three hours each on one day in autumn and with two pulses of three hours each on one day in spring. The 13C enrichment in the microbial biomass C of cover crop root channels and bulk soil was measured on samples taken 16 weeks after the spring labeling.

Research domain: Soil Sciences

Research question: How much cover crop derived carbon is still detetctable in the microbial biomass in the soil (cover crop root channels and bulk soil) 16 weeks after the cover crops were labeled with 13C and 13 weeks after the cover crops were terminated prior to maize sowing.