Effects of Agricultural Management on Water Retention via Changes in Organic Carbon in Topsoil and Subsoil

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  • Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Ländliche Räume, Wald und Fischerei
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OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)949-963
Seitenumfang15
FachzeitschriftJournal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
Jahrgang188
Ausgabenummer6
Frühes Online-Datum31 Juli 2025
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Dez. 2025

Abstract

Background: Increases in soil organic carbon (SOC) through agricultural management can alter soil water retention. This is determined via changes in pore size distribution, namely, air capacity (AC), plant-available water capacity (PAWC), and hygroscopic water capacity (HWC). However, it is uncertain how much soil water retention in topsoil and subsoil can be increased with agricultural management practices. Aims: The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of different agricultural management practices commonly used in Central Europe on AC, PAWC, and HWC in topsoil and subsoil as a result of SOC changes in different soil types. Methods: We sampled topsoil and subsoil at 11 sites across Germany that showed a management-induced SOC increase and a wide range of soil texture and measured the volumetric water content at different pressure heads from saturation to permanent wilting point. Results: In topsoil, AC increased on average by 1.3 mm 100 mm−1 (+17%), PAWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+8%), and HWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+15%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. In subsoil, SOC was increased by incorporating compost or topsoil material, which increased AC by 10.0 mm 100 mm−1 (+134%), PAWC by 0.7 mm 100 mm−1 (+3%), and HWC by 0.5 mm 100 mm−1 (+7%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. The total average increase in PAWC was 1 mm in topsoil and 1 mm in subsoil, with SOC increases by 4 and 5 g kg−1, respectively. Conclusions: More than 50 years of additional farmyard manure addition resulted in an average SOC increase of 3.4 g kg−1, but PAWC increased only slightly by 2.5%, showing the limited impact of agricultural management on water retention capacities.

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Effects of Agricultural Management on Water Retention via Changes in Organic Carbon in Topsoil and Subsoil. / Skadell, Laura E.; Dettmann, Ullrich; Guggenberger, Georg et al.
in: Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Jahrgang 188, Nr. 6, 12.2025, S. 949-963.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

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title = "Effects of Agricultural Management on Water Retention via Changes in Organic Carbon in Topsoil and Subsoil",
abstract = "Background: Increases in soil organic carbon (SOC) through agricultural management can alter soil water retention. This is determined via changes in pore size distribution, namely, air capacity (AC), plant-available water capacity (PAWC), and hygroscopic water capacity (HWC). However, it is uncertain how much soil water retention in topsoil and subsoil can be increased with agricultural management practices. Aims: The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of different agricultural management practices commonly used in Central Europe on AC, PAWC, and HWC in topsoil and subsoil as a result of SOC changes in different soil types. Methods: We sampled topsoil and subsoil at 11 sites across Germany that showed a management-induced SOC increase and a wide range of soil texture and measured the volumetric water content at different pressure heads from saturation to permanent wilting point. Results: In topsoil, AC increased on average by 1.3 mm 100 mm−1 (+17%), PAWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+8%), and HWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+15%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. In subsoil, SOC was increased by incorporating compost or topsoil material, which increased AC by 10.0 mm 100 mm−1 (+134%), PAWC by 0.7 mm 100 mm−1 (+3%), and HWC by 0.5 mm 100 mm−1 (+7%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. The total average increase in PAWC was 1 mm in topsoil and 1 mm in subsoil, with SOC increases by 4 and 5 g kg−1, respectively. Conclusions: More than 50 years of additional farmyard manure addition resulted in an average SOC increase of 3.4 g kg−1, but PAWC increased only slightly by 2.5%, showing the limited impact of agricultural management on water retention capacities.",
keywords = "climate change adaptation, deep-ploughing, long-term experiments, pedotransfer function, plant-available water, pore size distribution",
author = "Skadell, {Laura E.} and Ullrich Dettmann and Georg Guggenberger and Axel Don",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.",
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language = "English",
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pages = "949--963",
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TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of Agricultural Management on Water Retention via Changes in Organic Carbon in Topsoil and Subsoil

AU - Skadell, Laura E.

AU - Dettmann, Ullrich

AU - Guggenberger, Georg

AU - Don, Axel

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - Background: Increases in soil organic carbon (SOC) through agricultural management can alter soil water retention. This is determined via changes in pore size distribution, namely, air capacity (AC), plant-available water capacity (PAWC), and hygroscopic water capacity (HWC). However, it is uncertain how much soil water retention in topsoil and subsoil can be increased with agricultural management practices. Aims: The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of different agricultural management practices commonly used in Central Europe on AC, PAWC, and HWC in topsoil and subsoil as a result of SOC changes in different soil types. Methods: We sampled topsoil and subsoil at 11 sites across Germany that showed a management-induced SOC increase and a wide range of soil texture and measured the volumetric water content at different pressure heads from saturation to permanent wilting point. Results: In topsoil, AC increased on average by 1.3 mm 100 mm−1 (+17%), PAWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+8%), and HWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+15%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. In subsoil, SOC was increased by incorporating compost or topsoil material, which increased AC by 10.0 mm 100 mm−1 (+134%), PAWC by 0.7 mm 100 mm−1 (+3%), and HWC by 0.5 mm 100 mm−1 (+7%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. The total average increase in PAWC was 1 mm in topsoil and 1 mm in subsoil, with SOC increases by 4 and 5 g kg−1, respectively. Conclusions: More than 50 years of additional farmyard manure addition resulted in an average SOC increase of 3.4 g kg−1, but PAWC increased only slightly by 2.5%, showing the limited impact of agricultural management on water retention capacities.

AB - Background: Increases in soil organic carbon (SOC) through agricultural management can alter soil water retention. This is determined via changes in pore size distribution, namely, air capacity (AC), plant-available water capacity (PAWC), and hygroscopic water capacity (HWC). However, it is uncertain how much soil water retention in topsoil and subsoil can be increased with agricultural management practices. Aims: The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of different agricultural management practices commonly used in Central Europe on AC, PAWC, and HWC in topsoil and subsoil as a result of SOC changes in different soil types. Methods: We sampled topsoil and subsoil at 11 sites across Germany that showed a management-induced SOC increase and a wide range of soil texture and measured the volumetric water content at different pressure heads from saturation to permanent wilting point. Results: In topsoil, AC increased on average by 1.3 mm 100 mm−1 (+17%), PAWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+8%), and HWC by 1.6 mm 100 mm−1 (+15%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. In subsoil, SOC was increased by incorporating compost or topsoil material, which increased AC by 10.0 mm 100 mm−1 (+134%), PAWC by 0.7 mm 100 mm−1 (+3%), and HWC by 0.5 mm 100 mm−1 (+7%) per 10 g kg−1 increase in SOC. The total average increase in PAWC was 1 mm in topsoil and 1 mm in subsoil, with SOC increases by 4 and 5 g kg−1, respectively. Conclusions: More than 50 years of additional farmyard manure addition resulted in an average SOC increase of 3.4 g kg−1, but PAWC increased only slightly by 2.5%, showing the limited impact of agricultural management on water retention capacities.

KW - climate change adaptation

KW - deep-ploughing

KW - long-term experiments

KW - pedotransfer function

KW - plant-available water

KW - pore size distribution

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U2 - 10.1002/jpln.70004

DO - 10.1002/jpln.70004

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105012126856

VL - 188

SP - 949

EP - 963

JO - Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science

JF - Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science

SN - 1436-8730

IS - 6

ER -

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