Diversity of humus stocks in the arable soils of the Late Pleistocene ground morains in Mecklenburg, West Pomerania, Germany

• Published in: Archiv für Acker- und Pflanzenbau und Bodenkunde Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 231 - 240
• Main Authors: Reuter, Gerhard, Böttcher, Helmet, Honermeier, Bernd, Kopp, Helmut, Lange, Gertrud, Makowksi, Norbert, Mueller, Klaus, Teltschik, Katrin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 01-04-2007
• Subjects: effects of relief position; Humus stocks; influence on climate; soil fertility
• ISSN: 0365-0340; 1476-3567
• DOI: 10.1080/03650340701308667

Local humus stocks (= contents of soil organic matter, SOM in kg · m
−2
) of arable soils were investigated in several regions of the seemingly uniform ground moraine-landscape. Depending on relief position, quantifiable effects of humus removal or enrichment are evident, caused by denudation or colluviation. The depth (thickness) of the investigated humus-bearing topsoil horizons varies between 15 and 150 cm overall and amounts on average to 67 cm. Extreme values of SOM (resp. C
org
) stocks are 2.73 (1.58) and 137.41 (79.70) kg · m
−2
. The average values of all found SOM (resp. C
org
) stocks in the investigated arable soils amount to 10.78 (6.25) kg · m
−2
. Humus stocks are not only of importance for the agricultural yield potential but also because of their function as a sink for, or a source of, atmospheric CO
2
, which is of special current interest due to its influence on menacing climate change. The total carbon content of the corresponding column of atmosphere, 1.60 kg · m
−2
, amounts to only one quarter of the average in our arable soils.