Decreased land use intensity improves surface soil quality on marginal lands

• Published in: Agrosystems, geosciences & environment Vol. 4; no. 4
• Main Authors: Li, Lidong, Jin, Virginia L., Kettler, Timothy, Karlen, Douglas L., Nunes, Márcio R., Lehman, R. Michael, Johnson, Jane M. F., Mikha, Maysoon M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken John Wiley & Sons, Inc 2021; Wiley
• Subjects: Agriculture; Alternative energy sources; Biomass; Carbon; Crop management; Crops; Environmental protection; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Fertilizer application; Food security; Grasses; Hypotheses; Land management; Land use; Management decisions; Nitrates; Nutrient availability; Nutrient loss; Organic soils; Pasture; Productivity; Raw materials; Soil chemistry; Soil depth; Soil erosion; Soil improvement; Soil management; Soil nutrients; Soil quality; Soil surfaces; Soils; Wildlife conservation; United States > US; Iowa
• ISSN: 2639-6696; 2639-6696
• DOI: 10.1002/agg2.20226

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has been a major factor in land transitions out of intensive row‐crop management on marginally productive lands in the central United States. While CRP can protect these more environmentally sensitive lands against erosion and potential nutrient loss, information on how CRP affects soil quality over time is limited. Using a chronosequence with 0–40 yr of CRP conversion history, we evaluated soil quality under different land use intensities (CRP, pasture, row crop) using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF). Effects of slope classes (higher [14–25%] and lower [2–14%]) and soil depth (0–120 cm) were also evaluated. Our results show that the soils were functioning at 84 and 78% of their theoretical capacity under CRP and row crop, respectively. Conversion to CRP enhanced overall soil quality by increasing soil biological, physical, and chemical attributes, but soil nutrient availability decreased due to the absence of fertilizer application. Increasing soil organic C (SOC) enhanced overall soil quality because of its impact on soil biological, physical, chemical, and nutrient conditions. Conversion to CRP will likely have greater benefits for more environmentally sensitive soils (i.e., higher slope) as demonstrated by structural equation modeling. Land use effects were also depth dependent, with more prominent effects within the 0‐to‐5‐cm than the 5‐to‐15‐cm depth increment. Overall, our methods focused on key soil quality indicators, confirmed ecological benefits of CRP conversion, and provided guidance for improved and simplified land management recommendations.
Core Ideas
Converting marginal cropland to the Conservation Reserve Program for 10−40 yr improved soil quality.
Decreased land use intensity had stronger benefits on environmentally sensitive soil.
Decreased land use intensity increased soil organic C for 0‐to‐5‐cm depth but not deeper depths.
C and N availabilities explained 82% of the variations in β‐glucosidase activity.
Conversion to the Conservation Reserve Program decreased NO3 leaching potential.