Severe drought rather than cropping system determines litter decomposition in arable systems

Liu, Yujie; Duarte, Gicele Silva; Sun, Qing; Gilgen, Anna Katarina; Wittwer, Raphael; van der Heijden, Marcel G A; Buchmann, Nina; Klaus, Valentin H

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2022.108078

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Liu, Y., Duarte, G. S., Sun, Q., Gilgen, A. K., Wittwer, R., van der Heijden, M. G. A., Buchmann, N., & Klaus, V. H. (2022). Severe drought rather than cropping system determines litter decomposition in arable systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 338, 108078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.108078

Abstract

"Litter decomposition is a fundamental process in soil carbon dynamics and nutrient turnover. However, litter decomposition in arable systems remains poorly explored, and it is unclear whether different management practices, such as organic farming, conservation agriculture can mitigate drought effects on litter decomposition. Thus, we examined the effects of a severe experimental drought on litter decomposition in four cropping systems, i.e., organic vs. conventional farming, each with two levels of tillage (intensive vs. conservatio