Tillage intensity shapes soil carbon stabilization pathways differently in contrasting soil textures : 11-year field experiments

Mavsar, Sara (author), Grčman, Helena (author), Mihelič, Rok (author)

Soil texture-dependent responses and time-scales of soil quality change, especially soil carbon, remain poorly understood. We addressed this gap using a dual time-scale design of long-term field experiments: 11 years of minimum (MT) versus ploughing tillage (CT), both followed by 5-year transitions to no-till (NT) in contrasting textures (loamy vs. silty clay) in NE Slovenia. In loamy soils, reduced tillage in the 0–10 cm layer increased soil organic carbon by 40–48%, dissolved organic carbon by 36–64%, permanganate oxidizable carbon by 67–84%, particulate organic carbon by 76–95%, and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC < 50 μm) by 28–34%. In silty clay soils, high clay content masked tillage effects, though labile pools showed stratification. MAOC < 20 μm remained stable across treatments and textures (2.0–2.5%), except under CT in loamy soil (1.73%), indicating enhanced decomposition. In loamy soils CT increased by 0.5–1 and 1–2 mm and decreased >20 mm and in silty clay soils increased <0.5, 1–2 and 2–4 mm aggregate formations. The MWD, GMD, Dm indices correlated strongly with C fractions, confirming physical protection mechanisms. Our dual time-scale approach reveals labile C pools and aggregate recovery respond within 5 years of NT, while texture modulates response magnitude and detectability.

• Language: English
• Keywords: no-till transition, long-term field experiments, NE Slovenia, organic carbon stabilization, structure stability, aggregation, soil texture
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 21 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 10, iss. 3, art. 35
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179990
• UDC: 631.4
• ISSN on article: 2571-8789
• DOI: 10.3390/soilsystems10030035
• COBISS.SI-ID: 269901059
• Publication date in RUL: 27.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Soil systems
• Shortened title: Soil syst.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2571-8789
• COBISS.SI-ID: 529825561

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: pedologija, tekstura tal, ohranitvena obdelava tal

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Funding programme: Young Researcher Program

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0085
• Name: Agroekosistemi