Does North Appalachian agriculture contribute to soil carbon sequestration?

Agricultural systems are important for world ecosystems. They can be managed to moderate CO2 emissions. World soils can be both a sink and source of atmospheric CO2, but it is a slow process. Data from long-term soil management experiments are needed to assess soil carbon (C) sink capacity through a complete life cycle analysis of direct and hidden C changes. Eight commonly used agricultural systems in northern Appalachia (OH, USA) were tested after 38 year to assess the magnitude of the soil C pool. Only a forest ecosystem and a no-tillage corn (Zea mays L.) crop plus manure increased soil organic carbon (SOC) by 37.3 and 33.3 Mg C ha−1, respectively; meanwhile monoculture corn and/or no-tillage practices maintained the SOC level over the period. Thus, most of north Appalachian agriculture, with current practices, does not contribute to C sequestration. Improved agricultural practices for no-tillage continuous corn should include cultivars with higher residue production (above- and belowground) and slower decomposition rates in order to increase SOC sequestration.