Research Reveals How Soils Treated with Organic Fertilizers Store More Carbon

Researchers from Kansas State University are exploring how different farming practices can affect the amount of carbon that gets stored in soil. They found that the soil treated with manure or compost fertilizer stores more carbon than soil that received either chemical fertilizer or no fertilizer. Analysis by the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan and the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, California, revealed how the carbon is preserved in pores in the soil or attaches itself to minerals in the soil. In addition, scientists found that soil treated with manure or compost contained more microbial carbon, indicating more microorganisms present and active in the soil.