Summary
This paper presents a practical benchmarking framework for evaluating soil organic carbon status in German agricultural soils, based on stratification of the first German Agricultural Soil Inventory into 33 strata. The framework enables farmers and extension services to compare measured SOC contents against site-specific expected ranges defined by four readily available soil and climate properties, facilitating initial assessment of soil carbon status relative to soil-specific differences rather than absolute values.
UK applicability
The benchmarking methodology is transferable to UK conditions, though the specific SOC quantile values and strata would need derivation from UK soil inventory data accounting for differences in climate, soil types, and agricultural practices. The stratification approach by texture, C/N ratio, and precipitation could readily be adapted for UK mineral soils under arable and grassland management.
Key measures
Soil organic carbon content (g kg⁻¹), stratification factors (land use, soil texture, C/N ratio, mean annual precipitation), lower and upper SOC quantiles (0.125 and 0.875)
Outcomes reported
The study derived site-specific soil organic carbon (SOC) benchmarks for German mineral soils stratified by land use, soil texture, C/N ratio, and precipitation. It quantified SOC value ranges for cropland and grassland and established a framework for comparative assessment of measured SOC contents against expected site-specific values.
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