Differences in Soil Organic Carbon Among Field Areas and Land Types

The aim of this study was to assess differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) among field areas within different types of agricultural land. A total of 1032 soil samples were collected from 43 fields across six farms during the same year. Fields were used for arable, temporary grass (both grouped as temporary vegetation) and permanent grass production. The study compared SOC levels (in g/kg, ratio to clay and ratio to nitrogen) between the field boundary and within-field areas. The field boundary was classed as either ‘open’ (boundary with fence and/or wall) or ‘covered’ (with hedgerow and/or trees). From the fields sampled, 69% of within-field samples and 88% of boundary samples were categorised as having ‘very good’ levels of SOC. On average, the SOC in g/kg and ratio to clay were higher for permanent grass and boundary field areas compared to temporary and within-field areas, and covered boundary areas had higher SOC compared to open areas. This study demonstrates an approach for benchmarking field areas for organic carbon content using the ratio with clay, field boundaries or permanent grass fields.