Reduced Erosion Augments Soil Carbon Storage Under Cover Crops

Abstract

Cover crops, a promising strategy to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in croplands and mitigate climate change, have typically been shown to benefit soil carbon (C) storage from increased plant C inputs. However, input-driven C benefits may be augmented by the reduction of C outputs induced by cover crops, a process that has been tested by individual studies but has not yet been synthesized. Here we quantified the impact of cover crops on organic C loss via soil erosion (SOC erosion) and revealed the geographical variability at the global scale. We analyzed the field data from 152 paired control and cover crop treatments from 57 published studies worldwide using meta-analysis and machine learning. The meta-analysis results showed that cover crops widely reduced SOC erosion by an average of 68% on an annual basis, while they increased SOC stock by 14% (0–15 cm). The absolute SOC erosion reduction ranged from 0 to 18.0 Mg C⁻¹ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and showed no correlation with the SOC stock change that varied from −8.07 to 22.6 Mg C⁻¹ ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ at 0–15 cm depth, indicating the latter more likely related to plant C inputs. The magnitude of SOC erosion reduction was dominantly determined by topographic slope. The global map generated by machine learning showed the relative effectiveness of SOC erosion reduction mainly occurred in temperate regions, including central Europe, central-east China, and Southern South America. Our results highlight that cover crop-induced erosion reduction can augment SOC stock to provide additive C benefits, especially in sloping and temperate croplands, for mitigating climate change.