Abschätzung des Beitrages von Miscanthus zur Bildung der organischen Bodensubstanz mit Hilfe der natürlichen 13C-Abundanz

One possibility to sequester carbon in soil could be the cultivation of renewable energy plants like Miscanthus x giganteus. In this preliminary investigation the contribution of Miscanthus derived carbon to formation of soil organic matter in a sandy and a loamy soil has been investigated using natural 13C abundance. In Ah of the loamy soil, 21% (0–10 cm) and 11% (20–30 cm) of soil organic carbon was derived from Miscanthus after 9 years of continuos cultivation, while portions of Miscanthus derived C exceeded 17% (0–10 cm) and 8% (10–20 cm) in the sandy soil. This significant contribution of Miscanthus derived carbon demonstrates the interesting possibility in using renewable energy plants for carbon sequestration in soils and using Miscanthus for further investigations of soil organic matter dynamics. This dynamic differ from that one of maize used in studies with natural 13C abundance method because of much higher below-ground biomass, absence of soil cultivation and deep root system of Miscanthus.