Corn (Zea mays L.) stover is a global resource used for livestock, fuel, and bioenergy feedstock, but excessive stover removal can decrease soil organic C (SOC) stocks and deteriorate soil health. Many site\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific stover removal experiments report accrual rates and SOC stock effects, but a quantitative, global synthesis is needed to provide a scientific base for long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term energy policy decisions. We used 409 data points from 74 stover harvest experiments conducted around the world for a meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90analysis and meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90regression to quantify removal rate, tillage, soil texture, and soil sampling depth effects on SOC. Changes were quantified by: (a) comparing final SOC stock differences after at least 3\uffc2\uffa0years with and without stover removal and (b) calculating SOC accrual rates for both treatments. Stover removal generally reduced final SOC stocks by 8% in the upper 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9315 or 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9330\uffc2\uffa0cm, compared to stover retained, irrespective of soil properties and tillage practices. A more sensitive meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90regression analysis showed that retention increased SOC stocks within the 30\uffe2\uff80\uff93150\uffc2\uffa0cm depth by another 5%. Compared to baseline values, stover retention increased average SOC stocks temporally at a rate of 0.41\uffc2\uffa0Mg C\uffc2\uffa0ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffc2\uffa0year\uffe2\uff88\uff921 (statistically significant at p\uffc2\uffa0<\uffc2\uffa00.01 when averaged across all soil layers). Although SOC sequestration rates were lower with stover removal, with moderate (<50%) removal they can be positive, thus emphasizing the importance of site\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific management. Our results also showed that tillage effects on SOC stocks were inconsistent due to the high variability in practices used among the experimental sites. Finally, we conclude that research and technological efforts should continue to be given high priority because of the importance in providing science\uffe2\uff80\uff90based policy recommendations for long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term global carbon management.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "TJ807-830", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "carbon sequestration", "Energy industries. Energy policy. Fuel trade", "Renewable energy sources", "soil organic carbon", "corn", "meta\u2010analysis", "13. Climate action", "tillage", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "HD9502-9502.5", "stover removal"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12631"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/GCB%20Bioenergy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcbb.12631", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcbb.12631", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcbb.12631"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-07-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/gcb.13637", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:29Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-01-30", "title": "Long-Term No-Till And Stover Retention Each Decrease The Global Warming Potential Of Irrigated Continuous Corn", "description": "AbstractOver the last 50\uffc2\uffa0years, the most increase in cultivated land area globally has been due to a doubling of irrigated land. Long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term agronomic management impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and global warming potential (GWP) in irrigated systems, however, remain relatively unknown. Here, residue and tillage management effects were quantified by measuring soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) fluxes and SOC changes (\uffce\uff94SOC) at a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term, irrigated continuous corn (Zea mays L.) system in eastern Nebraska, United States. Management treatments began in 2002, and measured treatments included no or high stover removal (0 or 6.8\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0DM\uffc2\uffa0ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffc2\uffa0yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921, respectively) under no\uffe2\uff80\uff90till (NT) or conventional disk tillage (CT) with full irrigation (n\uffc2\uffa0=\uffc2\uffa04). Soil N2O and CH4 fluxes were measured for five crop\uffe2\uff80\uff90years (2011\uffe2\uff80\uff932015), and \uffce\uff94SOC was determined on an equivalent mass basis to ~30\uffc2\uffa0cm soil depth. Both area\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and yield\uffe2\uff80\uff90scaled soil N2O emissions were greater with stover retention compared to removal and for CT compared to NT, with no interaction between stover and tillage practices. Methane comprised <1% of total emissions, with NT being CH4 neutral and CT a CH4 source. Surface SOC decreased with stover removal and with CT after 14\uffc2\uffa0years of management. When \uffce\uff94SOC, soil GHG emissions, and agronomic energy usage were used to calculate system GWP, all management systems were net GHG sources. Conservation practices (NT, stover retention) each decreased system GWP compared to conventional practices (CT, stover removal), but pairing conservation practices conferred no additional mitigation benefit. Although cropping system, management equipment/timing/history, soil type, location, weather, and the depth to which \uffce\uff94SOC is measured affect the GWP outcomes of irrigated systems at large, this long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term irrigated study provides valuable empirical evidence of how management decisions can impact soil GHG emissions and surface SOC stocks.
", "keywords": ["Crops", " Agricultural", "Greenhouse Effect", "2. Zero hunger", "no-till", "Agricultural Irrigation", "nitrous oxide", "550", "methane", "Nitrous Oxide", "conventional tillage", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Global Warming", "Zea mays", "7. Clean energy", "630", "6. Clean water", "soil organic carbon", "Soil", "greenhouse gas intensity", "13. Climate action", "global warming potential", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "stover removal"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13637"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.13637", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.13637", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.13637"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-02-28T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/gcbb.12128", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-20T16:17:32Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2013-10-31", "title": "Soil And Crop Response To Stover Removal From Rainfed And Irrigated Corn", "description": "AbstractExcessive corn (Zea mays L.) stover removal for biofuel and other uses may adversely impact soil and crop production. We assessed the effects of stover removal at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% from continuous corn on water erosion, corn yield, and related soil properties during a 3\uffe2\uff80\uff90year study under irrigated and no\uffe2\uff80\uff90tillage management practice on a Ulysses silt loam at Colby, irrigated and strip till management practice on a Hugoton loam at Hugoton, and rainfed and no\uffe2\uff80\uff90tillage management practice on a Woodson silt loam at Ottawa in Kansas, USA. The slope of each soil was <1%. One year after removal, complete (100%) stover removal resulted in increased losses of sediment by 0.36\uffe2\uff80\uff930.47\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 at the irrigated sites, but, at the rainfed site, removal at rates as low as 50% resulted in increased sediment loss by 0.30\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 and sediment\uffe2\uff80\uff90associated carbon (C) by 0.29\uffc2\uffa0kg\uffc2\uffa0ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921. Complete stover removal reduced wet aggregate stability of the soil at the irrigated sites in the first year after removal, but, at the rainfed site, wet aggregate stability was reduced in all years. Stover removal at rates \uffe2\uff89\uffa5 50% resulted in reduced soil water content, increased soil temperature in summer by 3.5\uffe2\uff80\uff936.8\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb0C, and reduced temperature in winter by about 0.5\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb0C. Soil C pool tended to decrease and crop yields tended to increase with an increase in stover removal, but 3\uffc2\uffa0years after removal, differences were not significant. Overall, stover removal at rates \uffe2\uff89\uffa550% may enhance grain yield but may increase risks of water erosion and negatively affect soil water and temperature regimes in this region.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Plant Sciences", "Botany", "Life Sciences", "Plant Biology", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Horticulture", "15. Life on land", "7. Clean energy", "irrigation", "333", "630", "6. Clean water", "soil aggregation", "Agronomy and Crop Sciences", "13. Climate action", "Other Plant Sciences", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "stover removal", "water erosion", "soil carbon", "Agricultural Science"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12128"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/GCB%20Bioenergy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcbb.12128", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcbb.12128", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcbb.12128"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-10-31T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=stover+removal&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=stover+removal&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=stover+removal&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=stover+removal&offset=3", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 3, "numberReturned": 3, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-09-20T21:04:16.827279Z"}