Evaluating the Tea Bag Index approach for different management practices in agroecosystems using long-term field experiments in Austria and Sweden
Maria Regina Gmach,Martin Anders Bolinder,Lorenzo Menichetti,Thomas Kätterer,Heide Spiegel,Olle Åkesson,Jürgen Kurt Friedel,Andreas Surböck,Agnes Schweinzer,and Taru Sandén
Institute of Organic Farming (IFÖL), Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
deceased
Andreas Surböck
Institute of Organic Farming (IFÖL), Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Agnes Schweinzer
EASY-CERT services GmbH, Königsbrunner Straße 8, 2202 Enzersfeld, Austria
We evaluated the effect of soil management practices on decomposition at 29 sites (13 in Sweden and 16 in Austria) using long-term field experiments with the Tea Bag Index (TBI) approach. We found that the decomposition rate (k) and stabilization factor (S) were mainly governed by climatic conditions. In general, organic and mineral fertilization increased k and S, and reduced tillage increased S. Edaphic factors also affected k and S.
We evaluated the effect of soil management practices on decomposition at 29 sites (13 in Sweden...