Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-583-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-583-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
04 May 2026
Original research article |
| 04 May 2026
| 04 May 2026
Drivers of soil C quality and stability: insights from a topsoil dataset at landscape scale in Ontario, Canada
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Adam W. Gillespie
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Daniel D. Saurette
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Laura L. Van Eerd
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Related authors
No articles found.
Kingsley John, Travis Pennell, Louis-Pierre Comeau, Derek H. Lynch, Moazame Mesgar, Adam W. Gillespie, and Brandon Heung
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2849, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2849, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for SOIL (SOIL).
Short summary
Short summary
We combined Rock‑Eval indices, machine learning, and structural equation modelling to identify soil properties controlling carbon thermal stability. These Rock‑Eval parameters (S1, S2, S3′, OI, HI, T50) were handled as response variables; we linked them to soil characteristics. This predictive–causal framework reveals how clay, dissolved carbon, pH, aluminium, and bulk density drive soil organic carbon stability.
Cited articles
Adhikari, K. and Hartemink, A.: Soil organic carbon increases under intensive agriculture in the Central Sands, Wisconsin, USA, Geoderma Reg., 10, 115-125, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2017.07.003, 2017.
Agnihotri, R., Sharma, M. P., Prakash, A., Ramesh, A., Bhattacharya, S., Patra, A. K., Manna, M. C., Kurganova, I., and Kuzyakov, Y.: Glycoproteins of arbuscular mycorrhiza for soil carbon sequestration: Review of mechanisms and control, Sci. Total Environ., 806, 150571, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150571, 2022.
Amsili, J. P., van Es, H. M., and Schindelbeck, R. R.: Cropping system and soil texture shape soil health outcomes and scoring functions, Soil Secur., 4, 100012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soisec.2021.100012, 2021.
Angon, P. B., Anjum, N., Akter, M. M., Shreejana, K. C, Suma, R. P., and Sadia J.: An Overview of the Impact of Tillage and Cropping Systems on Soil Health in Agricultural Practices, Adv. Agric., 2023, 8861216, https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8861216, 2023.
Balota, E. L., Colozzi Filho, A., Andrade, D. S., and Dick, R. P.: Long-term tillage and crop rotation effects on microbial biomass and C and N mineralization in a Brazilian Oxisol, Soil Till. Res., 77, 137–145, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2003.12.003, 2004.
Blanco-Canqui, H., Shaver, T. M., Lindquist, J. L., Shapiro, C. A., Elmore, R. W., Francis, C. A., and Hergert, G. W.: Cover crops and ecosystem services: Insights from studies in temperate soils, Agron. J., 107, 2449–2474, https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj15.0086, 2015.
Brinton, W.: Soil CO2 respiration: official Solvita instructions (CO2-burst), SOP 2019 rev. 1 (DCR models 701.2), in: Method update, replaces version SOP 2019 and SOP 2016/1 (DCR model 700.6), Woods End Laboratories Inc., Mt. Vernon, ME, https://solvita.com/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2017/03/Solvita-Soil-CO2-Respiration_SOP2019_Rev1.pdf (last access: 8 November 2023), 2019.
Bünemann, E. K., Bongiorno, G., Bai, Z., Creamer, R. E., Deyn, G. D., de Goede, R., Fleskens, L., Geissen, V., Kuyper, T. W., Mader, P., Pulleman, M., Sukkel, W., van Groenigen, J. W., and Brussaard, L.: Soil quality – a critical review, Soil Biol. Biochem., 120, 105–125, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.01.030, 2018.
Burke, I. C., Yonker, C. M., Parton, W. J., Cole, C. V., Flach, K., and Schimel, D. S.: Texture, climate, and cultivation effects on soil organic matter content in US grassland soils, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 53, 800–805, https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1989.03615995005300030029x, 1989.
Carrie, J., Sanei, H., and Stern, G.: Standardisation of Rock–Eval pyrolysis for the analysis of recent sediments and soils, Org. Geochem., 46, 38–53, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2012.01.011, 2012.
Chahal, I. and Van Eerd, L. L.: Cover crop and crop residue removal effects on temporal dynamics of soil carbon and nitrogen in a temperate, humid climate, PLoS One, 15, e0235665, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235665, 2020.
Chahal, I., Hooker, D. C., Deen, B., Janovicek, K., and Van Eerd, L. L.: Long-term effects of crop rotation, tillage, and fertilizer nitrogen on soil health indicators and crop productivity in a temperate climate, Soil Till. Res., 213, 105–121, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2021.105121, 2021.
Chahal, I., Saurette, D., and Van Eerd, L.: Soil texture influences on soil health scoring functions in Ontario agricultural soils: a possible framework towards a provincial soil health test, Can. J. Soil Sci., 103, 152–163, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2021-0145, 2023.
Chahal, I., Amsili, J. P., Saurette, D. D., Bower, J. A., Gillespie, A. W., van Es, H. M. V., and Van Eerd, L. L.: Soil organic carbon to clay ratio in different pedoclimatic and agronomic conditions in northeastern North America, Geoderma Reg., 39, e00893, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2024.e00893, 2024.
Congreves, K. A., Hayes, A., Verhallen, E. A., and Van Eerd, L. L.: Long-term impact of tillage and crop rotation on soil health at four temperate agroecosystems, Soil Till. Res., 152, 17–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2015.03.012, 2015.
Cotrufo, M. F., Wallenstein, M. D., Boot, C. M., Denef, K., and Paul, E.: The microbial efficiency-matrix stabilization (mems) framework integrates plant litter decomposition with soil organic matter stabilization: do labile plant inputs form stable soil organic matter?, Global Change Biol., 19, 988–995, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12113, 2013.
Culman, S. W., Snapp, S. S., Freeman, M. A., Schipanski, M. E., Beniston, J., Lal, R., Drinkwater, L. E., Franzluebbers, A. J., Glover, J. D., Grandy, A. S., Lee, J., Six, J., Maul, J. E., Mirksy, S. B., Spargo, J. T., and Wander, M. M.: Permanganate oxidizable carbon reflects a processed soil fraction that is sensitive to management, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 76, 494–504, https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2011.0286, 2012.
Culman, S. W., Snapp, S. S., Green, J. M., and Gentry, L. E.: Short- and long-term labile soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics reflect management and predict corn agronomic performance, Agron. J., 105, 493–502, https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2012.0382, 2013.
Datta, A., Mandal, B., Badole, S., Krishna Chaitanya, A., Majumder, S. P., Padhan, D., Basak, N., Barman, A., Kundu, R., and Narkhede, W. N.: Interrelationship of biomass yield, carbon input, aggregation, carbon pools and its sequestration in Vertisols under long-term sorghum-wheat cropping system in semi-arid tropics, Soil Till. Res., 184, 164–175, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.STILL.2018.07.004, 2018.
Ding, G., Liu, X., Herbert, S., Novak, J., Amarasiriwardena, D., and Xing, B.: Effect of cover crop management on soil organic matter, Geoderma, 130, 229–239, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2005.01.019, 2006.
Gillespie, A. W., Sanei, H., Diochon, A., Ellert, B. H., Regier, T. Z., Chevrier, D., Dynes, J. J., Tarnocai, C., and Gregorich, E. G.: Perennially and annually frozen soil carbon differ in their susceptibility to decomposition: Analysis of subarctic earth hummocks by bioassay, XANES and pyrolysis, Soil Biol. Biochem., 68, 106–116, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.09.021, 2014.
Gregorich, E. G., Gillespie, A. W., Beare, M. H., Curtin, D., Sanei, H., and Yanni, S. F.: Evaluating biodegradability of soil organic matter by its thermal stability and chemical composition, Soil Biol. Biochem., 91, 182–191, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.08.032, 2015.
Haney, R. L., Brinton, W. H., and Evans, E.: Estimating soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization from short-term carbon dioxide respiration, Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal., 39, 2706–2720, https://doi.org/10.1080/00103620802358862, 2008.
Jenny, H.: Factors of Soil Formation: A System of Quantitative Pedology, Dover Publications, New York, p. 281, https://doi.org/10.2307/211491, 1941.
Jobbágy, E. G. and Jackson, R. B.: The Vertical Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon and Its Relation to Climate and Vegetation, Ecol. Appl., 10, 423–436, https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[0423:TVDOSO]2.0.CO;2, 2000.
King, A. E. and Blesh, J.: Crop rotations for increased soil carbon: perenniality as a guiding principle, Ecol. Appl., 28, 249–261, https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1648, 2018.
Krom, M. D. and Berner, R. A.: A rapid method for the determination of organic and carbonate carbon in geological samples, J. Sediment. Petrol., 53, 660–663, https://doi.org/10.1306/212F8260-2B24-11D7-8648000102C1865D, 1983.
Lafargue, E., Marquis, F., and Pillot, D.: Rock-Eval 6 applications in hydrocarbon exploration, production, and soil contamination studies, Revue de l'Institut Francais Du Petrole, 53, 421–437, https://doi.org/10.2516/ogst:1998036, 1998.
Lal, R.: Soil health and carbon management, Food Energy Secur., 5, 212–222, https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.96, 2016.
Liptzin, D., Norris, C. E., Cappellazzi, S. B., Mac Bean, G., Cope, M., Greub, K. L., and Honeycutt, C. W.: An evaluation of carbon indicators of soil health in long-term agricultural experiments, Soil Biol. Biochem., 172, 108708, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108708, 2022.
Mangalassery, S., Sjogersten, S., Sparkes, D. L., Sturrock, C. J., Craigon, J., and Mooney, S. J.: To what extent can zero tillage lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from temperate soils?, Sci. Rep., 4, 4586, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep04586, 2014.
McDaniel, M. D. and Grandy, A. S.: Soil microbial biomass and function are altered by 12 years of crop rotation, SOIL, 2, 583–599, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-583-2016, 2016.
Melland, A. R., Antille, L., and Dang, Y. P.: Effects of strategic tillage on short-term erosion, nutrient loss in runoff and greenhouse gas emissions, Soil Res., 55, 201–214, https://doi.org/10.1071/SR16136, 2017.
Mesgar, M., Voroney, R. P., Lo, A., Ardakani, O. H., and Gillespie, A. W.: Chemical composition and thermal stability of topsoil organic carbon: Influence of cropping system and tillage practices, Eur. J. Soil Sci., 75, e13459, https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.13459, 2024.
Minasny, B. and McBratney, A. B.: A Conditioned Latin Hypercube Method for Sampling in the Presence of Ancillary Information, Comp. Geosci., 32, 1378–1388, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2005.12.009, 2006.
Moebius-Clune, B. N., Moebius-Clune, D. J., Gugino, B. K., Idowu, O. J., Schindelbeck, R. R., Ristow, A. J., van Es, H. M., Thies, J. E., Shayler, H. A., McBride, M. B., Kurtz, K. S. M., Wolfe, D. W., and Abawi, G. S.: Comprehensive assessment of soil health, in: The Cornell Framework Manual, 3rd Edn., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, https://www.css.cornell.edu/extension/soil-health/manual.pdf (last access: 7 November 2023), 2016.
Norris, C. E. and Congreves, K. A.: Alternative management practices improve soil health indices in intensive vegetable cropping systems: a review, Front. Environ. Sci., 6, 50, https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00050, 2018.
Nunes, M. R., Karlen, D. L., and Moorman, T. B.: Tillage intensity effects on soil structure indicators – a us meta-analysis, Sustainability, 12, 2071, https://doi.org/10.3390/su12052071, 2020.
Nunes, M. R., Veum, K. S., Parker, P. A., Holan, S. H., Karlen, D. L., Amsili, J. P., Van Es, H. M., Wills, S. A., Seybold, C. A., and Moorman, T. B.: The soil health assessment protocol and evaluation applied to soil organic carbon, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 85, 1196–1213, https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20244, 2021.
Parton, W. J., Stewart, J. W. B., and Cole, C. V.: Dynamics of C, N, P and S in grassland soils: a model, Biogeochemistry, 5, 109–131, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180320, 1988.
Peltre, C., Fernandez, J. M., Craine, J. M., and Plante, A. F.: Relationships between biological and thermal indices of soil organic matter stability differ with soil organic carbon level, Sci. Soc. Am. J., 77, 2020–2028, https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2013.02.0081, 2013.
Poeplau, C. and Don, A.: Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Soils via Cultivation of Cover Crops – A Meta-Analysis, Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 200, 33–41, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.10.024, 2015.
Presley, D. R., Ransom, M. D., Kluitenberg, G. J., and Finnell, P. R.: Effects of Thirty Years of Irrigation on the Genesis and Morphology of Two Semiarid Soils in Kansas, Sci. Soc. Am. J., 68, 1916–1926, https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2004.1916, 2004.
Saenger, A., Cécillon, L., Sebag, D., and Brun, J.-J.: Soil organic carbon quantity, chemistry and thermal stability in a mountainous landscape: A Rock–Eval pyrolysis survey, Org. Geochem., 54, 101–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2012.10.008, 2013.
Schindelbeck, R. R., Moebius-Clune, B. N., Moebius-Clune, D. J., Kurtz, K. S., and van Es, H. M.: Cornell University Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures, Cornell University, 31–38, http://bit.ly/SoilHealthSOPs (last access: 7 November 2023), 2016.
Schmidt, M., Torn, M., Abiven, S., Dittmar, T., Guggenberger, G., Janssens, I., Kleber, M., Kögel-Knabner, I., Lehmann, J., Manning, D., Nannipieri, P., Rasse, D., Weiner, S., and Trumbore, S.: Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem property, Nature, 478, 49–56, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10386, 2011.
Sebag, D., Verrecchia, E. P., Cécillon, L., Adatte, T., Albrecht, R., Aubert, M., Bureau, F., Cailleau, G., Copard, Y., Decaens, T., Disnar, J.-R., Hetényi, M., Nyilas, T., and Trombino, L.: Dynamics of soil organic matter based on new Rock-Eval indices, Geoderma, 284, 185–203, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.08.025, 2016.
Sheldrick, B. H. and Wang, C.: Particle size distribution, in: Soil sampling and methods of analysis, edited by: Carter, M. R., Canadian Society of Soil Science, Lewis Publishers, 499–507, ISBN 978-0-87371-861-5, 1993.
Simkovic, I., Feketeova, Z., and Svobodova, L.: Microbial and thermal indices of organic matter stability in lowland soils with variable texture, Geoderma Reg., 36, e00753, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2023.e00753, 2025.
Sinsabaugh, R. L., Lauber, C. L., Weintraub, M. N., Ahmed, B., Allison, S. D., Crenshaw, C., Contosta, A. R., Cusack, D., Frey, S., Gallo, M. E., Gartner, T. B., Hobbie, S. E., Holland, K., Keeler, B. L., Powers, J. S., Stursova, M., Takacs-Vesbach, C., Waldrop, M. P., Wallenstein, M. D., Zak, D. R., and Zeglin, L. H.: Stoichiometry of soil enzyme activity at global scale, Ecol. Lett., 11, 1252–1264, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01245.x, 2008.
Six, J., Conant, R. T., Paul, E. A., and Paustian, K.: Stabilization mechanisms of soil organic matter: Implications for C-saturation of soils, Plant Soil, 241, 155–176, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016125726789, 2002.
Skjemstad, J. O. and Baldock, J. A.: Total and organic carbon, in: Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis, edited by: Carter, M. R. and Gregorich, E. G., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 225–237, https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420005271-29, 2008.
Soon, Y. K., Arshad, M. A., Haq, A., and Lupwayi, N.: The influence of 12 years of tillage and crop rotation on total and labile organic carbon in a sandy loam soil, Soil Till. Res., 95, 38–46, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2006.10.009, 2007.
Soucémarianadin, L., Cécillon, L., Chenu, C., Baudin, F., Nicolas, M., Girardin, C., and Barré, P.: Is Rock-Eval 6 thermal analysis a good indicator of soil organic carbon lability? – A method-comparison study in forest soils, Soil Biol. Biochem., 117, 108–116, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.025, 2018.
Stoner, S., Trumbore, S. E., González-Pérez, J. A., Schrumpf, M., Sierra, C. A., Hoyt, A. M., Chadwick, O., and Doetterl, S.: Relating mineral–organic matter stabilization mechanisms to carbon quality and age distributions using ramped thermal analysis, Philos. Trans. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci., 381, 20230139, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2023.0139, 2023.
Sun, F., Coulibaly, F. M., Cheviron, N., Mougin, C., Hedde, M., Maron, P., Recous, S., Trap, J., Cécile, V., and Chauvat, M.: The multi-year effect of different agroecological practice on soil nematodes and soil respiration, Plant Soil, 490, 109–124, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2154623/v1, 2023.
Viaud, V., Angers, D. A., Parnaudeau, V., Morvan, T., and Aubry, S. M.: Response of organic matter to reduced tillage and animal manure in a temperate loamy soil: Response of soil organic matter to tillage and manure application, Soil Use Manage., 27, 84–93, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2010.00314.x, 2011.
von Lützow, M., Kogel-Knabner, I., Ekschmitt, K., Matzner, E., Guggenberger, G., Marschner, B., and Flessa, H.: Stabilization of organic matter in temperate soils: mechanisms and their relevance under different soil conditions – a review, Eur. J. Soil Sci., 57, 426–445, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2006.00809.x, 2006.
Short summary
A dataset of 1490 topsoil samples from agricultural fields across Ontario was used to evaluate the impacts of agronomic, soil, and climatic factors on eight soil C indicators. Soil texture had a large influence on soil C and a close association of soil C with mean annual precipitation and cropping system was observed. Our results confirm the significant effects of soil management and climatic variables on soil C, which have long-term implications on soil C storage and improving soil health.
A dataset of 1490 topsoil samples from agricultural fields across Ontario was used to evaluate...
