Research project NG| Drought and carbon amendment experiment in Swedish grasslands

Previous research suggests that by applying carbon amendments on grasslands (e.g. in the form of compost), it is possible to increase carbon sequestration as well as the water holding capacity of soils. This would be particularly important during droughts, as it could buffer negative effects on plant productivity. However, there is scarcity of studies testing the effects of this type of land management on biodiversity.

In this project, we want to investigate how droughts and carbon amendments are affecting soil moisture, aboveground biomass, plant diversity and floral resources (PhD project of Nina Roth). Moreover, we are studying the effects on belowground plant and microbial biomass, diversity of root traits and diversity and community composition of soil fungi and bacteria (PhD project of Daniela Guasconi). We have four study sites in southern Sweden (around Tovetorp Research Station, Södermanland), where we have set up 12 rainout-shelters to simulate drought and applied maize compost as carbon amendment.