Carbon dioxide emissions from agrogray soils under climate changes

The effect of droughts and drying-wetting cycles on the respiration activity of agrogray soils was studied in field and laboratory experiments. The alternation of drought periods and rains during the vegetation season did not increase the annual emission of CO 2 from the soils under a sown meadow and an agrocenosis. In laboratory experiments, the wetting of dried soil released 1–1.5% of C org with a high decomposition constant n × 10 −1 day −1 and a very short renewal time (2.1–2.4 days); therefore, an abrupt change in the wetting conditions did not intensify the loss of soil carbon under field conditions.