Smart Mixture Design Can Steer the Fate of Root-Derived Carbon Into Mineral-Associated and Particulate Organic Matter in Intensively Managed Grasslands.

Species choice and richness in intensively managed grassland mixtures regulate soil carbon (C) input via rhizodeposition, with potential consequences for long-term soil organic carbon storage. Based on a field trial with different grass-legume-forb mixtures, we removed roots from the soil, which was then subjected to particle-size fractionation to trace fresh organic carbon (net C rhizodeposition) into particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM). We related these C input fractions to root traits.