ABSTRACT
In agricultural systems many factors altering soil organic matter (SOM) levels are controlled by management decisions. These include choices of cropping systems, management of crop residues and organic waste application, and methods and intensity of soil tillage. The CENTURY model developed by Parton has been used to analyze management practices as they affect changes to SOM in the grassland soils of North America. This chapter focuses on a study which examines the usefulness of the CENTURY model for predicting short-term changes in SOM due to management. It analyzes the data from three field experiments at two locations in Quebec, Canada, using the model to simulate management practices, crop production and SOM dynamics at each field site. The site had been used for research plots with conventional tillage for more than 15 years prior to initiating this study in 1986. The different cropping treatments resulted in changes to SOM content which was predicted using the CENTURY model.
