Is C and N mineralization water sensitivity site-specific and dependent of climate or soil properties?

 The sensitivity of C or N mineralization rate to pF or RWC is more accurately predicted by either microbial quotient and soil pH or soil organic C:N ratio and soil pH than a model common to all pedoclimatic conditions.

 To evaluate the evolution of soil organic C when converting a rainfed to an irrigated cropping system.

 Soil organic carbon increased at 969 kg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ when converting a rainfed cropping system to irrigation. Most of the increase was explained by an increase in particulate organic carbon.

 Quantify the long-term effects of tillage systems on soil water storage and its relationship with crop yield under dryland semiarid Mediterranean conditions.

 Under rainfed conditions soil water storage increases with the use of conservation tillage systems, being amplified with the degree of aridity of the site.

 Identify which soil C fractions are most sensitive to changes in agricultural management practices.

 Particulate organic carbon has the greatest sensitivity to changes in agricultural management practices, proving its ability as an early indicator of optimized practices to sequester C in soil.