All treatments with and without cover crops did store and retain transported SOC (Table 1, column 10) in the
filter and border strips at the rate of 0.09, 0.07, 0.26, 0.21, 0.35 and 0.28 Mg∙C∙ha−1
∙layer–1
∙year−1 of SOC (Table 3).
The SOC retained on the upland in the filter and border strips is not counted as sequestered SOC for the plot
area since it was transported off the plot area but it does still retain the SOC and keeps most of it from getting
into the water or atmosphere which reduces the CO2 release to the atmosphere directly or via the water. This
sediment rich in SOC was deposited on the uplands (50% to 70%) [17], in water (10 to 30%) or goes to the atmosphere
(20%). The CP without cover crops did not sequester SOC (−0.14 Mg∙ha−1
∙layer–1
∙year−1
) in the root
zone but the MP and NT did (Table 3). The amount of sediment rich in SOC retained on the lower slope was the
greatest for MP without cover crops since it had the greatest soil loss (30.1 Mg∙ha−1
∙year−1
) and sediment deposition
into the filter and border strips. Cover crops reduced soil loss to 24.3 Mg∙ha−1
∙year−1
. It appears from the
sediment build-up on the footslopes during the past 12 years that most of the SOC rich sediments are still being
retained and not immediately going into the stream or atmosphere.