Stabilized soil organic carbon (SOC) accrual plays a crucial role in long‐term atmospheric CO 2 sequestration. The organic carbon in the fine silt and clay size fraction (OC fine ) is typically mineral‐associated and thus relatively stable. However, the SOC saturation concept suggests that the OC fine has limited capacity for additional carbon (C) storage, thereby constraining further C sequestration. Low‐OC and fine‐textured...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) accrual, and particularly the formation of fine fraction carbon (OC fine ), has a large potential to act as sink for atmospheric CO 2 . For reliable estimates of this potential and efficient policy advice, the major limiting factors for OC fine accrual need to be understood. The upper boundary of the correlation between fine mineral particles (silt + clay) and OC fine is widely used to estimate the ma...

Background and aims Understanding the fate and residence time of organic matter added to soils, and its effect on native soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralisation is key for developing efficient SOC sequestration strategies. Here, the effect of litter quality, particularly the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio, on the dynamics of particulate (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) were studied. Methods In a two-year inc...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is a promising climate change mitigation option. In this context, the formation of the relatively long‐lived mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC) is key. To date, soils are considered to be limited in their ability to accumulate MAOC, mainly by the amount of clay and silt particles present. Using the comprehensive German Agricultural Soil Inventory, we selected 189 samples with a wid...