Effect of long-term cropping systems on soil organic carbon pools and soil quality in western plain of hot arid India

Maintaining soil organic carbon (SOC) in arid ecosystem is important for soil productivity and restoration of deserted sandy soil in western plain of India. There is a need to understand how the cropping systems changes may alter SOC pools including total organic carbon (TOC), particulate organic C (POC), water soluble carbon (WSC), very labile C (VLC), labile C (LC), less labile C (LLC) and non-labile C (NLC) in arid climate. We selected seven major agricultural systems for this study viz., barren, fallow, barley–fallow, mustard–moth bean, chickpea–groundnut, wheat–green gram and wheat–pearl millet. Result revealed that conversion of sandy barren lands to agricultural systems significantly increased available nutrients and SOC pools. Among all studied cropping systems, the highest values of TOC (6.12 g kg^?1), POC (1.53 g kg^?1) and WSC (0.19 g kg^?1) were maintained in pearl millet–wheat system, while the lowest values of carbon pools observed in fallow and barren land. Strong relationships (P < 0.05) were exhibited between VLC and LC with available nutrients. The highest carbon management index (299) indicates that wheat–pearl millet system has greater soil quality for enhancing crop productivity, nutrient availability and carbon sequestration of arid soil.     

长期稻虾共作模式提高稻田土壤生物肥力的机理

  【目的】  长期稻虾共作是提高稻田肥力的有机生态途径。研究该模式对稻田土壤有机碳库和土壤酶活性的影响，为该模式的可持续应用提供理论依据。  【方法】  基于连续10年 (2005—2015) 中稻单作和稻虾共作的田间定位试验，于2015年10月中旬水稻收获后，按照0—10 cm、10—20 cm、20—30 cm、30—40 cm 土层采集土样，分析不同土层中总有机碳 (total organic carbon，TOC)、土壤微生物量碳 (microbial biomass carbon，MBC)、可溶性有机碳 (dissolved organic carbon，DOC)、易氧化有机碳 (easily-oxidized organic carbon，EOC) 和颗粒有机碳 (particulate organic carbon，POC) 含量，测定不同土层土壤水稳性团聚体中有机碳的含量，计算了土壤碳库管理指数，同时分析了与土壤碳、氮和磷代谢有密切关系的纤维素酶、蔗糖酶、脲酶和酸性磷酸酶活性。  【结果】  1) 相对于中稻单作，稻虾共作显著增加了各土层中TOC、POC和DOC含量，增加30—40 cm土层中MBC含量以及10—40 cm土层中EOC含量；2) 稻虾共作显著提高了10—30 cm土层中土壤碳库管理指数，碳库管理指数在10—20 cm和20—30 cm土层中较中稻单作模式分别提高了52.7%和58.2%；3) 稻虾共作模式下，0—20 cm土层中小于0.053 mm粉–黏团聚体的有机碳含量显著高于中稻单作模式，而在20—30 cm土层各粒级团聚体的有机碳含量均显著高于中稻单作模式；4) 与中稻单作相比，稻虾共作土壤脲酶活性在10—20 cm土层显著降低了16.7%，而在20—30 cm土层纤维素酶活性显著提高了28.0%；5) 除DOC外，TOC、POC、MBC与纤维素酶、蔗糖酶、脲酶和酸性磷酸酶活性均呈显著正相关。  【结论】  长期稻虾共作提高了稻田土壤有机碳及其活性组分含量，特别是提高了20—30 cm土层纤维素酶活性，促进了根茬等有机物的分解，提高了该层次各粒级团聚体内的有机碳含量，改善了土壤结构，加大了水稻根系的下扎深度，改善了固持速效养分的能力，从而提升了稻田土壤生物肥力。     

Organic Amendments with Plant-Growth-Promoting Fungi Support Paddy Cultivation in Sodic Soil

Excessive sodium content in sodic soils is an important limiting factor for cultivation of agricultural crops. The present study was conducted to explore the influence of a novel organic amendment (SF_OA) along with use of plant-growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) on soil properties and growth/yield of Oryza sativa L. The combined application of PGPF and SF_OA increased total organic carbon (TOC) (0.62%) and decreased the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) (15.6%) of soil more significantly from 0.56% (TOC) and 30.1% (ESP), respectively compared to SF_OA alone treatment. The combined application reduced soil bulk density, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) and improved soil enzymatic activities. A significant negative correlation was observed between grain yield with soil ESP and bulk density (r = –0.728, and –0.789, respectively). This study showed that the combined treatment of PGPF and SF_OA could enhance the potential of organic amendments for alleviating salt stress in rice.     

Influence of Long‐Term Sodic‐Water Irrigation,Gypsum, and Organic Amendments on Soil Properties and Nitrogen Mineralization Kinetics under Rice–Wheat System

Abstract

Influence of long‐term sodic‐water (SW) irrigation with or without gypsum and organic amendments [green manure (GM), farmyard manure (FYM), and rice straw (RS)] on soil properties and nitrogen (N) mineralization kinetics was studied after 12 years of rice–wheat cropping in a sandy loam soil in northwest India. Long‐term SW irrigation increased soil pH, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and decreased organic carbon (OC) and total N content. On the other hand, application of gypsum and organic amendments resulted in significant improvement in all these soil properties. Mineralization of soil N ranged from 54 to 111 mg N kg^?1 soil in different treatments. Irrigation with SW depressed N mineralization. In SW‐irrigated plots, two flushes of N mineralization were observed; the first during 0 to 7 d and the second after 28 d. Amending SW irrigated plots with GM and FYM enhanced mineralization of soil N. Gypsum application along with SW irrigation reduced cumulative N mineralization at 56 days in RS‐amended plots but increased it under GM‐treated, FYM‐treated, or unamended plots. Nitrogen mineralization potential (N_o) ranged from 62 to 543 mg N kg^?1 soil. In the first‐order zero‐order model (FOZO), the easily decomposable fraction ranged from 5.4 to 42 mg N kg^?1 soil. Compared to the first‐order single compartment model, the FOZO model could better explain the variations in N mineralization in different treatments. Variations in N_o were influenced more by changes in pH, SAR, and ESP induced by long‐term SW irrigations and amendments rather than by soil OC.     

Response of soil properties and C dynamics to land-use change in the west of Loess Plateau

Land-use change (LUC) is widely considered a major factor that affects soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. The impacts of four LUC types on soil properties, SOC, particulate organic carbon (POC) and labile organic carbon (LOC) at the 0–100 cm depth were examined in the west of Loess Plateau, northwest China. Bulk density at the 20–40 cm depth increased significantly after native grassland conversion to cropland, while artificial grassland establishment and abandonment on former cropland caused reverse change. Soil water content in the profile increased 60–230% after cultivation and decreased 32–49% after abandonment (p < 0.01). The particle size distribution also showed a response to LUC. Only artificial grassland establishment caused an SOC sink of 32% at the 0–10 cm depth as well as two labile fractions. SOC tended to increase after cultivation and after abandonment, with 6% and 20% at soil surface, respectively. There were increasing trends in POC and LOC. After afforestation on former native grassland, SOC tended to decrease (23%) at the 0–10 cm depth while POC and LOC tended to increase (33% and 6%, respectively). Principal component analysis was successful in separating LUC through soil property parameters. Carbon sequestration is largely ascribed to increased below-ground production and tillage elimination after perennial alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plantation. Irrigation and fertilization activities contribute to SOC accumulation after cultivation to some extent. The self-restoration dynamic depending on time since abandonment is important to SOC change. A lower proportion of stabilized carbon results in a slow rate of SOC accumulation after afforestation. It is necessary to investigate the long-term dynamic after LUC.     

Reduced tillage with residue retention improves soil labile carbon pools and carbon lability and management indices in a seven-year trial with wheat-mung bean-rice rotation

Soil total organic carbon (TOC) is a composite indicator of soil quality with implications for crop production and the regulation of soil ecosystem services. Research reports on the dynamics of TOC as a consequence of soil management practices in subtropical climatic conditions, where microbial carbon (C) loss is high, are very limited. The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of seven years of continuous tillage and residue management on soil TOC dynamics (quantitative and qualitative) with respect to lability and stratification under an annual wheat-mung bean-rice cropping sequence. Composite soil samples were collected at 0-15 and 15-30 cm depths from a three-replicate split-plot experiment with tillage treatment as the main plots and crop residue levels as the sub-plots. The tillage treatments included conventional tillage (CT) and strip tillage (ST). Residue levels were high residue level (HR), 30% of the plant height, and low residue level (LR), 15%. In addition to TOC, soil samples were analyzed for particulate organic C (POC), permanganate oxidizable C (POXC), basal respiration (BR), specific maintenance respiration rate (qCO₂), microbial biomass C (MBC), potentially mineralizable C (PMC), and TOC lability and management indices. The ST treatment significantly increased the TOC and labile C pools at both depths compared with the CT treatment, with the effect being more pronounced in the surface layer. The HR treatment increased TOC and labile C pools compared with the LR treatment. The ST + HR treatment showed significant increases in MBC, metabolic quotient (qR), C pool index (CPI), C lability index (CL_I), and C management index (CMI), indicating improved and efficient soil biological activities in such systems compared with the CT treatment. Similarly, the stratification values, a measure of soil quality improvement, for POC and MBC were > 2, indicating improved soil quality in the ST + HR treatment compared with the CT treatment. The ST + HR treatment not only significantly increased the contents of TOC pools, but also their stocks. The CMI was correlated with qCO₂, BR, and MBC, suggesting that these are sensitive indicators of early changes in TOC. The qCO₂ was significantly higher in the CT + LR treatment and negatively correlated with MBC and CMI, indicating a biologically stressed soil condition in this treatment. Our findings highlight that medium-term reduced tillage with HR management has profound consequences on soil TOC quality and dynamics as mediated by alterations in labile C pools.     

民勤绿洲区苜蓿地土壤有机碳组分分布特征

为了解西北民勤绿洲区紫花苜蓿种植后土壤有机碳组分的变化趋势及影响因素,以民勤绿洲区3a(A3)、14a(A14)和22a(A22)苜蓿种植地为研究对象,以棉花种植地(CK)为对照,通过野外调查取样以及室内测试分析,对土壤中的全部有机碳(TOC)、重组有机碳(HFOC)、轻组有机碳(LFOC)、颗粒有机碳(POC)和微生物量碳(MBC)的含量进行测定,分析变化趋势并对其规律进行研究。结果表明:相对于棉花种植地,22a苜蓿地土壤容重和电导率分别降低了13.9%和95.4%。3~22a苜蓿地较棉花种植地(CK)的TOC、LFOC、HFOC和MBC分别表现出175.0%,1 416.0%,47.8%和216.0%的增长幅度,变化差异较为显著。在垂直剖面上,棉花种植地(CK)显著低于苜蓿地LFOC、POC、MBC含量,并随土层加深而不断降低。逐步回归分析表明LFOC与TOC显著正相关(p0.05)。苜蓿种植年限、土层以及这两个变量的交互作用对POC/TOC产生显著影响(p0.01),对TOC、LFOC、HFOC、POC、MBC、LFOC/TOC、HFOC/TOC和MBC/TOC均产生极显著影响(p0.001)。苜蓿种植提高了土壤质量,降低了土壤容重和盐碱性,连续种植14a是苜蓿最为合理的种植年限,同时苜蓿种植有利于0—60cm垂直土层有机碳组分的累积,尤其对TOC、LFOC和MBC的增长效果极其显著。     

果园土壤有机碳及呼吸速率对豆科和禾本科草类的差异反应

在行间长期(连续6年)种植豆科植物毛苕子和禾本科植物黑麦草的苹果园,调查土壤不同深度的有机碳组分和表层土壤呼吸速率日变化。结果表明:间作2种植物后,行间土壤0—20,20—40cm土层总有机碳(TOC)、轻质有机碳(LFOC)、可溶性有机碳(DOC)、颗粒有机碳(POC)、易氧化有机碳(ROC)和微生物生物量碳(MBC)含量均显著提高;在40—60cm土层,仅DOC含量明显提高;0—20cm土层的TOC和全部有机碳组分及20—40cm土层的TOC、DOC、POC和ROC的含量在种植毛苕子后均明显高于种植黑麦草。TOC与LFOC、TOC与POC、DOC与LFOC、DOC与MBC、DOC与ROC、MBC与ROC、ROC与POC、LFOC与ROC之间均呈显著正相关,土壤呼吸速率与LFOC、DOC、MBC和ROC之间也呈显著正相关。种植2种草类均显著提高土壤呼吸速率,并使呼吸速率日变化峰型更突出,其中毛苕子的作用效果比黑麦草更显著。     

Improving soil organic carbon pools through inclusion of summer mungbean in cereal-cereal cropping systems in Indo-Gangetic plain

Long-term effect of mungbean inclusion in lowland rice-wheat and upland maize-wheat systems on soil carbon (C) pools, particulate organic C (POC), and C-stabilization was envisaged in organic, inorganic and without nutrient management practices. In both lowland and upland systems, mungbean inclusion increased very-labile C (Cfrac₁) and labile C (Cfrac₂) in surface soil (0–0.2 m). Mungbean inclusion in cereal-cereal cropping systems improved POC, being higher in lowland (107.4%). Lowland rice-based system had higher passive C-pool (11.1 Mg C ha^?1) over upland maize-based system (6.6 Mg C ha^?1) indicating that rice ecology facilitates the stabilization of passive C-pool, which has longer persistence in soil. Organic nutrient management (farmyard manure + full crop residue + biofertilizers) increased Cfrac₁ and carbon management index (CMI) over inorganic treatment. In surface soil, higher CMI values were evident in mungbean included cropping systems in both lowland and upland conditions. Mungbean inclusion increased grain yield of cereal crops, and yield improvement followed the order of maize (23.7–31.3%) > rice (16.9–27.0%) > wheat (lowland 7.0–10.7%; upland 5.4–16.6%). Thus, the inclusion of summer mungbean in cereal-cereal cropping systems could be a long-term strategy to enrich soil organic C and to ensure sustainability of cereal-cereal cropping systems.     

Soil carbon pools under long-term rice-wheat cropping system in Inceptisols of Indian Himalayas

Knowledge about soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and its allocation into different pools is important for global food and environmental security. Accordingly, an attempt is made in the present study to investigate into the dynamics of SOC pools i.e. total soil organic carbon (TOC), oxidisable organic carbon (OC) and its different fractions viz. very labile (C_VL), labile (C_L), less labile (C_LL) and non-labile (C_NL) in soils under a 26 years old long-term experiment with rice (Oryza sativa L) – wheat (Triticum aestivum L) cropping system on Inceptisols under humid agro-climatic region of India with different soil management practices (control, 100% recommended dose of NPK, and 50% recommended dose of NPK + 50% N through farmyard manure (FYM). Of the several pools analyzed, a higher proportion of C was found in labile pool followed by very labile, non-labile, and less labile ones constituting about 46, 26.5, 20 and 7.3% of the total organic C at surface soil. The NPK+FYM treatment was found to have higher SOC pools, lability index (LI), recalcitrance indices and stratification ratio as compared to others. Results indicated that balanced fertilization with inorganic and organics is important for maintaining overall sustainability of the rice-wheat system.     

长期不同施肥模式对潮土有机碳组分的影响

采用物理分组方法分析了长期不同施肥模式条件下潮土有机碳组分变化及其分布规律。结果表明,与不施肥（CK）比较,长期氮、磷、钾平衡施用（NPK）、秸秆还田（NPKS）和有机无机肥配施（NPKM和1.5NPKM）均显著提高了潮土粗自由颗粒有机碳（cfPOC）、微团聚体内物理保护颗粒有机碳（iPOC）及矿物结合有机碳（mSOC）的含量,其中以粗自由颗粒有机碳增幅最高,达114.5%～278.9％,对施肥最敏感,能较好反映长期施肥下土壤有机碳库的变化。矿物结合有机碳是潮土固存有机碳的主要形式,它占总有机碳的67.0%～80.4%。除偏施化肥（N和NP）外,其它施肥模式增加的总有机碳有49.1%～58.1%进入矿物结合有机碳组分;26.2%～31.7%进入粗、细自由颗粒有机碳组分;15.7%～20.9%进入物理保护有机碳组分。偏施化肥（N和NP）有利于自由颗粒有机碳的增加。综上分析,长期有机无机肥配施或秸秆还田是提升潮土不同组分有机碳库的较好施肥模式。     

Fungal community composition in sodic soils subjected to long-term rice cultivation

ABSTRACT

Rice cultivation is widely used to improve saline-sodic soils in Northeast China. However, the chronological effect of rice cultivation on soil fungal communities has not been studied. Therefore, this study investigated the variation of soil fungal communities in different rice cultivation years. Compared with the blank area, the rice cultivation for 20 years significantly decreased the pH and electrical conductivity by 16.6% and 70.1%, while significantly increased the soil organic carbon and available phosphorus by 90.6% and 17.4 times, respectively. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota significantly decreased and increased after rice cultivation, respectively. Moreover, some genera of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), e.g. Corymbiglomus, Glomus, and Rhizophagus, and pathogenic fungi (Thanatephorus cucumeris) disappeared, while Dentiscutata (one genus of AMF) appeared after rice cultivation. In addition, the fungal richness significantly increased when the rice cultivation less than 15 years and the fungal communities were similar between 15 and 20 years. Our findings showed that rice cultivation improved the nutrient availability and reduced salinity-alkalinity stress of sodic soils. After the rice cultivation for 15 years, the soil fungal community tended to be stable.     

长期垄作免耕对稻田土壤有机碳剖面分布的影响

以稻田免耕长期定位试验为平台,研究长期垄作免耕对稻田土壤有机碳剖面分布的影响。结果表明,垄作免耕(中稻)、垄作免耕(稻油)、常规平作(中稻)和水旱轮作(稻油)4种耕作处理实施20年后,稻田0-60cm土体中各土层有机碳含量最高值和最低值分别出现在垄作免耕(稻油)和水旱轮作(稻油)中,且水旱轮作(稻油)中各土层有机碳含量均显著低于其他耕作处理;垄作免耕(稻油)中0-10cm和40-60cm土层有机碳含量与垄作免耕(中稻)、常规平作(中稻)之间差异不显著,但20-40cm土层有机碳含量则显著高于其他耕作处理(P<0.05),可见同传统耕作相比,长期垄作免耕(稻油)稻田的增碳优势主要体现在20-40cm土层。不同耕作处理连续实施20年后,稻田0-60cm土体有机碳密度的高低顺序为垄作免耕(稻油)>垄作免耕(中稻)>常规平作(中稻)>水旱轮作(稻油),且处理间差异显著(P<0.05)。垄作免耕15～20年期间,稻田0-10cm表层土壤有机碳储量基本稳定,但20-40cm土层有机碳储量仍有增加,其中垄作免耕(稻油)增加最为明显,表明20-40cm土层碳累积是长期垄作免耕下稻田发挥增碳功能的重要机制。     

不同施肥制度下我国东部典型土壤易分解与耐分解碳的组分特征

【目的】土壤易分解碳库(labile organic carbon,Lab-C)和耐分解碳库(recalcitrant organic carbon,Rec-C)是土壤有机质的重要组分,其组分大小与比例可反映土壤有机碳的周转与固存特性。因此,研究长期不同施肥制度下土壤易分解碳库与耐分解碳库的大小与比例,对土壤养分管理及肥力培育具有重要的意义。【方法】利用我国东部23年长期不同施肥制度下的黑土、潮土、红壤和32年水稻土共四类土壤的典型土样为代表,以不施肥(CK)、施化肥(NPK)、化肥配施秸秆(NPKS)和化肥配施有机肥(NPKM)4个处理土壤,采用颗粒密度相结合的方法,将土壤有机碳分为易分解碳和耐分解碳2个组分,分析了其不同组分碳含量及比例的变化特征。【结果】土壤经该方法分组后,四种土壤的平均质量回收率和碳回收率均超过95%,是一种测定土壤易分解碳和耐分解碳的可行方法。旱作土壤(黑土、潮土和红壤)易分解碳的平均含量为1.91 g/kg低于水田的2.42 g/kg,而易分解碳占总有机碳的平均比例为15.4%,高于水田的9.9%。NPKM处理下,黑土、潮土和红壤易分解碳含量显著高于NPKS、NPK及CK处理(P0.05),较NPK处理增加的比例分别为98.4%、43.7%和71.2%,同时提高了易分解碳占总有机碳的比例,但无显著差异性;NPK和NPKS处理下黑土与潮土易分解碳的含量较不施肥无显著变化,而红壤易分解碳含量较不施肥显著降低(P0.05),降低的比例分别为33.1%和29.6%;水稻土4个处理间易分解碳的含量及其占全碳的比例无显著差异性。四类土壤耐分解碳的含量与总有机碳含量的变化一致,均表现为NPKMNPKSNPKCK。NPKM处理下,四种土壤耐分解碳含量显著增加(P0.05),黑土、潮土、红壤和水稻土较NPK处理增加的比例分别为68.8%、42.7%、17.6%和17.2%,同时耐分解碳占全碳的比例降低;NPKS处理下黑土、潮土和水稻土耐分解碳的含量较NPK处理也增加,对应增加的比例分别为10.9%、15.1%和18.0%。同时,易分解碳和耐分解碳的含量与土壤总有机碳含量之间有极显著的正相关关系。【结论】旱作土壤易分解碳含量比水田土壤更易受不同施肥处理的影响,有机无机配施(NPKM与NPKS)可提高旱作与水田土壤易分解碳与耐分解碳的含量,同时相对提高了易分解碳占全碳的比例,且NPKM处理的效果优于NPKS处理,更优于化肥处理。     

Soil particulate organic carbon under different land use and management

Abstract. Changes in particulate organic carbon (POC) relative to total organic carbon (TOC) were measured in soils from five agronomic trial sites in New South Wales, Australia. These sites covered a wide range of different land use and management practices. POC made up 42–74% of TOC and tended to be greater under pasture and more conservative management than traditional cropping regimes. It was the form of organic carbon preferentially lost when soils under long-term pasture were brought under cultivation. It was also the dominant form of organic carbon accumulating under more conservative management practices (direct drilling, stubble retained and organic farming). Across all sites, changes in POC accounted for 81.2% (range 69–94%) of the changes in total organic carbon caused by differences in land use and management. Significant differences were found between pasture and cropped soils in the carbon content in the <53 μm fraction, particularly for hardsetting soils. However, even with these, POC was a more sensitive indicator of change caused by land use and management practices than TOC. The current method for measuring POC involves dispersion using sodium hexametaphosphate. The dispersing agent was found to extract 4–19 % of the TOC, leading to a significant under-estimation of POC.     

Effect of Graded Levels of Surface Crop Residue Application Under Minimum Tillage on Carbon Pools and Carbon Lability Index in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)-Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) System in Rainfed Alfisols

A long term experiment (2005–2012) was conducted in rainfed semi-arid tropical Alfisol at Hayathnagar Research Farm of Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, India. The aim of this experiment was to study the long-term impacts of graded levels of surface crop residue application on carbon (C) pools, aggregate associated C, C lability index and their relationship with crop yield. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design (RBD) with minimum tillage (MT). Experimental treatments comprised of four levels of surface application of sorghum crop residues (@ 0, 2, 4 and 6 t ha^?1). The test crops, sorghum and cowpea, were grown in rotation yearly. Based on the pooled analysis of long term data (2005–2012), the study revealed that the surface application of sorghum residue @ 6 t ha^?1 and 4 t ha^?1 recorded 21% and 16% higher sorghum grain yields, respectively over control (no residue) whereas, the corresponding increase in the cowpea yield was 50% and 60%, respectively. Besides, the concentrations of soil organic carbon (SOC), inorganic carbon (IC), total carbon (TC), particulate organic carbon (POC) in the top surface soil (upper layer, 0–5cm depth) were found significantly higher than the sub-surface soil (lower layers, 5–15 cm depth) in all the treatments. Storage of soil C was assessed in soil aggregates fractions, and it was found that the smaller size aggregate fractions (0.053mm) contained significantly (p = 0.05) higher content of SOC compared to the large sized fractions (2 mm). The amount of very labile fraction of C extracted with 12 N H₂SO₄ was significantly higher (1.04 g kg^?1) with the application of sorghum stover @ 6t ha-¹ compared to other residue level treatments, in the 0-5 cm soil layer. The Lability Index (LI) increased with the increase in the amount of residues applied and was significantly higher in the surface soils compared to subsurface soil. The results of this study will be highly relevant and of significant value from the view point of managing SOC and its different pools in soil under abiotically stressed semiarid tropical Alfisols soils.     

Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in Soils of Northeastern Brazil Converted to Irrigated Agriculture

The productivity of agricultural areas in semi‐arid regions can be improved through the use of irrigation. However, the intensive cropping of such soils can have detrimental effects, especially with regard to soil organic matter (SOM) pools. The goal of this work was to evaluate soil organic carbon and nitrogen stocks of different irrigated agricultural systems and compare these to preserved natural ecosystems adjacent to each of the cropping systems. We selected four cropping systems: banana, a maize/bean succession (MB), pasture (P) and guava (G), as well as areas covered by native vegetation. Stocks of total soil organic carbon (TOC), amounts of unprotected and protected soil organic carbon, carbon and nitrogen in microbial biomass and microbial respiration were quantified. Surface soil TOC stocks under banana, G and P grass were significantly greater than under native vegetation and MB system. The most intensive management system was the MB, and the least intensive systems were P and G. The least intensive cropping systems were grouped on the basis of similarities in TOC, POC, total soil nitrogen and N in microbial biomass stocks. These results show that the degree of soil degradation resulting from changes in land use systems increases with the intensity of the land use systems themselves. This confirms the established hypothesis that the extent of degradation of soil properties and changes in some SOM fractions depend on the intensity of soil use. Furthermore, the adoption of conservation practices may remediate soil degradation and increase SOM stocks, mainly at the soil's surface. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Change of Organic Carbon Content and Its Fractions in Black Soil under Long‐Term Application of Chemical Fertilizers and Recycled Organic Manure

Abstract

Soil organic matter (SOM) is an important indicator for soil quality and sustainable agriculture, and agricultural practices may strongly affect SOM content and chemistry. Thus, a long‐term experiment was conducted in northeast China to study the effect of chemical fertilizers and recycled organic manure on the contents of SOM along its fractions of black soil (0–20‐cm depth). Eight treatments were used: 1) control, 2) recycled organic manure (ROM), 3) nitrogen (N) alone, 4) N+ROM, 5) N+phosphorous (P), 6) N+P+ROM, 7) N+P+potassium (K), and 8) N+P+K+ROM. The results showed that from 1985 to 2002; soil total organic carbon (TOC) decreased by 6.5% over the 18 years in control (33.25 g/kg in 1985), 5.6% in ROM treatment, and 5.1% in N‐alone treatment, and 1.5% in the N+P treatment but increased by 0.3% in the N+P+K treatment. In the three treatments of chemical fertilizers together with ROM (i.e., N+ROM, N+P+ROM, and N+P+K+ROM), soil TOC content in 2002 increased by 0.3%, 1.3%, and 2.8%, respectively, when compared with control in 1985. Compared with control in 2002, light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) content increased by 23% in N+ROM treatment, 24% in N+P+ROM, and 28% in N+P+K+ROM, and readily oxidized carbon (ROC) content increased by 24% 31%, and 39%, respectively, in these three treatments. The ROC was well correlated with soil TOC. Compared with the data from 18 years ago, in all eight treatments organic carbon of soil in the humic acid fraction decreased by 5.0–13% and in fulvic acid decreased by 1.4–14%; however, with chemical fertilizers and ROM applied together, the rate of decrease was reduced. Overall, ROM is effective for increasing the content of soil TOC and thus, its different active carbon fractions in black soil would help to maintain or increase soil productivity.     

Alterations in Soil Chemical Properties Induced by Continuous Rice Cultivation: A Study on the Arid Nile Delta Soils of Egypt

Changes in soil chemical properties resulting from continuous rice (Oryza sativa) cultivation on the Nile Delta soils of Egypt were examined. The eight soil profiles characterized for this study were designated as 0 (crop rotation without rice), 1 (crop rotation with rice after every 2 years), and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 representing continuous rice cultivation for 2, 4, 8, 12, 15, and 20 years, respectively. Sampling was conducted at 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–80 cm depths for each profile and samples analyzed for a suite of chemical properties. Soil pH, salinity indicators [electrical conductivity (EC), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP)], as well as soluble and exchangeable cations and anions such as chloride and sulfate, all tended to decrease with years of continuous rice cultivation, with a number of significant (p < 0·05) differences observed. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) increased with years of continuous rice cultivation, with a 12% increase observed between 2‐ and 20‐year continuous rice cultivation systems. Principal component analysis conducted on soil properties within the continuous rice cultivation systems (profiles 2–7) revealed two possible components, namely F1 (pH, EC, ESP, and soluble Na⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, and SO₄⁻²) and F2 (clay, organic matter, and CEC), which could be broadly associated to soil salinity and soil fertility, respectively. Findings suggested possible alterations in soil chemical properties by continuous rice cultivation practices on these Nile Delta soils of Egypt, Africa. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land use affects soil organic carbon of paddy soils: empirical evidence from 6280 years BP to present

Purpose

Submerged rice cultivation has been practiced in China for 7000 years. Empirical evidence on changes of soil organic carbon (SOC) contents in paddy soils over this historical time period is scarce. Therefore, a field study was conducted to investigate the effect of submerged rice cultivation on the accumulation and preservation of SOC in paddies.

Materials and methods

Two buried ancient paddy profiles (6280 years BP, named P-01 and P-03) in the Yangtze Delta of eastern China were excavated to illustrate the development of SOC contents in soils during the evolution of paddies under anthropogenic land use and environmental changes from the prehistoric period to the present time. Trends in SOC concentrations, total nitrogen concentrations, and stable carbon isotope ratio were identified for different points in time.

Results and discussion

Accumulation of organic carbon was found in the paddy soil layers of P-01 at 100–174 cm depth. This site was taken under submerged rice cultivation in about 6280 years BP. The average SOC concentration in the prehistoric paddy topsoil in 100–130 cm depth was 1.27 %, which is seven times higher than that in the adjacent uncultivated land at 103–130 cm depth of P-03. This implies that the paddy soil has experienced substantial CO₂ sequestration under submerged management during that time. By about 3320 years BP, organic carbon contents were halved, potentially due to marine inundation by sea level rise. Up to the year 2003, the SOC contents in all horizons in the present time paddy soil have increased, especially in the surface layer, indicative of continuous rice cultivation. However, due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, the cultivation of paddies in eastern China has gradually been discontinued leading to the loss of SOC stocks of approximately 10 % in a 6-year interval (from 2003 to 2009). A significant relationship between SOC and rice phytolith contents was found in the paddy soil horizons of P-01 (r?=?0.71, p?<?0.01) and P-03 (r?=?0.72, p?<?0.01), suggesting that phytolith-occluded organic carbon could be used as a biomarker to ascertain the development of SOC in the evolution of rice paddies over the past 6000 years.

Conclusions

Submerged rice cultivation led to a noticeable accumulation of SOC in paddies. Phytolith-occluded organic carbon could be used as a biomarker to monitor changes of OC contents in paddy soils.