Testing the Rothamsted Carbon Model against data from long-term experiments on upland soils in Thailand

We tested the Rothamsted Carbon Model (RothC) against three long‐term (27–28 years) experimental sites on Thai upland soils in order to see how this widely used ‘temperate’ soil carbon turnover model performed in a typical farming region in the tropics. We were able to verify – over a much longer period than had been examined in previous studies – that RothC performs well in a tropical region in plots used for continuous cropping experiments of maize and cassava without organic matter application. However, the model overestimated soil organic carbon (SOC) in some plots to which large amounts of organic matter (rice straw or cassava stalks) were applied. This overestimate could not be attributed to errors in estimating either the amount of C input to the soil or the ratio of decomposable plant materials to resistant plant materials entering the soil. Among many factors affecting SOC dynamics (e.g. weather conditions, soil characteristics, etc.), which are different in tropical regions from temperate regions, we conclude that the activity of soil fauna might be a major factor which makes the performance of RothC worse where much organic matter was applied. We suggest that care should be taken when applying RothC to tropical soils with large amounts of added organic matter.     

退化沙质草地自然恢复过程中土壤-植物系统的变化特征

研究了科尔沁沙地封育5a后退化沙质草地自然恢复过程中土壤—植物系统的变化特征,同时分析了土壤性状与植物特征之间的相互影响程度。(1)从流动沙地恢复到固定沙地,沙质草地植物群落的物种多样性、植被盖度、地下根量和地表枯落物残留量均趋于增大。β多样性测度值表明,在半流动沙地恢复到半固定沙地阶段,植物种周转速率大,群落结构变化明显。(2)在退化沙质草地的自然恢复过程中,表层土壤的结构性能明显改善,土壤养分的有效性相应提高。(3)相关分析显示,沙质草地表层土壤的理化性状与植物特征值之间存有密切的相关性(R2=0.33～0.84,P<0.01,n=20),表明退化沙质草地的恢复过程实质上是土壤—植物系统协同演变的过程,在该过程中,植物多样性的关键恢复期滞后于土壤环境的关键恢复期。     

National-scale estimation of methane emission from paddy fields in Japan: Database construction and upscaling using a process-based biogeochemistry model

We have estimated methane (CH₄) emission from total rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddies in Japan by means of a process-based biogeochemistry model, DeNitrification-DeComposition(DNDC)-Rice, combined with a geographic information system (GIS) database of climate, soil and farming practices. In the GIS database, 2 million ha of rice paddies were divided into 17,408 units according to 136 climate areas, 16 soil types, four classes of drainage rate and two classes of groundwater level, to simulate CH₄ flux from each of the units applying the DNDC-Rice model. As a result, the national-scale CH₄ emission in 1990 was estimated to be 216 Gg carbon (C), 13% lower than a previous inventory estimated by the Tier 2 method. By our Tier 3 approach, a relatively higher CH₄ flux was estimated from eastern regions than from western regions of Japan, presumably due to the differences in climate and water management. Sensitivity analysis and uncertainty assessment indicated that it is important to account for the heterogeneity in soil properties such as field water capacity, iron (Fe) concentration and drainage rate, in order to reduce the uncertainty in regional estimates.     

Effects of oral administration of "rumen-bypass" vitamin D3 on vitamin D and calcium metabolism in periparturient cows

Eleven late-pregnant Jersey cows were assigned to two groups; a group (PO-RBVD group) consisting of five cows treated with an oral administration of 10 million I.U. of an encapsulated form of vitamin D3 ("rumen-bypass" VD3; RBVD3) and another group (IMVD group) consisting of the other six treated with an intramuscular injection of 10 million I.U. of vitamin D3 (VD3). The cows received the RBVD3 or VD3 administration at 7 days before the expected parturition. The changes in the plasma concentrations of vitamin D metabolites, ionized Ca (Ca++) and inorganic phosphorus (iP) were evaluated. Of the vitamin D metabolites, the plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in PO-RBVD group increased significantly after the RBVD3 administration and remained in high levels that were significantly higher than those in IMVD group. This suggested that RBVD3 was absorbed rapidly and excellently from the post-ruminal digestive tract without the degradation by ruminal microorganisms. The plasma Ca++ and iP concentrations in PO-RBVD group tended to be higher after the administration and around parturition than those in IMVD group. From these observations, it was suggested the oral RBVD3 administration had more potent ability to prevent parturient paresis compared with the VD3 injection used widely in Japan.     

Wind erosion and airborne dust deposition in farmland during spring in the Horqin Sandy Land of eastern Inner Mongolia, China

In the Horqin Sandy Land of eastern Inner Mongolia in northern China, wind erosion in farmland is very common in a period from thawing of frozen surface soil in mid-March to sowing of crops in the end of April, largely because of dry and windy weather. However, little is known about the magnitude of wind erosion and associated nutrient losses due to erosion and the addition of nutrients by airborne dust deposition to farmlands during this period. A field experiment was conducted in an Entisol with sand origin under corn (Zea mays L.) production to investigate daily changes in wind speed and wind erosion intensity (as measured by soil transport rate) over a period from 20 March to 30 April 2001. We also measured daily rates of airborne dust deposition during the spring seasons with the high frequency of dust storm occurrence. The rates of soil transport by wind varied greatly from 13.2 to 1254.1 kg ha⁻¹ per day, averaging 232.1 kg ha⁻¹ per day, largely attributable to great variation between days in wind speed within the study period. The potential losses of nutrients through wind erosion were 0.26–24.95 kg ha⁻¹ per day (averaging 4.62 kg ha⁻¹ per day) in organic matter, 0.02–1.64 kg ha⁻¹ per day (averaging 0.31 kg ha⁻¹ per day) in nitrogen and 0.01–0.7 kg ha⁻¹ per day (averaging 0.13 kg ha⁻¹ per day) in phosphorus. The mean rates of airborne dust deposition ranged from 4.0 to 48.9 kg ha⁻¹ per day, averaging 19.9 kg ha⁻¹ per day, during the spring seasons. The potential addition of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus by dust input to the experimental field was, on average, 0.54, 0.04 and 0.02 kg ha⁻¹ per day, respectively. Although the addition was a fraction of the losses due to erosion, nevertheless, dust input in the spring seasons is one of the major suppliers of soil nutrition. The fact that the addition of nutrients by dust is about 1/10 of the losses of soil nutrients through wind erosion suggests that developing and adopting more effective management practices to reduce soil erosion losses and to improve soil fertility are crucial to achieve a sustainable agricultural system in a fragile, semiarid sandy land environment.     

Vertical soil–air CO2 dynamics at the Takayama deciduous broadleaved forest AsiaFlux site

At the Takayama deciduous broadleaved forest Asiaflux site in Japan, the ecosystem carbon dynamics have been studied for more than two decades. In 2005, we installed non-dispersive infrared CO₂ sensors in the soil below the site’s flux tower to systematically study vertical soil–air CO₂ dynamics and explain the behavior of soil surface CO₂ efflux. Soil–air CO₂ concentrations measured from June 2005 through May 2006 showed sinusoidal variation, with maxima in July and minima in winter, similar to the soil CO₂ effluxes measured simultaneously using open-flow chambers. Soil–air CO₂ concentrations increased with soil depth from 5 to 50 cm: from 2,000 to 8,000 ppm in the summer and from 2,000 to 3,000 ppm in the winter under snow. Summer soil–air CO₂ concentrations were positively correlated with soil moisture on daily and weekly scales, indicating that the Oi, Oe, and A horizons, where decomposition is accelerated by high-moisture conditions, contributed substantially to CO₂ emissions. This result is consistent with the short residence time (about 2 h) of CO₂ in the soil and larger emissions in shallow soil layers based on our diffusion model. We revealed for the first time that soil–air CO₂ concentrations in winter were correlated with both snow depth and wind speed. CO₂ transfer through the snow was hundreds of times the gas diffusion rates in the soil. Our estimate of the CO₂ efflux during the snow-cover season was larger than previous estimates at TKY, and confirmed the important contribution of the snow-cover season to the site’s carbon dynamics.     

固沙林庇护区内土壤-植物系统的变化特征

用定位实测法,系统研究了科尔沁沙地24龄人工固沙杨树(Populussimonii)林庇护区内土壤-植物系统的变化特征,同时分析了土壤-植物系统中植物特征与土壤养分之间的相互影响程度。结果表明:(1)与对照点(流动沙丘)相比较,林地迎风区6H(H为平均树高)、3H、林地中央、林地背风区林缘、6H和8H处0～20cm层土壤中的粗沙含量降低26%～69%,粉、粘粒含量增加539%～1731%。土壤中全C、全N、速效P含量分别增加68%～1002%,40%～840%和45%～276%。(3)与对照点相比较,各观测点植物群落的物种优势度有所改变,物种丰富度提高了3～16种,覆盖度增加了43%～54%,地上生物量增加了72%～381g/m2。(3)相关分析结果表明,在林地庇护区内的土壤-植物系统中,植物的物种多样性、枯落物量和根量与土壤C、N含量的相互影响关系更为密切。     

Use of models to evaluate carbon sequestration in agricultural soils

ABSTRACT

The Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model, which is one of widely used soil carbon (C) models, was validated against long-term experimental datasets in Japan and modified to suit Andosols and paddy soils reflecting unique soil C turnover mechanisms in these soils. Nationwide soil C calculation system was developed by combining these modified models and spatial model input data such as weather, soil type, land use, and agricultural activities. The model was validated in China and Thailand by using long-term field experimental datasets, too. Further studies especially in tropical Asia will be needed. Matching conceptual model C pools with measurable fractions have been big challenges. Using various plant materials, two conceptual pools of plant litter, decomposable plant material (DPM) and resistant plant material (RPM), in the RothC were successfully identified. It was achieved by comparing the default proportions of DPM and RPM pools in the RothC and proportions in plant material fractions determined by two-step acid hydrolysis with H₂SO₄. The trial to match all of five C pools in the model, however, remains unachieved though a study was conducted comparing not only the size of C pools but mean residence time of the pools. A web-based decision support tool called ‘Visualization of CO₂ absorption by soils’ was developed. This allows users to easily calculate changes in soil C, CH₄ and N₂O emissions, and fossil fuel consumption. With this tool, farmers can see how to improve the environmental sustainability of their products and this tool may help spread mitigation options widely. Soil C sequestration can help achieve climate change mitigation and sustainable agricultural production. Importance of long-term field observations should be more highlighted because long-term experiments have supported the development of modeling approaches. I hope models will be more widely used by decision makers. Collaboration between modeling and monitoring studies is important.     

连续放牧对沙质草地植被盖度、土壤性质及其空间分布的影响

在科尔沁典型沙质草地,设置不同放牧强度的4块样区:重牧区、中牧区、低牧区和封育对照区。连续放牧4年后,通过统计学分析及方差均值比、秩相关系数和分维数等方法,分析了植被平均盖度、多样性指数和土壤颗粒组分、土壤养分含量(有机碳和全氮)在各样区的变化及其空间分布。结果表明,(1)沙质草地的植被平均盖度、多样性指数均随放牧强度的增加而降低,植被平均盖度对放牧的反应比多样性指数更为敏感,变化幅度更大;植被在各样区均为聚集分布,但随聚集程度随放牧强度的降低而降低;(2)不论放牧强度大小,植被平均盖度在4个样区均受到土壤养分的制约作用,而土壤颗粒组分对植被的影响随放牧强度的降低逐渐减弱;(3)通过比较植被平均盖度和土壤某些指标在4个样区的分维数值认为,在科尔沁沙质草地,放牧强度应保持在低牧水平,更高的放牧强度将导致植被和土壤特征的空间分布格局产生大的改变,可能导致沙漠化。     

Testing the suitability of the Rothamsted Carbon model for long-term experiments on Japanese non-volcanic upland soils

We evaluated the suitability of the Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model for long-term experiments on Japanese non-volcanic upland soils using 6 long-term experimental data sets: 2 Brown Lowland Soils, 2 Yellow Soils, 1 Gray Lowland Soil, and 1 Brown Forest Soil. The predicted changes in the content of soil carbon with time were very close to the observed values in almost all the treatments at all the 6 sites. These 6 sites were distributed from North to South across Japan and included a variety of climatic conditions, soil textures, and land management practices. We therefore concluded that the RothC model adequately simulated changes in the soil carbon content with time in Japanese non-volcanic upland soils.