Modeling soil organic carbon dynamics in Oxisols of Ibirubá (Brazil) with the Century Model

Introduction of conservation practices in degraded agricultural land will generally recuperate soil quality, especially by increasing soil organic matter. This aspect of soil organic C (SOC) dynamics under distinct cropping and management systems can be conveniently analyzed with ecosystem models such as the Century Model. In this study, Century was used to simulate SOC stocks in farm fields of the Ibirubá region of north central Rio Grande do Sul state in Southern Brazil. The region, where soils are predominantly Oxisols, was originally covered with subtropical woodlands and grasslands. SOC dynamics was simulated with a general scenario developed with historical data on soil management and cropping systems beginning with the onset of agriculture in 1900. From 1993 to 2050, two contrasting scenarios based on no-tillage soil management were established: the “status quo” scenario, with crops and agricultural inputs as currently practiced in the region and the “high biomass” scenario with increased frequency of corn in the cropping system, resulting in about 80% higher biomass addition to soils. Century simulations were in close agreement with SOC stocks measured in 2005 in the Oxisols with finer texture surface horizon originally under woodlands. However, simulations in the Oxisols with loamy surface horizon under woodlands and in the grassland soils were not as accurate. SOC stock decreased from 44% to 50% in fields originally under woodland and from 20% to 27% in fields under grasslands with the introduction of intensive annual grain crops with intensive tillage and harrowing operations. The adoption of conservation practices in the 1980s led to a stabilization of SOC stocks followed by a partial recovery of native stocks. Simulations to 2050 indicate that maintaining “status quo” would allow SOC stocks to recover from 81% to 86% of the native stocks under woodland and from 80% to 91% of the native stocks under grasslands. Adoption of a “high biomass” scenario would result in stocks from 75% to 95% of the original stocks under woodlands and from 89% to 102% in the grasslands by 2050. These simulations outcomes underline the importance of cropping system yielding higher biomass to further increase SOC content in these Oxisols. This application of the Century Model could reproduce general trends of SOC loss and recovery in the Oxisols of the Ibirubá region. Additional calibration and validation should be conducted before extensive usage of Century as a support tool for soil carbon sequestration projects in this and other regions can be recommended.     

Evaluation of Decomposition Procedure to Determine Ba,Co, Cr,Cu, Ni,Mn, V,and Zn Total Content in Soil Samples

Different procedures have been proposed to decompose soil samples. Most of them regard determination with fertility aims. In this case, the contents available to the plants are considered. On the other hand, there are procedures to determine total content. The objective of this work was to propose a new decomposition procedure to determine barium (Ba), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn) total content in tropical soils with high content of oxides and silicate. According to the results, the digestion procedure proposed in this study provided satisfactory results for the contents recovery for the elements Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, V, and Zn, above 90%, and the use of inverted aqua regia, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), hydrofluoric acid (HF), pre-digestions and agitation was shown as a new alternative for the high silicate content soil sample total digestion, such as the oxisols.     

A comparative study on chemical characteristics of tropical soils from volcanic material under forest and agriculture

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to compare differences in chemical characteristics of Costa Rica soils under continuous cultivation and under forest vegetation. Inceptisols from young volcanic material under forest, sugar cane, coffee and pasture, respectively, were sampled in the San Carlos region of Costa Rica, and analysed for pH, organic matter, N, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Al, Fe, Zn and Mn contents. Indications were obtained that continuous cropping for 1 to 22 years with sugar cane resulted in a decrease in Ca and Mg content and an increase in acid extractable Al concentrations, compared to amounts found in forest soils. In soils under coffee the only significant changes were a reduction in soil organic matter, N and Al contents. Exchangeable bases decreased slightly during the first two years, but in fields 15 years under coffee, the content of exchangeable bases was affected slightly, except for a relatively marked decrease in amounts of Mg. Conversion into pasture maintained soil fertility at a level comparable to that found in the forest soil ecosystem. It was concluded that differences in vegetational ecosystems caused soil chemical changes, but deforestation in the tropics did not necessarily result in rapid soil degradation processes. The magnitude of the data showed that the soil in the San Carlos region of Costa Rica had been cultivated for at least 10 to 20 years without producing evidence of excessive deterioration.     

The effect of water and acid‐washing soil treatment on the measurement of pH,delta pH and zero point of charge in some variable charge soils

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of previous water and acid‐washing soil treatment on soil pH, Delta pH and Zero Point of Charge of soil surface samples of three Hawaii soils, Molokai (Typic Torrox), Wahiawa (Tropeptic Eutrustox), and Hilo (Typic Hydrandept).

The acid‐washing treatment lowered the soil pH and shifted the Zero Point of Charge to lower pH values. The effect was greater in the Wahiawa and Molokai soils that are dominated by oxidic materials. Whereas the acid‐washing treatment did not change the magnitude of the negative charge in the Wahiawa and Molokai soils, it overestimated the magnitude of the positive charge in the Hilo soil. This phenomena probably was enhanced by the dominance of variable charge clay minerals in the Hilo soil. The results indicated that the acid‐washing treatment changed the nature of the charge characteristics of the soils, hence it should not be recommended in the characterization of the net charge in variable charge soils.     

Water-dispersible clay after wetting and drying cycles in four Brazilian oxisols

Widespread intensive land use in the seasonal tropics can damage the physical stability of aggregates. Similar damage can be expected from wetting and drying cycles causing aggregate fragmentation and, consequently, leading to an increase in their specific area and exposure of internal electric charges. Thus, we hypothetised that the influence of wetting and drying cycles is dependent on the mineralogical composition of oxisols (latosols) and it is higher in soils with low aggregate stability. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to test this hypothesis in highly weathered soils from Brazil, all with variable-charge clays and highly stable aggregates. Wetting and drying cycles were defined from the quantity of water available between field capacity and the permanent wilting point. Soil columns were submitted to 0, 2, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 wetting and drying cycles. After each number of wetting and drying defined physical and chemical properties were determined. Statistical analysis, such as simple and multiple linear regression and Pearson's correlation were performed, showing significantly correlated WDC contents with wetting and drying cycles. The obtained results led to the conclusion that there was a close interdependence among mineralogical composition, aggregate stability and WDC influenced by wetting and drying cycles. Soils of reduced aggregate stability like kaolinitcs made them more susceptible to the action of wetting and drying on the WDC. Changes in the WDC with wetting and drying cycles showed correlated with eletrochemical properties.     

Organic carbon enables the biotic engineering of beneficial soil structure in Profundihumic and Haplic Ferralsols

We investigated how organic matter may, directly and indirectly, modify the porosity of Ferralsols, that is, deeply weathered soils of the tropics and subtropics. Although empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that organic matter accumulation may increase porosity, a mechanistic understanding of the processes underlying this beneficial effect is lacking, especially so for Ferralsols. To achieve our end, we leveraged the fact that the Profundihumic qualifier of Ferralsols (PF) is distinguished from Haplic Ferralsols (HF) by both a much larger average carbon content in the first 1 m of soil depth (19 kg C m⁻³ in PF vs. 10 kg C m⁻³ in HF) and a significantly lower bulk density (1.05 ± 0.08 kg L⁻¹ in PF vs. 1.21 ± 0.05 kg L⁻¹ in HF). Through exhaustive modelling of carbon – bulk density relationships, we demonstrate that the lower bulk density of PF cannot be satisfactorily explained by a simple dilution effect. Rather, we found that bulk density correlated with carbon content when combined with carbon: nitrogen ratio (r² = 0.51), black carbon content (r² = 0.75), and Δ¹⁴C (r² = 0.81). Total pore space was greater in PF (61 ± 3%) than in HF (55 ± 2%), but x-ray computed tomography revealed that pore space inside soil aggregates of 4–5 mm diameter does not vary between the studied Ferralsols. We further observed nearly twice as many roots and burrows in PF compared with HF. We thus infer that the mechanism responsible for the increase in porosity is most likely an enhancement of resource availability (e.g., energy, carbon, and nutrients) for the organisms (earthworms, ants, termites, etc.) that physically displace soil particles and promote soil aggregation. As a result of increased resource availability, soil organisms can create especially the mesoscale structural soil features necessary for unrestricted water flow and rapid gas exchange. This insight paves the way for the development of land management technologies to optimize the physical shape and capacity of the soil bioreactor.     

Aluminum,Ca, and Mn Concentrations in Macadamia Seedlings as Affected by Soil Acidity and Liming

Abstract

Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) is increasingly becoming an important tree crop in many parts of the world. However, knowledge about the plant's nutritional behavior, especially under adverse soil conditions, has been deficient. To address this deficiency, a pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of Al, Mn and Ca (soil acidity and liming) on macadamia seedlings. Three soils having different mineralogy and fertility were used; soil pH was adjusted based on lime requirement curves so that several pH levels ranging from 4.5 to 7.5 were obtained for each soil. Chemical composition of the soil solution and of recently fully mature leaves was monitored periodically to assess the growth response.

Results suggested that Al was detrimental to physiological processes of macadamia seedlings when leaf Al was greater than 275 mg kg and soil‐solution Al exceeded 1.2 mg L^‐1. Furthermore, Al seemed to have reduced Mn uptake by the plant, although macadamia could accumulate as much as 1200 mg Mn kg^‐1 in leaves without apparent toxic symptoms. The internal Ca requirement of the plant was not clearly defined; however, maximum growth could be expected when soil solutions contained 160 mg Ca L^‐1 , which corresponded to 0.9 cmol(+)kg^‐1 of exchangeable Ca (or 10% of CEC) in a highly weathered Oxisol.     

Changes in Chemistry of Rice Husk Compost and Its Effect on Negative Charge and Nutrient Content of a Chemically Degraded Oxisol

Rice husk application and its long-term effects on charge characteristics and elemental composition of a chemically degraded Oxisol have not been rigorously studied. The objective of the study was to determine the ability of composted rice husk (CRH) to preserve organic carbon (C), generate negative charge, and release various ions in heavy clay Oxisol. The topsoil and subsoil, representing natural and erosion conditions, respectively, were incubated with CRH for 24 months. Results showed carbon types of CRH, as revealed by solid-state cross-polarization magic angle spinning ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (CP/MAS ¹³C NMR) spectroscopy, were relatively unchanged from months 5 to 12 after incubation, indicating limited decomposition. Carbon types were dominated by O-alkyl and di-O-alkyl C with small proportions of alkyl, methoxyl, aromatic, phenolic, and carboxyl C. After 24 months of incubation, O-alkyl and di-O-alkyl C decreased, indicating susceptibility, whereas alkyl, methoxyl, aromatic, and phenolic C increased, indicating resistance to decomposition. Values of pH₀ and point zero net charge (PZNC) were measured using potentiometric titration and ion adsorption indices, respectively. Values of pH₀ and PZNC decreased during CRH incubation for both topsoil and subsoil, suggesting the increase of soil negative charge. Total negative charge for topsoil and subsoil increased from 2.7 to 3.5 cmol_c/kg and 2.5 to 3.2 cmol_c/kg, respectively. This reflects that CRH was able to mask soil positive charge to increase negative charge. In situ soil solution study indicated CRH could release various elements in the order of potassium (K) > sulfur (S) > natrium (Na) > silicon (Si) > magnesium (Mg) > calcium (Ca). In addition, toxic elements, aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn), were significantly suppressed. The implication of the study is that CRH offers a means to increase cation exchange capacity and nutrient content of highly weathered soils while preserving organic C, thereby reducing CO₂ emission from agriculture.     

Classifying soils at the ultimate stage of weathering in the tropics

Oxisols cover ≈ 23% of the land surface in the tropics and are utilized extensively for agricultural purposes in the tropical countries. Under the variable input types of agricultural systems practiced locally, some of these soils still appear to have problems in terms of proper soil classification and subsequently hinder attempts to implement sustainable agro‐management protocols. The definition for Oxisols in Soil Survey Staff (1999) indicates that additional input is still required to refine the definition in order to resolve some of the outstanding classification problems. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the properties of some Oxisols and closely related soils in order to evaluate the classification of these soils. Soils from Brazil, several countries in Africa, and Malaysia were used in this study. Field observations provided the first indication that some of the presently classified kandi‐Alfisols and kandi‐Ultisols were closer to Oxisols in terms of their properties. Water‐retention differences and apparent CEC of the subsurface horizons also supported this idea. The types of extractable Fe oxides and external specific surface areas of the clay fractions showed that many kandic horizons have surface properties that are similar to the oxic horizons. Micromorphology indicated that the genetic transition from the argillic to the oxic involves a diminishing expression of the argillic. Properties, such as CEC, become dominant. The kandic horizon is therefore inferred as a transition to the oxic horizon. It is proposed that the Oxisols be keyed out based only on the presence of an oxic horizon and an iso–soil temperature regime. The presence of a kandic horizon will be reflected at lower levels in Oxisols. The Oxisols will now be exclusive to the intertropical belt with an iso–soil temperature regime. The geographic extend of the Oxisols would increase and that of kandi‐Alfisols and Ultisols would decrease. A few kandi‐Alfisols and Ultisols in the intertropical area will have low CEC which would fail the weatherable mineral contents. The kandic subgroups of some Alfisols and Ultisols will be transitional between the low (< 16 cmol_c [kg clay]^–1)‐ and high (> 24 cmol_c [kg clay]^–1)‐activity clay soils. The proposed changes to classification will contribute to a better differentiation of the landscape units in the field. Testing of the proposed classification on some Malaysian soils showed that the new definition for Oxisols provides a better basis for the classification of the local soils and the development of meaningful soil‐management groups for plantations.     

Depth distribution of aluminum and heavy metals in soils of Costa Rican coffee cultivation areas

Depth distributions of metals in soil profiles are indicative of weathering and soil genesis and anthropogenic pollution. We studied the depth distribution of total Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn concentrations in 8 Oxisols, 5 Andisols, 2 Mollisols, and 2 Alfisols of coffee plantation areas in Costa Rica. The concentrations of the mainly geo‐/pedogenic Al (means of 76 g kg^—1 in the A horizons and of 106 g kg^—1 in the lowermost sampled B horizons) and Fe (A: 56 g kg^—1, B: 66 g kg^—1) generally increased with profile depth. In spite of the regular application of Cu‐containing fungicides, Cu (A: 135 mg kg^—1, B: 158 mg kg^—1) showed accumulations in the A horizons of only three profiles. Higher Cd (A: 0.14 mg kg^—1, B: 0.09 mg kg^—1) and Pb concentrations (A: 7.3 mg kg^—1, B: 5.5 mg kg^—1) in most topsoils compared to the subsoils indicated anthropogenic inputs. The mean Mn (A: 1190 mg kg^—1, B: 1150 mg kg^—1) and Zn (A: 59 mg kg^—1, B: 66 mg kg^—1) concentrations varied little with depth. In general, the metal depth distribution in the studied tropical soils was similar to that of temperate soils although the weathering regime is quite different.