轮作结合施肥对土壤有机碳及其组分和土壤养分的影响

研究了轮作结合施肥对土壤有机碳组分及土壤养分的影响,以期为优化眉豆-燕麦轮作体系下施肥措施,实现土壤固碳减排,培肥土壤提供理论依据。本研究设燕麦连作、眉豆-燕麦轮作、眉豆连作模式分别结合不施肥、施化肥、施有机复合肥措施9个处理,三年连续田间定位试验,分析2018年收获后土壤有机碳(SOC)、易氧化有机碳(ROC)、可溶性有机碳(DOC)、重组有机碳(HFOC)、微生物生物量碳(MBC)及养分含量。研究结果表明,各处理团聚体内SOC含量呈现先升高再降低的趋势,其中轮作结合施用有机复合肥处理SOC含量最高,达到41.36 g kg-1。在同一种植模式下ROC、DOC、MBC、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾含量总体变化趋势为:施用有机复合肥>施用化肥>无肥,轮作结合施用有机复合肥处理较不施肥处理ROC、DOC、MBC、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾含量分别高7.54%、30.56%、13.35%、9.56%、31.88%、9.52%。HFOC含量总体变化趋势为施用有机复合肥>无肥>施用化肥,轮作结合施用有机复合肥处理较施化肥处理HFOC含量高12.10%。相同施肥条件下轮作模式ROC...     

江汉平原不同土地利用和起源下农田土壤有机碳组分变化

调查采集了江汉平原不同土地利用和起源农田土壤表土样品,分析总有机碳(SOC)、热水溶性有机碳(HWEC)、易氧化有机碳(LOC)及其有机碳键合组分含量特征,并探讨有机碳量和与之影响的主要土壤因素的关系。结果表明:不同土地利用和起源均会影响土壤有机碳水平,表现为湿地起源水田有机碳含量(18.34±5.78)g/kg显著高于旱地(11.18±3.39)g/kg,而红壤水田有机碳含量(16.21±4.13)g/kg与旱地(14.54±3.41)g/kg之间差异不显著;不同起源水田下无显著差异,而红壤起源旱地显著高于湿地起源旱地。HWEC和LOC及其占SOC比例均表现为湿地起源水田显著高于红壤水田。不同土地利用和起源下土壤有机碳的稳定机制不同,粘粒保护在湿地起源土壤中具有显著作用,而水田条件下,土壤有机碳的化学结合稳定显得与游离氧化铁的保护有关,红壤起源水田土壤中由于游离氧化铁的大量存在,这种保护作用对于土壤有机碳的稳定具有显著的贡献。     

不同土地利用下湖北江汉平原湿地起源土壤有机碳组分的变化

调查采集长江荆江段湿地围垦农田土壤的表土样品,实验室分析总有机碳(SOC)、热水溶性有机碳(HWEC)、颗粒态有机碳(POC)、易氧化有机碳(LOC)及有机碳键合组分含量特征,比较分析不同土地利用方式下湿地起源土壤有机碳组分的变化。结果表明,棉田土壤总有机碳含量为(8.86±0.73)g/kg,桔园的为(9.07±0.01)g/kg,湿地的为(10.30±0.37)g/kg,稻田的为(15.57±1.92)g/kg。即棉田和桔园的总有机碳含量接近于湿地的,而稻田的较大幅度高于前面旱地和湿地的。同时,稻田的热水溶性有机碳含量显著高于棉田的(p<0.05);颗粒态有机碳含量显著高于桔园的(p<0.05);易氧化有机碳含量变化与总有机碳一致。但是,从不同组分比率来说,湿地、稻田、棉田间HWEC/SOC、POC/SOC和LOC/SOC均无显著差异(p>0.05),而桔园HWEC/SOC显著高于其他利用方式的(p<0.05),棉田POC/SOC显著高于桔园的(p<0.05),桔园LOC/SOC显著高于湿地的(p<0.05)。供试土壤中铁铝键合态有机碳含量均显著高于相应钙键合态有机碳(p<0.05),且后者在不同土地利用方式下变化微弱。从研究结果来看,同是湿地起源的土壤,化学键合组分的差异明显大于物理分离组分的差异,特别是稻田铁铝键合态有机碳和残渣态有机碳含量及其比例显著高于棉田、桔园和湿地的(p<0.05),这进一步说明稻田土壤存在的氧化铁化学结合稳定机制促进了氧化铁活性较高的稻田土壤有机碳稳定积累。     

黄土丘陵区不同土地利用下土壤碳组分及碳库管理指数特征

采用野外和室内分析相结合的方法,研究了黄土丘陵区基于坡耕地改造或演变的7种土地利用方式的土壤碳组分及碳库各指数的变化。结果表明:与坡耕地相比,其余土地利用方式均能提高土壤碳固持能力,增加土壤碳组分含量、土壤碳库指数(CPI)和碳库管理指数(CPMI),其中有机碳(TOC)、活性有机碳(LOC)及非活性有机碳(NLOC)含量分别较坡耕地增加了42%~125%,36%~136%和31%~161%,总的来说天然灌木林和人工乔木林的改善作用最强。不同土地利用方式下LOC/TOC为46.00%~57.29%,活度(A)为0.87~1.44,其中果园、天然灌木林和梯田的活度最高。土壤碳组分、碳库管理指数和主要化学指标间具有显著的相关性,表明不同土地利用方式对土壤碳固持能力的影响。     

退耕还果对黄土高原沟壑区坡地土壤和植被碳、氮储量的影响

土地利用方式变化是影响陆地生态系统碳储量的重要因素。试验以黄土高原沟壑区王东沟小流域杜家坪坡地果园和邻近农田为对象,分析了坡地退耕还果20年后,地上植被生物量、地下根系生物量以及0100 cm土层有机碳氮储量的变化及其影响因素。结果表明,坡地果园0100 cm土层有机碳（SOC）储量为C 50.7 Mg/hm2 低于农田（C 57.3 Mg/hm2）,但020cm土层,果园SOC储量为C 16.7 Mg/hm2高于农田（C 15.3 Mg/hm2）,增幅为9.2%;而在20100cm土层,SOC含量基本呈现出农田果园的趋势。果园土壤1m剖面各层次全氮（TN）含量都低于农田,但未达到显著水平。农田退耕为果园20年后,坡地果园植株和根系碳储量（C 19.7Mg/hm2）、氮储量（N 165.9 kg/hm2）约为农田作物（C 3.4 Mg/hm2、N96.8kg/hm2）的5.8和1.7倍。果树主干、枝条和根部的新增生物量是导致果园生态系统碳、氮储量积累的主要因素。     

景电灌区几种土地利用方式土壤有机碳和养分特征研究

对景电灌区土壤次生盐渍化的1年生枸杞地和多年生枸杞地、未盐渍化的小麦地和苜蓿地4种土地利用方式土壤有机碳和养分状况进行对比研究,结果表明:在0~60cm土层,小麦地土壤有机碳含量及其密度、全氮和速效磷含量均最高,苜蓿地均最低;土壤全氮与有机碳含量呈极显著正相关(r=0.791,P0.01);4种利用方式C/N比值均较低,多年生枸杞地C/N比值最高,1年生枸杞地最低;4种利用方式速效钾含量无显著差异;苜蓿地容重显著高于其他3种利用方式,这与其低的有机碳含量密切相关(r=0.420,P0.01)。与小麦地相比,1年生枸杞地土壤有机碳含量及其密度显著降低,全氮和速效磷含量有所降低;与1年生枸杞地相比,多年生枸杞地土壤有机碳含量及其密度有所增加,全氮含量显著降低,速效磷含量显著增加。这意味着该区耕地土壤发生次生盐渍化以后,土壤性状恶化;种植枸杞使次生盐渍化土壤性状有所改善。     

岩溶区土地利用方式对土壤有机碳组分及其分布特征的影响

对重庆市中梁山低山岩溶区角砾状白云质灰岩的黄色石灰土剖面进行研究.结果表明:土地利用方式明显地影响了土壤微生物量碳、微生物商、可矿化碳和硫酸钾浸提碳的含量,微生物商能更准确的反映土壤有机碳库对土地利用方式的响应,微生物商依次为:菜地橘林地耕地草地灌丛,平均值分别为3.09,2.46.1.92.1.55和1.14.土壤微生物量碳和微生物商在土壤0-30 cm范围内的变化规律不明显,仅在灌丛中的变化相似;而可矿化碳和硫酸钾浸提碳基本上随土壤深度的增加而降低,规律性明显.相关分析说明,硫酸钾浸提碳与全氮、水解氮和速效钾相关极显著,与全磷相关显著,相关系数分别为0.421,0.375,0.576和0.274,可以作为土壤肥力变化的重要指标;机械组成分析中砂粒对土壤有机碳组分的分布和含量影响相对比较明显,与土壤微生物量碳相关极显著(0.355),与土壤可矿化碳相关显著(0.313).     

黄土高原沟壑区不同年限苹果园土壤碳氮磷变化特征

管理措施是影响土壤质量演变的重要因素.分析和讨论了5、10、15年苹果园耕层(0―20 cm)和0―200 cm土壤有机碳、全氮、全磷、有效磷和硝态氮含量及其影响因素。结果表明,5年、10年和15年的塬面苹果园表层土壤有机碳依次为7.5、6.7和6.7 g/kg;全氮依次为0.94、0.85和0.83 g/kg;但土壤全磷和速效磷含量随着种植年限而增加,与5年苹果园相比,塬面10年苹果园土壤全磷、速效磷含量分别提高了11%、60%,并且磷素的变异性随年限而增加。坡地10年、15年和20年苹果园土壤有机碳依次为6.3、6.2 和6.5 g/kg,全氮依次为0.76、0.76 和0.81 g/kg;与10年苹果园相比,15年苹果园土壤全磷、速效磷含量分别提高了20%、28%。土壤剖面0―80 cm内不同土地利用方式土壤碳、氮、磷含量随土层加深而降低,80 cm以下不同利用条件苹果园土壤碳、磷含量差异不大,氮素含量在土壤100 cm下随苹果园种植年限增加而增加。     

不同土地利用方式下土壤有机碳分布特征

为研究不同土地利用方式下土壤有机碳(SOC)的分布特征和差异,对天然林地、花椒地、柑橘园、旱地和水田5种土地利用方式下的土壤进行分层取样,测定土壤有机碳(SOC)含量,并计算了土壤有机碳密度(DOC)。结果表明:随着土层厚度的增加,天然林地、花椒地和水田中SOC含量减少,而柑橘园和旱地中SOC含量先减少再增加。在0—20cm土层中,各土地利用方式下SOC含量差异最明显,均达到显著水平(P0.05),以天然林地SOC含量最高,达18.91g/kg;从0—20cm到20—40cm土层,各土地利用方式下SOC含量下降幅度顺序为柑橘园(64.30%)天然林地(59.97%)花椒地(45.28%)旱地(18.92%)水田(10.37%)。0—20cm土层中,DOC大小顺序为柑橘园(8.30kg/m~2)天然林地(4.39kg/m~2)水田(3.71kg/m~2)花椒地(2.56kg/m~2)旱地(2.26kg/m~2),除天然林地、花椒地和水田之间DOC无显著性差异外,其他土地利用方式之间DOC均存在显著性差异(P0.05);20—40cm土层中,水田中DOC最高,并与其他4种利用方式下DOC存在显著性差异(P0.05)。总体上天然林地和花椒地中DOC低于水田、柑橘园和旱地。对各土地利用方式SOC与相应容重进行相关性分析,发现土壤容重与SOC含量之间存在较好线性负相关关系(R~2=0.80~0.92)。分析土壤碳氮(C/N)比发现,随土层厚度的增加,天然林地和水田中土壤C/N比增加,花椒地中C/N比减少,柑橘园和旱地中C/N先减少再增加。对SOC和其他理化因子间进行相关性分析发现,各土地利用方式下,SOC与全氮、碱解氮之间的相关性最高,SOC分布与氮素密切相关。本研究结果可为重庆市农业产业结构调整提供科学依据。     

红壤典型区不同类型土壤有机碳组分构成及空间分异研究

以江西省东乡县为研究区,基于土壤有机碳三库(活性、缓性和惰性碳库)一级动力学理论,通过22个土壤样品的实验室呼吸培养实验,计算了各土壤亚类的碳组分含量及占总有机碳的比例,并借助全县229个采样点获得了东乡县的活性、缓性和惰性有机碳的空间分布图。分析结果表明,淹育、潴育、潜育型水稻土和红壤的活性碳含量分别为0.54、0.72、0.72和0.33 g/kg,分别占其总有机碳含量的2.78%、2.83%、2.91%和2.57%;缓性碳含量分别为7.57、9.79、12.34和4.72 g/kg,分别占总有机碳含量的41.09%、45.25%、46.24%和37.12%;惰性碳含量分别为10.36、11.22、13.49和7.67 g/kg,分别占总有机碳含量的60.31%、56.13%、51.92%和50.67%。在空间分布上,活性、缓性和惰性碳含量均呈现由东南向西北减少趋势。分析表明水稻土各亚类活性和缓性碳含量高于红壤,说明水稻土不仅是该地区固碳的主要类型,也是较大的潜在碳排放源。红壤的惰性碳尽管比例最高,但总有机碳含量较低,其土壤固碳能力有待进一步提高。     

黄土台塬不同土地利用方式下土壤碳组分的差异

为探讨土地利用方式对土壤碳固定的影响,以乔木、灌木、草和农田等不同植被类型,纯林和混交两种栽培模式的黄土台塬为对象,进行了土壤碳组分研究。结果表明,不同利用方式下林地和天然草地在0—100 cm土层总碳,轻组、重组、可溶性有机碳以及轻组有机碳分配比例(LFOC/SOC)均不同程度高于耕地,而其有机无机复合度(HFOC/SOC)则低于耕地,灌木林地和天然草地这种趋势尤为突出;各种土地利用方式间,土壤总碳和HFOC/SOC在0—20cm差异显著,总碳在60—100 cm也差异明显,轻组、重组及可溶性有机碳在0—40 cm,而无机碳则在40—100 cm差异明显;LFOC/SOC和DOC/SOC在各土层均存在一定差异。土壤总碳、有机碳以及各组分有机碳之间呈极显著正相关,而无机碳则与其呈负相关。轻组和可溶性有机碳均与粗颗粒、易氧化有机碳以及2—0.25 mm团聚体有机碳的相关性高于与细颗粒、稳态有机碳和2 mm团聚体有机碳;而重组有机碳则与之相反。轻组有机碳较有机碳、总碳、重组以及可溶性有机碳能更敏感地反映利用方式之间的差异,可作为土壤质量变化的评价指标。     

Soil organic carbon as affected by land use in young and old reclaimed regions of a coastal estuary wetland,China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and selected soil properties were measured in fringe and ditch marshes and cropland of old and young reclaimed areas in a subtropical estuary in China in order to investigate the effects of land use and reclamation history on SOC. The results show that after the conversion of wetlands to cropland, a longer reclamation history (>20 yr) resulted in greater soil bulk density, salinity, clay and silt, and lower soil moisture, SOC and sand content, whereas a shorter reclamation history (<20 yr) induced smaller values for soil pH, moisture and sand. Ditch marshes had greater average SOC in the top 50 cm than fringe marshes and cropland. SOC decreased generally down soil profiles from 0 to 50 cm in depth, except for the obvious accumulation of SOC in deeper soils from old fringe and young ditch marshes. Ditch marshes had the greatest SOC densities in the top 50 cm in both regions compared to the other land uses. SOC densities in the top 50 cm were less in croplands than in fringe marshes in the young region, while there were no significant differences between them in the older one. Except for cropland, SOC densities in the top 50 cm of the fringe or ditch marshes in the old region were not significantly different from those in the young region. SOC in both regions was reduced by 13.53 × 10⁴ t (12.98%) in the top 50 cm of the marshes after conversion to cropland, whereas the regional SOC storage increased by 29.25 t when ditch marshes were included. The results from regression analysis show that bulk density and soil moisture significantly influenced SOC. The total SOC stored in both ditch marshes and croplands was higher compared to fringe marshes. The regional SOC storage in the top 50 cm was not reduced after reclamation due to C accumulation in the ditch marshes. The regional effects of cultural practices should be taken into account in devising strategies for managing soils in coastal wetlands, particularly in the developing world.     

Soil organic carbon distribution in relation to land use and its storage in a small watershed of the Loess Plateau, China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important component in agricultural soil, and its stock is a major part of global carbon stocks. Estimating the SOC distribution and storage is important for improving soil quality and SOC sequestration. This study evaluated the SOC distribution different land uses and estimated the SOC storage by classifying the study area by land use in a small watershed on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that the SOC content and density were affected by land use. The SOC content for shrubland and natural grassland was significantly higher than for other land uses, and cropland had the lowest SOC content. The effect of land use on the SOC content was more significant in the 0-10 cm soil layer than in other soil layers. For every type of land use, the SOC content decreased with soil depth. The highest SOC density (0-60 cm) in the study area was found in shrublandII (Hippophae rhamnoides), and the other land uses decreased in the SOC density as follows: natural grassland > shrublandI (Caragana korshinskii) > abandoned cropland > orchard > level ground cropland > terrace cropland > artificial grassland. Shrubland and natural grassland were the most efficient types for SOC sequestration, followed by abandoned cropland. The SOC stock (0-60 cm) in this study was 23,584.77 t with a mean SOC density of 4.64 (0-60 cm).     

不同利用方式对棕壤有机碳垂直分布的影响

采用野外采样和室内分析的方法研究了林地、园地、耕地3种利用方式对典型棕壤总有机碳(TOC)、颗粒有机碳(POC)及重组有机碳(HFOC)在0～20 cm、20～40 cm、40～60 cm 3层次中垂直分布的影响。结果表明,与林地相比,园地和耕地各层次的TOC含量和储量均显著下降;其分布份额和分布比则为园地中、下层略向上层转移,耕地则明显向中、下层转移。3种利用方式下POC的相对数量均随土层加深而递减,林地开垦为园地和耕地后,POC的相对数量仅在园地上、中层显著降低,分别减少6.67和1.70个百分点,而耕地则各层次均显著降低,其相对数量分别减少13.65、5.43和3.03个百分点;HFOC的相对数量随干预强度和土层深度增加而增大,耕地和园地比林地分别高出:上层5.77和4.00个百分点、中层10.44和6.40个百分点、下层7.35和3.92个百分点,且差异均显著。因此,将林地棕壤开垦为园地或耕地后应注重有机物料的投入,以减缓因开垦对有机碳所造成的损失和不尽合理的分布状况。     

耕作措施对旱作农田土壤颗粒态有机碳的影响

为了探明耕作措施对陇中黄土高原旱作农田土壤有机碳的影响,以连续进行17年的不同耕作措施长期定位试验为研究对象,利用碘化钠重液分组法,探索了传统耕作(T)、传统耕作+秸秆还田(TS)、免耕(NT)、免耕+秸秆覆盖(NTS)4种耕作措施对陇中黄土高原旱作农田土壤游离态颗粒有机碳、闭蓄态颗粒有机碳、颗粒态有机碳和矿质结合态有机碳的影响。结果表明:土壤总有机碳含量随土层加深而降低,游离态颗粒有机碳、闭蓄态颗粒有机碳、颗粒态有机碳的含量和占土壤总有机碳的比例均随土层加深而降低,而矿质结合态有机碳含量和占土壤总有机碳比例则随土层加深而增加。在0~40 cm各土层,各处理土壤颗粒态有机碳占总有机碳的比例(54.02%~76.78%)均高于矿质结合态有机碳占总有机碳的比例(31.78%~46.11%)。较之T处理,TS和NTS处理均不同程度提升土壤游离态颗粒有机碳、闭蓄态颗粒有机碳、颗粒态有机碳的含量和占土壤总有机碳的比例,其中NTS处理的提升效果最显著,TS处理次之。虽然NT、TS、NTS处理可提升土壤矿质结合态有机碳含量,但T处理下的矿质结合态有机碳占总有机碳的比例高于NT、TS和NTS处理。耕作模式和秸秆添加模式均对土壤总有机碳、游离态颗粒有机碳、闭蓄态颗粒有机碳、颗粒态有机碳和矿质结合态有机碳的提升具有显著效应,但秸秆添加模式的效应高于耕作模式。同时,免耕模式仅对0~10 cm各土层土壤总有机碳的提升效应达到显著水平,对0~20 cm各土层土壤碳组分的提升效应均达显著水平,而添加秸秆对0~40 cm各土层土壤总有机碳和各组分均发挥着显著提升效应。综合来看,免耕配合秸秆还田可以提升土壤活力,促进土壤固碳,有利于该区构建环境友好型和可持续发展型农业生产模式。     

Distribution of light and heavy fractions of soil organic carbon as related to land use and tillage practice

Mass distributions of different soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions are influenced by land use and management. Concentrations of C and N in light- and heavy fractions of bulk soils and aggregates in 0–20 cm were determined to evaluate the role of aggregation in SOC sequestration under conventional tillage (CT), no-till (NT), and forest treatments. Light- and heavy fractions of SOC were separated using 1.85 g mL⁻¹ sodium polytungstate solution. Soils under forest and NT preserved, respectively, 167% and 94% more light fraction than those under CT. The mass of light fraction decreased with an increase in soil depth, but significantly increased with an increase in aggregate size. C concentrations of light fraction in all aggregate classes were significantly higher under NT and forest than under CT. C concentrations in heavy fraction averaged 20, 10, and 8 g kg⁻¹ under forest, NT, and CT, respectively. Of the total SOC pool, heavy fraction C accounted for 76% in CT soils and 63% in forest and NT soils. These data suggest that there is a greater protection of SOC by aggregates in the light fraction of minimally disturbed soils than that of disturbed soil, and the SOC loss following conversion from forest to agriculture is attributed to reduction in C concentrations in both heavy and light fractions. In contrast, the SOC gain upon conversion from CT to NT is primarily attributed to an increase in C concentration in the light fraction.     

不同地形条件下青藏高原农田土壤有机碳的分布特征

西北高寒地区农田土壤有机碳（SOC）储量的变化研究,可为东部农田SOC对气候和管理措施的响应提供预警信息。针对西部高原县域尺度上典型的地貌类型和土壤类型,对其耕层和剖面SOC进行了分析。结果表明, 青海省乐都县农田耕层（020 cm）SOC的变化范围为4.38 g/kg~20.81 g/kg,均值为11.29 g/kg,且不同土壤类型上表现出黑钙土（16.15 g/kg）＞栗钙土（10.53 g/kg）＞灰钙土（9.50 g/kg）的趋势。地形对耕层（020 cm）SOC含量没有显著影响,但深层（20100 cm）SOC因地形存在显著差异,在峁坡上,黑钙土、 栗钙土和灰钙土的深层（20100 cm）SOC分别比同种土壤类型的谷底深层土壤提高了111.5%、 62.5%和66.3%。农田SOC的垂直分布也因地形存在差异,同一种土壤类型在谷底其耕层（020 cm）SOC含量均比深层（20100 cm）高,峁坡上其深层（20100 cm）比耕层（020 cm）高,黑钙土、 栗钙土和灰钙土在谷底其耕层（020 cm）SOC含量分别比同一土壤类型的深层（20100 cm）土壤提高18.7%、 24.3%和153.5%,黑钙土、 栗钙土和灰钙土在峁坡上其深层（20100 cm）SOC含量分别比同一土壤类型耕层（020 cm）提高46.9%、 8.0%和1.0%。这一结果可为准确估算青藏高原农田SOC的变化提供参考。     

Soil carbon pool and effects of soil fertility in seeded alfalfa fields on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in China

The dynamics of the soil organic carbon pool and soil fertility were studied in soils with different number of growing years of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China. The soil water content and soil water potential decreased and the depth of desiccated layers grew with the number of growing years of alfalfa. The soil organic C (SOC) cannot be enhanced on short timescales in these unfertilized and mowed-alfalfa grasslands in the topsoil, but the light fraction of organic C (LFOC), soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and microbial biomass N (MBN) all increased with the number of growing years. When alfalfa had been growing for more than 13 yr, the soil MBC increased slowly, suggesting that the MBC value is likely to reach a constant level. SOC, soil total P (STP), available P (AvaiP) and the ratio of SOC to soil total N (C/N) all decreased monotonically with the growing years of alfalfa up to 13 yr and then increased. SOC was significantly positively correlated with STP, AvaiP, soil total C (STC) and soil total N (STN) (R=0.627**, 0.691**, 0.497*, 0.546*, respectively). MBC and LFOC were significantly positively correlated with the number of growing years of alfalfa (R=0.873*** and 0.521*, respectively), and LFOC was more sensitive to vegetation components, degree of cover and landform than to the number of years of growth. SOC showed a significant negative correlation with LFOC/SOC and MBC/SOC (R=−0.689**, −0.693**, respectively). A significant positive correlation exists between MBC and soil inorganic C (SIC). LFOC, MBC, LFOC/SOC and MBC/SOC were all significantly positively correlated with each other. Therefore, practices that involve water-harvesting technologies and add residues and phosphate fertilizer to soils should be promoted to improve soil nutrients and hydration and to postpone the degradation of alfalfa grasslands under long-term alfalfa production.     

Soil organic carbon and nutrients in smallholding land uses in southern Ethiopia

This study assessed the soil organic C (SOC) and soil nutrients in smallholding home garden, woodlot, grazing land, and cropland at two soil depths and two sites in Wolaita Zone, southern Ethiopia. The results showed that soil properties were significantly influenced by land use. The home garden had significantly higher (p < 0.05) SOC and soil nutrients when compared to the cropland. When the home garden was compared to the woodlot and grazing land uses, it had significantly higher (p < 0.05) values except in SOC, total N (TN), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable Ca. Cropland, in comparison with grazing land and woodlot, had a non‐significant difference except TN. The SOC stock (0–40 cm) in the home garden, woodlot, grazing land and cropland was 79.5, 68.0, 65.0, and 58.1 Mg ha^?1, respectively. Home garden significantly differed (p ≤ 0.05) in SOC only from cropland, and this was attributed not only to the relatively higher organic input in the home garden but also to the little organic matter input and frequently tillage of the cropland. The similar SOC among the home garden, woodlot and grazing lands may imply that the balance between inputs and outputs could be nearly similar for the land uses. Soil TN and CEC had a nearly similar pattern of difference as in SOC among the land uses because of their close relationship with SOC. In general, the land use influence on soil nutrients can be in the order: home garden > wood land ≈ grazing land ≈ cropland, with home garden showing the least difference from the woodlot and the greatest from the cropland. In the agroecosystem, in general, the influence of smallholding home garden on SOC and soil nutrient was marginally different from Eucalyptus woodlot and grazing lands but evidently different from cropland.     

The sensitivity of water extractable soil organic carbon fractions to land use in three soil types

Soil organic carbon (SOC) has a high impact on the sustainability of ecosystems, global environmental processes, soil quality and agriculture. Long-term tillage usually leads to SOC depletion. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of different land uses on water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) fractions and to evaluate the interaction between the WEOC fractions and other soil properties. Using an extraction procedure at 20°C and 80°C, two fractions were obtained: a cold water extractable organic carbon (CWEOC) and a hot water extractable organic carbon (HWEOC). The results suggest that there is a significant impact from different land uses on WEOC. A lower relative contribution of WEOC in SOC and a lower concentration of labile WEOC fractions are contained in arable soil compared to forestlands. Chernozem soil was characterized by a lower relative contribution of WEOC to the SOC and thus higher SOC stability in contrast to Solonetz and Vertisol soils. Both CWEOC and HWEOC are highly associated with SOC in the silt and clay fraction (<53 µm) and were slightly associated with SOC in the macroaggregate classes. The WEOC fractions were highly and positively correlated with the SOC and mean weight diameter.