Carbon Stocks in Different Soil Types under Diverse Rainfed Production Systems in Tropical India

Soil carbon (C) pool plays a crucial role in the soil's quality, availability of plant nutrients, environmental functions, and global C cycle. Drylands generally have poor fertility and little organic matter and hence are candidates for C sequestration. Carbon storage in the soil profile not only improves fertility but also abates global warming. Several soils, production, and management factors influence C sequestration, and it is important to identify production and management factors that enhance C sequestrations in dryland soils. The objective of the present study was to examine C stocks at 21 sites under ongoing rainfed production systems and management regimes over the last 25 years on dominant soil types, covering a range of climatic conditions in India. Organic C stocks in the soil profiles across the country showed wide variations and followed the order Vertisols > Inceptisols > Alfisols > Aridisols. Inorganic C and total C stocks were larger in Vertisols than in other soil types. Soil organic C stocks decreased with depth in the profile, whereas inorganic C stocks increased with depth. Among the production systems, soybean‐, maize‐, and groundnut‐based systems showed greater organic C stocks than other production systems. However, the greatest contribution of organic C to total C stock was under upland rice system. Organic C stocks in the surface layer of the soils increased with rainfall (r = 0.59*), whereas inorganic C stocks in soils were found in the regions with less than 550 mm annual rainfall. Cation exchange capacity had better correlation with organic C stocks than clay content in soils. Results suggest that Indian dryland soils are low in organic C but have potential to sequester. Further potential of tropical soils to sequester more C in soil could be harnessed by identifying appropriate production systems and management practices for sustainable development and improved livelihoods in the tropics.     

中国西南地区西双版纳不同时期橡胶林生态系统的碳储量变化

Rubber(Hevea brasiliensis) plantations have been expanded rapidly in tropical regions of Southwest China and cover more than20% of land area in Xishuangbanna.Several studies have addressed changes of soil C stocks in rubber plantations;however,estimates of total ecosystem C stocks and their temporal changes in rubber plantations have been inadequately studied.This study calculated C stocks in soil,biomass,litter,and dry rubber(latex),and estimated the total ecosystem C stocks of rubber plantations in an age sequence of 3-,7-,9-,21-,27-,and 34-year-old in Xishuangbanna,Southwest China.The total C stocks in rubber plantations ranged from 150.3 to 283.7 Mg C ha~(-1),with a mean of 213.4 Mg C ha~(-1).The plantations≤9-year-old had significantly lower(P0.05)total C stocks than those older than 9 years.Carbon stocks in soil(mass equivalent) were between 107.1–170.5 Mg C ha~(-1) and in living biomass were between 2.8–95.7 Mg C ha~(-1),representing the largest and the second largest C components in a rubber plantation ecosystem.Neglect of dry rubber C stock resulted in an underestimate of 7.8%–14.2% of the total C stock in the rubber plantations older than 9 years,which was much larger than the contribution of litter C stock(less than 2%).     

Carbon mineralization in response to nitrogen and litter addition in surface and subsoils in an agroecosystem

More than 50% of global soil organic carbon stocks are stored below 20 cm of soil depth capable of massively altering global C cycle and climate. However, subsoil C dynamics are largely overlooked implicitly assuming that surface and subsoil C dynamics are similar. Here, we compared the soil C dynamics in surface and subsurface soil layers in response to nitrogen and maize leaf litter additions. Soils, sampled from 0 to 5, 15 to 35, 35 to 55 and 55 to 75 cm depths, were incubated at 25°C after adding litter, nitrogen (NH₄NO₃) or litter plus nitrogen. Soil respiration (C mineralization) was measured throughout the incubation period. Litter addition significantly increased C mineralization in all the soil layers. However, the soil CO₂ release relative to control was more than twofold higher in 15–35 and 35–55 cm soil layers than the surface layer. Nitrogen additions significantly decreased C mineralization in 0–15 cm soil, increased in 35–55 cm and had minimal effects in the 15–35 and 55–75 cm layers. Different soil C dynamics in surface and subsurface soil layers found in our study contradict the general assumption that soil C dynamics may be treated similarly along different soil depths.     

Growth and yield of potato grown in the greenhouse during summer and winter in Hawaii

Abstract

An experiment conducted in Hawaii studied the effects of extremely high temperatures (>30C) on plant morphology, leaf area development, and dry matter production of three north‐temperate potato cultivars and one heat‐tolerant clone. To recreate environments with temperatures >30C, plants were grown in the greenhouse during summer and winter, and also during winter in an adjacent area outside the greenhouse. The environments were outside‐winter (OW), greenhouse‐winter (GW), and greenhouse‐summer (GS). Mean maximum air temperatures (MAXT) in OW, GW, and GS environments, for a 40‐day period after 50% emergence, were 27.5C, 35.1C, and 39.5C, respectively. Corresponding minimum air temperatures (MINT) were 17.3C, 19.6C, and 25.0C. Plants exposed to MAXT >35C produced greater stem numbers, fewer branches, and reduced leaf area. Stem elongation proceeded almost linearly with increasing temperature but virtually ceased at MAXT >35C. Tuber initiation began at about 34 days after planting at MINT <20C; no tuber initiation occurred at MINT >25C. Highest tuber yields per plant were obtained at MINT <20C.     

Stabilization of carbon from maize in a sandy soil in a long-term experiment

The sequestration of carbon (C) in soil is not completely understood, and quantitative information about the amounts of organic carbon in the various fractions and their rates of turnover could improve understanding. We aimed (i) to quantify the amounts of C derived from maize at various depths in the soil in a long‐term field experiment with and without fertilization using ¹³C/¹²C analysis, (ii) to model changes in the organic C, and (iii) to compare measured and modelled pools of C. The organic C derived from the maize was measured in soil samples collected to a depth of 65 cm from four plots, two of which had been under continuous maize and two under continuous rye during long‐term field experiments with NPK and without fertilization. The fractionation procedures included particle‐size fractionation and extractions in water and in pyrophosphate solution. We used the Rothamsted Carbon Model to model the dynamics of the carbon from ¹³C data. The amounts of C derived from maize in the Ap horizon after 39 years of continuous maize cropping were 9.5% of the total organic C (where unfertilized) and 14.0% where NPK had been applied. Fertilization did not affect the residence time of carbon in the soil. The amounts of C derived from maize in water extracts were 21% of the total organic C (where unfertilized) and 22% where NPK had been applied. The extracts that were soluble in pyrophosphate and insoluble in acid were depleted in C from maize (the amounts were 5% and 7% of the total organic C, respectively). The results of the ¹³C natural abundance technique were used to model the dynamics of the organic C. Both the total organic C and the C derived from maize in the particle‐size fraction 0–63 μm agreed well with the total and maize‐derived sums of the model pools ‘inert organic matter’, ‘humified organic matter’ and ‘microbial biomass’. The model suggested that 64% (unfertilized) or 53% (NPK) of the organic C in the Ap horizon were inert. Only one of three published equations to determine the size of the inert pool agreed well with these model results.     

土壤-作物系统综合管理对中国东北冲积土有机碳特征的影响

A synchronous increase in crop productivity, nutrient use efficiency, and soil carbon(C) sequestration is important from the point of view of food security and environmental protection. In recent years, integrated soil-crop system management(ISSM), which uses crop models and advanced nutrient management to redesign cropping systems, has been successfully demonstrated to achieve both high crop productivity and high nutrient use efficiency in China, but the effects of ISSM on soil organic C(SOC) characteristics remain unknown. In this study, the effects of current farmers' practice(FP), high-yielding practice(HY), which maximizes yields without considering costs, and ISSM on the content and chemical composition of SOC were studied in a 4-year(2009–2013) field plot experiment with maize(Zea mays L.) monoculture in an Alluvic Primosol in Northeast China. The ISSM resulted in higher soil total organic C(TOC), water-soluble organic C, easily-oxidizable organic C, particulate organic C, and humic acid C compared with HY and FP in the region. The SOC contents in aggregate size fractions generally followed a similar pattern to TOC. Compared with FP,HY decreased the mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter, percentage of 0.25-mm water-stable aggregates, and the stability ratio of water-stable aggregates, and increased the structure-deterioration rate and index of unstable aggregates. The opposite trend was observed between ISSM and HY. Solid-state ~(13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of bulk soil showed that ISSM had higher O-alkyl C and aliphatic C/aromatic C ratio, but lower aromatic C, carbonyl C, and alkyl C/O-alkyl C and hydrophobic C/hydrophilic C ratios than HY and FP. Our results suggest that ISSM improves the quantity and quality of SOC and has a positive effect on soil aggregation and aggregate stability.     

Quantification of fatty acids in forages by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was evaluated as a possible alternative to gas chromatography (GC) for the quantitative analysis of fatty acids in forages. Herbage samples from 11 greenhouse-grown forage species (grasses, legumes, and forbs) were collected at three stages of growth. Samples were freeze-dried, ground, and analyzed by GC and NIRS techniques. Half of the 195 samples were used to develop an NIRS calibration file for each of eight fatty acids, with the remaining half used as a validation data set. Spectral data, collected over a wavelength range of 1100-2498 nm, were regressed against GC data to develop calibration equations for lauric (C12:0), myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), palmitoleic (C16:1), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), and alpha-linolenic (C18:3) acids. Calibration equations had high coefficients of determination for calibration (0.93-0.99) and cross-validation (0.89-0.98), and standard errors of calibration and cross-validation were < 20% of the respective means. Simple linear regressions of NIRS results against GC data for the validation data set had r2 values ranging from 0.86 to 0.97. Regression slopes for C12:0, C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C16:1, C18:2, and C18:3 were not significantly different (P = 0.05) from 1.0. The regression slope for C18:1 was 1.1. The ratio of standard error of prediction to standard deviation was > 3.0 for all fatty acids except C12:0 (2.6) and C14:0 (2.9). Validation statistics indicate that NIRS has high prediction ability for fatty acids in forages. Calibration equations developed using data for all plant materials accurately predicted concentrations of C16:0, C18:2, and C18:3 in individual plant species. Accuracy of prediction was less, but acceptable, for fatty acids (C12:0, C14:0, C18:0, C16:1, and C18:1) that were less prevalent.     

Biosynthesis and catabolism of caffeine in low-caffeine-containing species of Coffea.

Leaves of Coffea salvatrix, Coffea eugenioides, and C. bengalensis contain approximately 3-7-fold lower levels of caffeine than those of Coffea arabica. There was more extensive biosynthesis of caffeine from [8-(14)C]adenine in young leaves of C. arabica than in C. salvatrix, C. eugenioides, and C. bengalensis. Degradation of [8-(14)C]caffeine, which is negligible in leaves of C. arabica, was also very slow in C.salvatrix and C. bengalensis. In contrast, [8-(14)C]caffeine was catabolized rapidly by young and mature leaves of C. eugenioides primarily by a caffeine --> theophylline --> 3-methylxanthine --> xanthine --> uric acid --> allantoin --> allantoic acid --> urea --> CO(2) + NH(3) pathway. These results indicate that the low caffeine accumulation in C. salvatrix, C. eugenioides, and C. bengalensis is a consequence of a slow rate of caffeine biosynthesis, whereas rapid degradation of caffeine also contributes to the low endogenous caffeine pool in C. eugenioides. The genes that regulate caffeine accumulation appear to be those encoding N-methyltransferase and caffeine (7-N) demethylase activities. The diversity of caffeine catabolism observed in C. arabica, C. salvatrix, C. eugenioides, and C. bengalensis, other species of Coffea, and Camellia sinensis is discussed.     

Attempts to determine available carbon in soils

Summary The size of the C pool that is readily available to microorganisms affects important N transformations that occur in soils, e.g., denitrification and N immobilization. In the present work, the C content of soil extracts, the C in water displaced from soil and biomass C were compared as indicators of available C. A comparison of C measured by the anthrone method and a total organic-C analysis of extracts indicated that only a small portion of C was in carbohydrates. The substrate-induced respiration method of measuring biomass in conjunction with the Wright-Hobbie model was used as an additional determination of available C. Total organic-C analysis of a 1 N H₂SO₄ extract gave the highest C values (500–1700 mg C kg^-1 soil) and the substrate-induced respiration method gave the lowest (1–5 mg glucose equivalents kg^-1 soil). The C values closest to the C turnover measured in long-term incubation studies were obtained by the substrate-induced respiration method using the Wright-Hobbie model.Contribution from the Soil-Microbial Systems Laboratory, NRI, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA     

Mineralization and changes in microbial biomass in water-saturated soil amended with some tropical plant residues

An incubation experiment was conducted in the laboratory at 25 and 35°C during 56 d to analyze the mineralization patterns and the changes in microbial biomass in water-saturated soils amended with 6 types of organic materials (O.M.) including residues from 4 tropical plants. C and N mineralization in amended and non-amended soils was influenced by the temperature, A significantly positive correlation was observed between C mineralization and the amount of hexoses of the amended O.M. regardless of the period of incubation. A negative relationship between the N mineralized from amended O.M. and C/N ratios and the amounts of cellulose plus hemicellulose of the added O.M. was observed during the period of maximum mineralization on the 49th day at 25°C. The critical C/N ratio value for N mineralization and immobilization was observed in dhaincha (15.7) and cowpea (22.0).

The pattern of changes in microbial biomass C and N was almost similar at both 25 and 35°C. The amount of biomass C and N gradually increased up to a period of 28 to 42 d and thereafter decreased gradually. A significant increase in the amount of biomass C and N was observed in O.M. amended soils over the control. The contribution of rice straw and cowpea to biomass C formation was significantly larger than that of other O.M. at the end of incubation (56 d). In the case of biomass N, the contribution of rice straw was significantly larger than that of other O.M. except for azolla at 25°C and cowpea at 35°C. The significant contribution of rice straw and cowpea to biomass formation suggests that microbial biomass remaining in soil on the 56th day had been influenced by the combination of a larger amount of cellulose plus hemicellulose and higher C/N ratio in plant residues.     

Characterization of organic matter in topsoils under rain forest and pasture in the eastern Brazilian Amazon basin

 In topsoils under forest and 7-, 12- and 17-year-old pastures, organic matter was characterized by analysing C and N distribution in particle-size fractions, the C decomposition rates of soil and particle-size fractions and by employing density-fractionation of macro-organic matter (>150 μm). The C and N associated with clay fractions increased with increasing age of pasture. The weight (%) of macro-organic matter and its heavy fractions (>1.37 g cm^–3) also increased with increasing age of pasture. However, in a long-term incubation (100 days), these changes seemed to involve an increase in the C decomposition rate in the topsoil of the oldest pasture. Using the C decomposition rates of particle-size fractions, it appeared that silt and clay contributed differently to C decomposition in the whole soil. C associated with silt contributed to the C decomposition rate during the first 40 days of incubation, while C associated with clay contributed to C decomposition in the long-term incubation (after 40 days), especially when the clay fraction appeared to reach saturation point with respect to its ability to bind organic compounds and thus protect the soil from C loss. Received: 13 March 1998     

水库消落带碳氮输移转化研究进展

水库消落带处于水域生态系统与陆地生态系统的交错区域。受水库水位周期性涨落影响，消落带土壤、植物与水库水体间频繁发生碳氮物质交换转化。河流-水库碳埋藏及其温室气体排放是当前全球碳循环研究的热点问题，而当前消落区相关研究仅对植物、土壤或水体等单个对象开展碳氮输移循环研究，而并未将水库消落带作为整体考虑其对河流-水库碳氮输移转化的贡献。本文综合消落带土壤淹水后碳氮含量变化、植被碳氮输入、土壤侵蚀研究，阐明消落带营养物质向筑坝河流的输入作用；并进一步分析与此相关的消落带碳氮循环及温室气体排放研究，明确消落带对筑坝河流碳氮元素转化的作用。提出当前亟待开展消落带碳氮输入源追溯、土壤侵蚀和温室气体通量长期监测，并基于同位素等技术手段明确消落带在水库碳氮输移转化中的贡献等若干问题，旨在系统明确碳氮元素在消落带和水体间的输移、水土界面的多途径生物地球化学循环转化过程，评估水库消落带在河流上、下游及河口碳氮输送转化中的作用。     

Soil C balance in a long-term field experiment in relation to the size of the microbial biomass

Soil C balances were calculated in a field experiment started in 1956. Treatments include a fallow and soils receiving different N fertilizers or organic amendments. By assuming the absence of a priming effect, the degree of mineralization of crop residues and organic amendments was calculated. Crop residue mineralization was not affected by a more than 50% decrease in the size of the microbial biomass in soil fertilized with (NH₄)₂SO₄, which had caused the pH of this soil to drop from 6.6 to 4.4. More C had accumulated per unit C input in peat-and sewage sludge-amended soils than in any of the other soils, suggesting that peat and sewage sludge were more resistant to microbial attack. Recalcitrance of substrate C was an adequate explanation for the low ratio of biomass C to soil C in the peat-amended soils, but not in the sewage sludge-amended soil. There was a close linear relationship (r=0.94) between the content of microbial biomass C in the soil measured in 1990 and cumulative C losses from the soil since 1956. Compared to the relationship between soil biomass C and soil organic C concentrations, the linear relationship between microbial C and cumulative C losses suggested that the significantly reduced biomass in the sewage sludge-amended soil was at least partially due to the presence of toxic substances (presumably elevated heavy metal concentrations) in this soil and was probably not affected by the somewhat low pH (5.3) in this soil.     

Changes in soil organic carbon fractions after afforestation with xerophytic shrubs in the Tengger Desert,northern China

Afforestation is an important means of controlling desertification and of restoring vegetation on land that has become desert. The procedure leads to changes in the dynamics of organic carbon (C) in the soil as xerophytic shrubs are established, but the dynamics are still poorly understood, partly because of the lack of long‐term observations. Progressive measures to bind sand dunes along the route of the Baotou–Lanzhou railway on the south eastern edge of the Tengger Desert in China, which were begun in 1956, provide the opportunity to study such changes. We sampled the topsoil (0–10 cm) from 10 sites that represent a chronosequence and vary in age from 1 to 57 years since sand‐binding measures and afforestation were begun. These measures evidently trapped increasing amounts of clay and silt, and with them increased the concentrations of both available phosphorus (P) and available potassium (K). By analysing the organic C in the samples we have been able to describe quantitatively the changes in several C fractions over time. We found that total C, its light and heavy fractions, dissolved C and microbial C all increase slowly at first after afforestation, then more rapidly, and then at a decreasing rate. They seem to be examples of logistic growth and could be described by logistic equations. The light fraction increased faster than the total C, as did the microbial C during the first 19 years. The light C fraction was the most sensitive for identifying changes in soil C after afforestation. Over the full 57 years, the contributions of the light and microbial fractions to total C increased, while those of the heavy fraction and dissolved C decreased. Our results suggest that the proportion of C in labile pools increased, but the proportion in stable pools decreased, which would increase the risk of substantial losses of C caused by potential global warming and human‐induced disturbances.     

施用生物质炭对旱地红壤有机碳矿化及碳库的影响

为探究生物质炭施入旱地红壤后对该地区土壤有机碳矿化以及有机碳库的影响,采用田间定位试验,设置7种生物质炭施用量处理,分别为0(C0),2.5(C1),5(C2),10(C3),20(C4),30(C5),40t/hm2(C6),以三库一级动力学理论为基础,对这7种处理的土样进行了室内呼吸培养试验。结果表明:(1)与C0相比,C4、C5和C6处理的土壤有机碳含量呈上升趋势,C5处理土壤有机碳含量上升幅度最大为14.66%;C2、C3、C4、C5和C6处理土壤活性碳均显著增加,C6处理增幅最大为25.00%;土壤惰性碳在C3、C4、C5和C6处理中显著增加,增幅分别为18.92%,40.09%,53.60%和49.55%;除C5处理外,其他生物质炭施用量下土壤缓性碳相对于C0处理,分别降低了1.96%,6.54%,8.82%,9.31%和12.91%。(2)与C0处理相比,施加生物质炭后土壤有机碳累积矿化量均显著降低,C6处理降低幅度达25.93%。随着生物质炭施用量的增加,土壤有机碳累积矿化量逐渐降低。(3)土壤有机碳、活性碳和惰性碳与生物质炭施用量存在极显著(p0.01)的正相关,土壤缓性碳与其存在显著(p0.05)的负相关。研究结果可为提升典型旱地红壤肥力,减缓温室气体排放提供科学依据。     

Management-induced change in labile soil organic matter under continuous corn in eastern Canadian soils

Soil samples taken from four experimental sites that had been cropped to continuous corn for 3–11 years in Ontario and Quebec were analyzed to evaluate changes in quantity and quality of labile soil organic carbon under different nitrogen (N) fertility and tillage treatments. Addition of fertilizer N above soil test recommendations tended to decrease amounts of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC). The quality of the WSOC was characterized by ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectrophotometry and the results indicated that carbohydrates, long-chain aliphatics and proteins were the major components of all extracts. Similar types of C were present in all of the soils, but an influence of management was evident. The quantity of soil MBC was positively related to the quantities of WSOC, carbohydrate C, and organic C, and negatively related to quantities of long-chain aliphatic C in the soil. The quantity of WSOC was positively related to the quantities of protein C, carbohydrate C, and negatively related to the quantity of carboxylic C. The quantity of soil MBC was not only related to quantities of soil WSOC but also to the quality of soil WSOC. Received: 2 April 1997     

Enhancing Soil Quality through Residue Management in a Rice-Wheat System in Fukuoka,Japan

A long-term experiment (LTE) on a rice-wheat system was initiated in 1963 at the Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station, in Fukuoka, Japan, to determine the effects of continuous application of rye grass/wheat straw, rice straw and rice straw compost, alone or in combination with inorganic N on crop yields. Increase in rice yields and enhancement of total soil C and N contents with the application of organic residues in this LTE have been reported earlier. However, evaluation of the changes in the soil microbiological properties and the decomposable C fraction of soil organic matter that is needed for soil quality assessment is still lacking. Soil samples were collected after rice harvest in 2003 from the organic residue treatments and unfertilized control, air-dried and incubated for 1 month under aerobic [50% water-filled pore space (WFPS)] and flooded conditions prior to the analysis of the amount of microbial biomass C (MBC), soil respiration and the amount of potential mineralizable N (PMN). The contents of total C (TC), total N (TN), organic C (OC), hot water-extractable C (HWEC) and permanganate-oxidizable C (POC) were determined from air-dried soils. Organic residue incorporation brought about significant increases in the contents of TC, TN, OC, POC, HWEC and PMN. The largest accumulation of total C (23%) and N (72%) in the soil was from rice straw compost, compared with that from rice straw (C, 7% and N, 33%) and rye grass/wheat straw (C, 9% and N, 29%). Incorporation of rice straw compost also increased the amount of MBC under both aerobic and flooded conditions and basal soil respiration under aerobic conditions only. An efficient utilization of C by microorganisms was indicated by a significantly lower metabolic quotient (qCO₂) in the composted and uncomposted rice straw treatments compared with the control in the “-” N treatment under aerobic conditions. Similarly, the flush of CO₂ after rewetting of dry soil per unit of HWEC was lower in the organic matter treatments, indicating a more efficient C utilization and lower C losses per unit of available C. The content of HWEC was significantly correlated with the basal soil respiration (at 50% WFPS), the amounts of MBC, PMN and with the increase in the content of soil organic C in the residuetreated soils. In the treatments without inorganic N fertilizer, grain yield was significantly correlated with the amounts of total organic C, HWEC, MBC (at 50% WFPS), basal soil respiration (at 50% WFPS) and the amount of PMN.     

Soil carbon fractions in response to straw mulching in the Loess Plateau of China

Straw mulching has been used to conserve soil water and sustain dryland crop yields, but the impact of the quantity and time of mulching on soil C fractions are not well documented. We studied the effects of various amounts and times of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw mulching on soil C fractions at 0–10- and 10–20-cm depths from 2009 to 2017 in the Loess Plateau of China. Treatments were no mulching (CK), straw mulching at 9.0 (HSM) and 4.5 Mg ha^?1 (LSM) in the winter wheat growing season, and straw mulching at 9.0 Mg ha^?1 in the summer fallow period (FSM). Soil C fractions were soil organic C (SOC), particulate organic C (POC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and potential C mineralization (PCM). All C fractions at 0–10 and 10–20 cm were 8–27% greater with HSM and LSM than FSM and CK. Both SOC and POC at 0–10 cm increased at 0.32 and 0.27 Mg ha^?1 year^?1 with HSM and at 0.40 and 0.30 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 with LSM, respectively, from 2009 to 2017. Winter wheat grain yield was lower with HSM and LSM, but total aboveground biomass was greater with HSM than other treatments. All C fractions at most depths were correlated with the estimated wheat root residue returned to the soil and PCM at 0–10 and 0–20 cm was correlated with wheat grain yield. Wheat straw mulching during the growing season increased soil C sequestration and microbial biomass and activity compared with mulching during the fallow period or no mulching, regardless of mulching rate, due to increased C input, although it reduced wheat grain yield. Continuous application of straw mulching over time can increase soil C sequestration by increasing nonlabile C fractions while decreasing labile fractions. Straw mulching at higher rate and mulching during the summer fallow period had no additional benefits in soil C sequestration.     

Organic matter availability for denitrification in soils of different textures and drainage classes

Abstract

Soils from the A, B, and C horizons representing three natural drainage classes and differing textures were chosen to study relationships between denitrification rate and estimates of available carbon. The highest correlation with denitrification rate was obtained with total organic C. Water‐extractable C, mineralizable C and 0.1 N Ba(OH)2‐extractable C produced less satisfactory correlations. When soils of the B and C horizons only were included in the regression analysis, 0.1 N Ba(OH)₂‐extractable C was found to be unsatisfactory as a predictor of available C for soil denitrifiers. None of the four methods for estimating available C were found adequate for B and C horizon soils which were relatively low in available C. Coarser‐textured soils with relatively low C levels had correspondingly low denitrification rates. Regressions of denitrification rate on mineralizable C or water‐extractable C were nonsignificant with poorly drained soils whereas they were highly significant with well or imperfectly drained soils.     

Size of Microbial Biomass in Soils of China

The microbial biomass C,N and P of soils all over China were determined in this study to study their affecting factors.The results,about 100-417 mg C kg^-1 soil,18-51 mg Nkg^-1 soil and 4.4-27.3mg P kg^-1 soil,showed the biomass C,N and P in linear relationship with the soil total organic C,toal N and soil organic P.The ratios of C:Nand C:P,ranging from 5.6 to 9.6 and from 11.2 to 48.4 respectively,were affected by soil pH.texture,crop rotation,macroclimate etc.The ratio of C:N in soil biomass increases gradually from the north to the south in China.