Carbon sequestration in two Brazilian Cerrado soils under no-till

A considerable proportion of the 200 million hectares of the Brazilian Cerrado is suitable for annual crops but little is known about the effects of tillage on the C dynamics of Cerrado soils. We evaluated the role of two representative Cerrado Oxisols (350 and 650 g clay kg⁻¹) as sources or sinks of atmospheric C when managed under three tillage systems (conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no-till (NT)) in 8- and 5-year long-term experiments. A literature review was also carried out and the mean C sequestration rates in no-till soils of tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil were calculated and compared with values for soils from temperate regions of the world. The original C stocks in 0–20 cm layer of soils under native Cerrado were higher in the clayey (54.0 Mg ha⁻¹) than in the sandy clay loam soil (35.4 Mg ha⁻¹), suggesting a higher physical stability of organic matter associated with variable clay minerals in the clayey Oxisol. The original C stocks of the native Cerrado soils appear not to have decreased after 23 years of conventional tillage in the sandy clay loam Oxisol, except when the soil had been subjected to erosion (15% loss of C), or after 25 years in the clayey Oxisol. Compared to conventionally tilled soil, the C stocks in no-till sandy clay loam Oxisol increased by 2.4 Mg ha⁻¹ (C sequestration rate = 0.30 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) and in the clayey Oxisol by 3.0 Mg ha⁻¹ (C sequestration rate = 0.60 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹). The mean rate of C sequestration in the no-till Brazilian tropical soils was estimated to be 0.35 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, similar to the 0.34 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ reported for soils from temperate regions but lower than the 0.48 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ estimated for southern Brazilian subtropical soils. Considering the large area (about 70 million hectares) of the Cerrado which is currently used and potentially available for cropland, the adoption of no-till systems could turn the Cerrado soils into a significant sink for atmospheric C and contribute to the mitigation of global climate change.     

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.     

pH regulation of carbon and nitrogen dynamics in two agricultural soils

Soil pH is often hypothesized to be a major factor regulating organic matter turnover and inorganic nitrogen production in agricultural soils. The aim of this study was to critically test the relationship between soil pH and rates of C and N cycling, and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), in two long-term field experiments in which pH had been manipulated (Rothamsted silty clay loam, pH 3.5-6.8; Woburn sandy loam, pH 3.4-6.3). While alteration of pH for 37 years significantly affected crop production, it had no significant effect on total soil C and N or indigenous mineral N levels. This implies that at steady state, increased organic matter inputs to the soil are balanced by increased outputs of CO₂. This is supported by the positive correlation between both plant productivity and intrinsic microbial respiration with soil pH. In addition, soil microbial biomass C and N, and nitrification were also significantly positively correlated with soil pH. Measurements of respiration following addition of urea and amino acids showed a significant decline in CO₂ evolution with increasing soil acidity, whilst glucose mineralization showed no response to pH. In conclusion, it appears that changes in soil pH significantly affect soil microbial activity and the rate of soil C and N cycling. The evidence suggests that this response is partially indirect, being primarily linked to pH induced changes in net primary production and the availability of substrates. In addition, enhanced soil acidity may also act directly on the functioning of the microbial community itself.     

Effect of different fertilization modes on soil organic carbon sequestration in acid soils

ABSTRACT

A meta-analysis of 297 treatment data from the Vezaiciai Branch of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry long-term field experiment published from 2006 to 2015 was used to characterize the changes in SOC under different fertilization treatments and residue management practices in Lithuania’s acid soil. A meta-analysis was performed to quantify the relative annual change (RAC) of SOC content and the average RAC rate of SOC under four fertilization modes (farmyard manure (FYM) (40?t?ha^?1)); alternative organic fertilizers (in the manure background (40?t?ha^?1)); FYM (60?t?ha^?1); alternative organic fertilizers (in the manure background (60?t?ha^?1)) in two soil backgrounds (naturally acid and limed soil). The average RAC under four fertilization modes was 1.46 g?kg^?1?yr^?1, indicating that long-term fertilization had considerable SOC sequestration potential. Incorporation of alternative organic fertilizers in unlimed soil showed negative effects (?0.39 and ?0.66 g?kg^?1?yr^?1) in the observed long-term experiment. The RAC in the limed soil with incorporated organic fertilizers (FYM and alternative organic fertilizers), compared to the control, and varied from 0.25 g?kg^?1?yr^?1 in the treatment with incorporated alternative organic fertilizers (in the manure background (40?t?ha^?1)) to 0.71 g?kg^?1?yr^?1 in the soil with FYM (60?t?ha^?1). In this study, the average RAC rate of SOC under organic fertilization treatments in limed soil (5.07–6.54%) was longer than organic fertilization in unlimed soil (2.11–3.49%), which might be attributed to the application of organic manure that would result in a slow release of fertilizer efficiency. Our results indicate that the application of manure (40 or 60?t?ha^?1) showed the greatest potential for C sequestration in agricultural soil and produced the longest SOC sequestration duration.     

Organic carbon ranges in arable soils of England and Wales

Abstract. Knowledge of the stocks and the potential range of soil organic carbon (SOC) in various land–soil combinations is an important precursor to policies aimed at linking, for example, management of SOC to greenhouse gas emission controls. To investigate the factors controlling the percentage of SOC (%SOC) of soils in England and Wales, we made a multiple regression analysis of data for the 2448 arable and ley-arable sites in the 1980 England and Wales National Soil Inventory (NSI). Clay content, average annual precipitation and depth of topsoil explained 25.5% of the variation in %SOC, when calcareous and peaty soils and those susceptible to flooding were excluded. Using 'robust' statistics, 'indicative SOC management ranges' were estimated for different physiotopes, that is, landscape units for which the environmental factors governing %SOC are similar, namely soil clay content and precipitation. These ranges describe the expected %SOC range for an arable soil in a given physiotope. They have potential to support approximate targets for the %SOC of arable soils and for estimating upper and lower limits for sequestered soil carbon in arable systems.     

东北黑土有机碳储量及其对大气CO2的贡献

开垦荒地和翻耕农田导致土壤结构破坏,加速土壤有机碳(SOC)损失。通常计算土体中SOC的损失时忽略了侵蚀和沉积作用产生的SOC在景观中的再分布,因而过高地估计了农业土壤对大气CO2的贡献。近年来,土壤科学研究表明,通过采用新的管理措施后,能使农田土壤由大气CO2碳源转变为碳汇。以东北黑土为例,计算其SOC库储量及耕种以来释放到大气中CO2的数量;评价侵蚀和沉积作用对SOC损失的影响;估算东北黑土采用新的管理方式后,该土类可固定大气CO2的潜力。根据第二次土壤普查资料和回归拟合方法,得出东北黑土1m深度的SOC平均密度为12.54kgC/m2,有机碳储量为646.2TgC。应用修正的土壤流失方程(RUSLE)和有关该区土壤侵蚀资料,计算黑龙江和吉林两省每年土壤迁移的碳量为0.34～2.84TgC/a,因沉积作用引起的SOC在景观中再分布的数量为0.27～2.27TgC/a。由此计算自耕种以来,东北黑土净释放到大气中的CO2数量为34.6～434.6TgC。如果采用新的管理措施后,东北黑土最大固碳潜力为244.3TgC,在未来20年内土壤固碳潜力为30.9TgC,平均每年1.55TgC/a。     

添加生物质炭对红壤水稻土有机碳矿化和微生物生物量的影响

通过室内培育试验,研究了添加生物质炭对江西红壤水稻土有机碳矿化和微生物生物量碳、氮含量的影响。结果表明:红壤有机碳矿化速率在培育第2天达最大值后迅速降低,培养7天后下降缓慢并趋于平稳;添加生物质炭降低了土壤有机碳的矿化速率和累积矿化量,培养结束时,不加生物质炭的对照处理中有机碳的累积矿化量分别比添加0.5%和1.0%生物质炭的处理高10.0%和10.8%。此外,生物质炭的加入显著提高了土壤微生物生物量,添加0.5%生物质炭处理的土壤微生物生物量碳、氮含量分别比对照高111.5%～250.6%和11.6%～97.6%,添加1.0%生物质炭处理的土壤微生物生物量碳、氮含量分别比对照高58.9%～243.6%和55.9%～110.4%。相同处理中,干旱的水分条件下(40%田间持水量)微生物生物量要高于湿润的水分条件(70%田间持水量)。同时,添加0.5%和1.0%的生物质炭使土壤代谢熵分别降低2.4%和26.8%,微生物商减少了43.7%和31.7%。     

新疆尾闾盐湖滨岸盐碱土中碳酸盐的固碳效应及影响因素

土壤碳酸盐对现代大气CO_2的截存与土壤中的硅酸盐矿物组成、盐基元素供给、有机碳含量等因子密切相关。该文结合土壤理化性质和碳同位素分馏特性,以新疆艾比湖为例,探讨了干旱区尾闾盐湖滨岸盐碱土中碳酸盐的固碳效应和影响因素,研究结果表明:1)土壤碳酸盐是干旱区最重要的碳库,艾比湖滨岸土壤碳酸盐的平均碳密度是有机碳的4.05倍;2)艾比湖滨岸盐碱土中的δ13CSCC介于-7.9‰～0.3‰之间,δ13CSCC与HCO3-存在良好的线性负相关关系,决定系数高达0.669 9,大气碳以重碳酸盐形式存在是次生碳酸盐淀积的关键环节之一;3)土壤δ13CSCC值与硅酸盐矿物阳起石、绿泥石、伊利石存在着良好的线性负相关关系,δ13CSCC值随着富Ca、Mg、Fe矿物的含量增加明显向负向漂移;4)土壤中有机碳含量越高,生物风化过程越强烈时,δ13CSCC负向漂移越大,土壤碳酸盐截存较多大气中的轻碳;当土壤含盐量超过一定程度时,有机过程受到抑制,土壤碳酸盐则截存较多大气中的重碳。因此,干旱区存在着有机-无机耦合固碳效应,提高干旱区植被覆盖,可以增加有机碳库储量,同时,经有机过程分馏转移到土壤中的CO_2可进一步促进土壤硅酸盐矿物风化,使这部分CO_2不再返回大气,而是以碳酸盐形式被长久固存。     

臭氧污染对麦田土壤不同活性有机碳库的影响

近年来大气臭氧危害加剧,臭氧浓度升高影响植物—土壤系统进而影响土壤有机碳库周转。本研究在开放条件下,采用Chan修订的Walkley-Black方法,研究了连续5年增加稻—麦轮作系统大气臭氧浓度(较周围大气高50%)对麦季农田土壤不同活性有机碳库的影响。结果表明,大气臭氧浓度升高致使0~3 cm、10~20 cm土层土壤有机碳含量显著降低,累积导致耕层(0~20 cm)土壤有机碳含量下降18.4%(p0.05)。臭氧浓度升高显著降低了0~3、3~10、10~20 cm 3个土层中的活性有机碳含量;臭氧升高使0~3 cm土层的受保护缓性有机碳含量增加了10.8%(p0.05),并使未受保护缓性有机碳含量降低了59.7%(p0.05);臭氧升高条件下10~20 cm土层的受保护缓性有机碳含量降低了59.6%(p0.05)。臭氧升高对不同活性碳占总有机碳比例的影响受活性碳类型和土壤层次的制约,显著降低了3~10 cm土层活性有机碳所占比例(p0.05),未对耕层各层次上的稳定有机碳含量及其分配产生显著影响。臭氧升高导致土壤中占土壤有机碳比重59.3%~69.8%的活性碳库的库容变小,应是土壤有机碳库下降的直接原因。本研究表明长期大气臭氧浓度增加具有降低土壤有机碳含量并改变不同活性有机碳库分配与周转的态势。     

Carbon and nitrogen stocks in the soils of Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract. Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks are presented for Central and Eastern Europe. The study uses the soil geographic and attribute data held in a 1:2 500 000 scale Soil and Terrain (SOTER) database, covering Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation (west of the Urals), Slovakia, and Ukraine. Means and coefficients of variation for soil organic carbon and total nitrogen are presented for each major FAO soil grouping. The mean content of organic carbon, to a depth of 1 m, ranges from 3.9 kg C m^–2 for coarse textured Arenosols to 72.9 kg C m^–2 for poorly drained Histosols. Mean carbon content for the mineral soils, excluding Arenosols, is 15.8 kg C m^–2. The top 1 m of soil holds 110 Pg C (Pg=10¹⁵ g), which corresponds to about 7% of the global stock of soil organic carbon. About 44% of this carbon pool is held in the top 0.3 m of the soil, the layer that is most prone to be changed by changes in soil use and management. About 166 million ha in Central and Eastern Europe have been degraded by compaction, erosion of topsoil, fertility decline and crusting. The achievable level of carbon sequestration for these soils, upon adoption of 'best' management practices or restorative measures, is estimated.     

Carbon stocks and sequestration potentials of agricultural soils in the federal state of Baden‐Württemberg,SW Germany

Soil organic carbon (SOC) inventories are important tools for studying the effects of land‐use and climate change and evaluating climate‐change policies. A detailed inventory of SOC in the agricultural soils of the federal state of Baden‐Württemberg was therefore prepared based on the highest‐resolution geo‐referenced soil, land‐use, and climate data (BÜK200 inventory). In order to estimate the quality of different approaches, C inventories of the region were also prepared based on data from the National Inventory Report (UBA, 2003) and by applying the IPCC (1997) method to the two data sets. Finally, the BÜK200 inventory was used to estimate potentials of no‐tillage agriculture (NT) and peatland restoration to contribute to C sequestration and greenhouse‐gas (GHG)‐emission mitigation since both measures are discussed in this context. Scenario assumptions were change to NT on 40% of the cropland and restoration of 50% of cultivated peatlands within 20 years. On average, grasslands contained 9.5 kg C m^–2 to 0.3 m depth as compared to only 6.0 kg C m^–2 under cropland, indicating strong land‐use effects. The SOC content depended strongly on waterlogging and elevation, thus reflecting reduced C mineralization under aquic moisture regimes and low temperatures. Comparison of the BÜK200 inventory with the approach used for UBA (2003) showed high inconsistencies due to map resolution and SOC contents, whereas the IPCC method led to fairly good agreements. Results on the simulated effects of NT and peatland restoration suggested that 5%–14% of total agricultural GHG emissions could be abated with NT whereas peat restoration appeared to have a minor mitigation potential (0.2%–2.7%) because the total area of cultivated organic soils was too small to have larger impact.     

Carbon pools and soil biochemical properties in manure‐based organic farming systems of semi‐arid New Mexico

The economic benefits of organic agriculture and its wide adoption are well documented, but the impact of that practice on soil C dynamics in irrigated croplands of semi‐arid regions is less well understood. In manure‐based organic production systems, land applications of animal wastes not only provide nutrients but could also contribute to soil carbon sequestration. A study was conducted in irrigated cotton (Gossypium arboreum L) agro‐ecosystems of New Mexico (USA) under conventional (CONV; 100 kg N/ha as urea and NH₄NO₃) and organic farming practices (OF for 3–9 yr; 50 Mg dry manure/ha) to assess the effect of OF on soil C stocks (organic, inorganic) and biochemical indices [microbial biomass C (MBC); respiration; metabolic quotient (qCO₂)]. In the plough layer (0–30 cm), soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks tended to be higher (although not statistically) under OF (35.9 Mg C/ha) than CONV (33.5 Mg C/ha). However, when the entire 100‐cm soil profile was considered, the total SOC under CONV exceeded that under OF by 39.8 Mg C/ha, but this may be influenced by other factors. Accounting for 52% of the total C stock, inorganic C was significantly higher under CONV than OF and was positively correlated with soil respiration and the H/C ratio of soil organic matter. While OF duration had no consistent effect on soil biochemical properties, MBC was significantly higher (1.5 times) and the qCO₂ (3–6 times) was lower in the organically fertilized soils than under CONV. These results suggest the development, under OF, of a soil microbial community that is larger and processes added C substrates more efficiently compared with the community present in CONV practices.     

上海市主要道路绿地土壤中多环芳烃的分布特征

以上海市延安高架、中环和外环3条主要道路的交通繁忙地带绿地土壤为研究对象,调查研究了其多环芳烃(PAHs)的分布状况.结果表明,3条道路绿地土壤中∑16PAHs的含量在538 ～ 2.19×104 μg/kg之间,与国外Maliszewska-Kordybach建立的标准相比,3条道路绿地土壤均受到PAHs的污染,尤其是4 ～ 6环PAHs,其含量占∑16PAHs的90%,分析认为有机质是影响其分布的重要因素之一.3条道路污染程度有所不同,大小顺序为:外环＞延安高架＞中环,这主要与道路建成年限和允许的通车车辆类型有关,通车年限越长,大型卡车越多,土壤所受PAHs污染的程度越严重.     

Soil carbon sequestration in phytoliths

The role of the organic carbon occluded within phytoliths (referred to in this text as ‘PhytOC‘) in carbon sequestration in some soils is examined. The results show that PhytOC can be a substantial component of total organic carbon in soil. PhytOC is highly resistant to decomposition compared to other soil organic carbon components in the soil environments examined accounting for up to 82% of the total carbon in well-drained soils after 1000 years of organic matter decomposition. Estimated PhytOC accumulation rates were between 15 and 37% of the estimated global mean long-term (i.e. on a millenial scale) soil carbon accumulation rate of 2.4 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ indicating that the accumulation of PhytOC within soil is an important process in the terrestrial sequestration of carbon. The rates of phytolith production and the long-term sequestration of carbon occluded in phytoliths varied according to the overlying plant community. The PhytOC yield of a sugarcane crop was 18.1 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, an accumulation rate that is sustainable over the long-term (millenia) and yet comparable to the rates of carbon sequestration that are achievable (but only for a few decades) by land use changes such as conversion of cultivated land to forest or grassland, or a change of tillage practices from conventional to no tillage. This process offers the opportunity to use plant species that yield high amounts of PhytOC to enhance terrestrial carbon sequestration.     

Soil organic carbon–stock changes in Flemish grassland soils from 1990 to 2000

Total soil organic‐carbon (SOC) stocks for grassland soils in Flanders (N Belgium) were determined for the Kyoto Protocol reference year 1990 and 2000 in order to investigate whether these soils have been CO₂ sinks or sources during that period. The stocks were calculated by means of detailed SOC datasets, which were available at the community scale for the whole of Flanders. The total SOC stocks for Flemish grassland soils (1 m depth) were estimated at 38 Mt SOC in 1990 and 34 Mt SOC in 2000. The loss of SOC resulted from a decrease in the SOC content of grassland soils (71%) and could also partly (29%) be explained by a decline in grassland area. Significant decreases in %SOC for the 0–6 cm depth layer were found for the 1990s for the coarser‐textured soils with SOC losses ranging between –0.3% and –0.5% over the 10 y period. Specific management practices that disturb the SOC balance such as conversion to temporary grassland and a reduction of animal‐manure application are hypothesized to have contributed to the observed loss of SOC stocks. We furthermore conducted an analysis of uncertainty of the 1990 and 2000 grassland SOC–stocks calculation using Monte Carlo analysis. Probability‐distribution functions were determined for each of the inputs of the SOC‐stock calculation, enabling us to assess the uncertainty on the 1990 and 2000 SOC stocks. The frequency distributions of these simulated stocks both closely approached lognormal distributions, and their 95%‐confidence intervals ranged between 150% and 50% of the calculated mean SOC stock. The standard error on the measured decrease in SOC stocks in Flemish grassland soils during the 1990s was calculated to be 7–8 Tg SOC, which is equivalent to twice this decrease. This clearly shows that large‐scale changes in SOC stocks are uncertainty‐ridden, even when they are based on detailed datasets.     

溶解性有机质在土壤固碳中的意义

随着全球变暖的加剧,土壤圈作为全球碳循环中的重要碳库受到日益关注。土壤有机碳固定对大气温室效应和气候变暖有重要影响。溶解性有机质(DOM)是土壤中最活跃的有机碳库,其含量与土壤CO2、CH4、N2O的排放显著正相关,DOM的矿化成为土壤有机碳损失的重要途径。DOM可通过与Fe、Al共沉淀、吸附于土壤矿物表面而改变其生物降解性,从而在土壤中稳定和保留下来,对土壤有机碳积累中具有重要贡献。DOM的化学组成和结构特征影响其生物降解性,同时也影响其沉淀吸附效应。其稳定机制不同,对土壤有机碳积累的贡献也存在差异。目前估算DOM对土壤有机碳的贡献尚无普遍认可的方法,具体数值因估算方法不同而存在较大差异,有效的估算方法仍有待于进一步研究。     

On the determination of total heavy metal content in saline soils and soils rich in organic matter

Abstract

Methods of soil decomposition for determination of heavy metal total content were considered. Two saline soils (chloride and sulphate solonchak solonetz) and one rich in organic matter were uzed for investigation. It has been established that decomposition by using HF‐HCl with a preliminary ignition at 500°C is a very suitable method. The type of the studied soils and the results obtained allow for this method to be recommended for decomposition of various soils.

On the basis of experiments with modelled soils it has been proved that possibilities for heavy metal losses on ignition are created when NaCl content and the percentage of weakly bound heavy metals (water‐soluble, exchangeable, etc.) are high. Under the conditions of the experiment (acid soils ‐ pH 4.3 and 5.0) losses of Zn and Pb but not of Cu have been incurred. Although these cases are not typical, this requires the applicability of the method for such particular occasions to be checked.     

稻田垄作免耕对土壤团聚体和有机质的影响

该文以1990年建立的耕作制定位试验田紫色水稻土为研究对象,分析了冬水田（FPF）、水旱轮作（CR）和垄作免耕（RNT）3种耕作方式对土壤团聚体组成和有机质的影响。结果表明,垄作免耕减少了对土壤大团聚体的破坏,在0～10 cm土层,垄作免耕大团聚体含量分别是冬水田和水旱轮作的1.48和1.32倍,微团聚体含量则显著降低;在 ＞10～20 cm土层有相同的趋势。3种耕作条件下,有机碳和氮在团聚体中的分布模式类似,均有向大团聚体富集的趋势,但垄作免耕条件下土壤有机碳和氮质量分数显著高于冬水田和水旱轮作。对土壤颗粒有机质（POM）的分析结果表明,垄作免耕0～10 cm土层轻质组分（LF）的质量分数（1.92 g/kg）与水旱轮作（1.70 g/kg）差异不显著,但显著高于冬水田（1.42 g/kg）。冬水田、水旱轮作和垄作免耕的0～10 cm土层,团聚体内总颗粒有机质（total iPOM）质量分数分别为0.96,1.12,2.14 g/kg;垄作免耕土壤团聚体内细颗粒有机质（fine iPOM）分别为冬水田和水旱轮作土壤的3.02和2.46倍,占总POM差异的57%和66%。垄作免耕土壤团聚体内粗颗粒有机质（coarse iPOM）分别为冬水田和水旱轮作土壤的1.56和1.40倍,占总POM差异的18%和19%。在＞10～20 cm土层有相似的趋势,但在＞10～20 cm层土壤粗iPOM的差异对总POM差异的贡献较0～10 cm层大。垄作免耕减少了对大团聚体的破坏并促进微团聚体向大团聚体团聚;降低了团聚体的周转速率,促进了细iPOM的固定,利于紫色水稻土对碳的固定和积累。     

Effects of Soil Development Time and Litter Quality on Soil Carbon Sequestration: Assessing Soil Carbon Saturation with a Field Transplant Experiment along a Post‐mining Chronosequence

In previous studies, the rate of soil carbon (C) sequestration decreased with increasing age of post‐mining soils. It was also shown to depend on plant biomass and earthworm bioturbation. Here, a soil transplant experiment was used to determine whether this decrease is caused by soil C saturation or other factors (such as bioturbation and litter input). Soils collected on 15‐, 25‐ and 50‐year‐old successional sites, dominated by willow (Salix caprea L.) and birch (Betula pendula Roth), and on a 50‐year‐old site reclaimed by the planting of alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) were placed in plastic boxes that were accessible to soil macrofauna. The boxes were buried in the 50‐year‐old reclaimed site and supplemented with either alder litter or successional (willow and birch) litter. Soil C content and soil C fractions (hot water C, particulate organic C, particulate organic C bound in aggregates and C bound to mineral soil) were studied. After 1 year, the C content increased by 2–5%, but there was no effect of soil source or litter type. For all C fractions, the relationships between change in C content and initial C content were described by bell‐shaped curves. Easily available C fractions were saturated earlier than more recalcitrant fractions. Despite these saturation tendencies in individual soil organic matter pools, the soil was evidently far from saturation after 50 years of soil development. The decrease in C sequestration with soil age previously observed for this soil was probably caused by a decrease in litter input rather than by C saturation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.