Synergistic Promotion of Particulate and Mineral-Associated Organic Carbon Within Soil Aggregates After 10 Years of Organic Fertilization in Wheat-Maize Systems

Jing Li, Huijun Wu, Xiaojun Song, Shengping Li, Xueping Wu (), Ya Han, Zhiping Liu, Na Yang, Ke Wang, Zhiguo Yang and Jiancheng Zhang ()
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Jing Li: Hebei Center for Ecological and Environmental Geology Research, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
Huijun Wu: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xiaojun Song: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shengping Li: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xueping Wu: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Ya Han: Hebei Center for Ecological and Environmental Geology Research, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
Zhiping Liu: College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Na Yang: State Key Laboratory of Sustainable Dryland Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Ke Wang: State Key Laboratory of Sustainable Dryland Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Zhiguo Yang: State Key Laboratory of Sustainable Dryland Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Jiancheng Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Sustainable Dryland Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: How different fertilization practices modify soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is still unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate the changes in SOC stocks and their physical fractions after 10 years of organic and inorganic fertilization. Five treatments were established under a wheat-maize system in Northern China: control (CK), chemical fertilizer (F), straw plus chemical fertilizer (SF), manure plus chemical fertilizer (MF), and straw and manure plus chemical fertilizer (SMF). The results showed that the SOC sequestration rate at 0–20 cm depth decreased in the following order: SMF (1.36 Mg C/ha/yr) > MF (1.13 Mg C/ha/yr) > SF (0.72 C/ha/yr) > F (0.15 Mg C/ha/yr) > CK (−0.25 Mg C/ha/yr). The values indicated that straw returning and manure application were important measures to achieve the “4 per 1000” target, and the application of manure was a more effective strategy. The high input of chemical fertilizer only maintained the initial SOC level and was not a powerful C-farming practice. A minimum input of 4.93 Mg C/ha/yr was required to keep the initial SOC storage. The SOC associated with small macroaggregate (0.25–2 mm) was the most sensitive indicator for the changes of bulk SOC. In addition, the accumulation of SOC under SMF, MF, and SF treatments mainly occurred in the occluded particulate organic C (oPOC) in small macroaggregates, indicating that the physical protection of macroaggregates played a predominant role in SOC sequestration. The SMF, MF, and SF treatments also displayed higher mineral organic C (mSOC) in soil aggregates than the CK and F treatments. A transformation of oPOC towards the mSOC fraction indicated that exogenous C further shifted into stable C pools under the physical protection of soil aggregates. In conclusion, these findings confirmed the important role of straw returning and manure application in SOC accumulation and stabilization, highlighting that a combination strategy of straw + manure + chemical fertilizer had the best effect.

Keywords: fertilization; carbon sequestration; aggregate; physical fractionation; manure; straw (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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