Soil heat and moisture processes are interconnected, especially during low temperatures. To examine the interaction between soil temperature and moisture under freeze-thaw cycles, a physical process-based model (CoupModel) coupled with uncertainty analysis was applied to 3-year measurements under seasonal frost conditions from a site in the black soil belt of northeast China. The uncertainty in parameters and measurements was described by general likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE). To identify the degree of linkage between soil temperature and moisture, three criteria were applied to them separately or together. The most sensitive parameters among 26 site-specific parameters were closely related to soil heat, soil evaporation and freeze-thaw processes. Soil temperature was simulated with less uncertainty than soil moisture. Soil temperature measurements had the potential to improve model performance for soil water content, whereas soil moisture measurements demonstrated a trade-off effect when finding a model with good performance for both temperature and moisture. During winter conditions the uncertainty ranges of soil temperature were most pronounced, probably because of the greater complexity of soil properties during the freeze-thaw process and the uncertainty caused by snow properties. The largest uncertainty ranges of both soil water content and soil water storage were found mainly in the deep soil layers. The simulated surface heat fluxes are an important output of the model and it is of great value to compare them with the results from regional climate models and micrometeorological measurements.

Abstract. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions to forest ecosystems are known to influence various above-ground properties, such as plant productivity and composition, and below-ground properties, such as soil nutrient cycling. However, our understanding of how soil microbial communities and their functions respond to nutrient additions in subtropical plantations is still not complete. In this study, we added N and P to Chinese fir plantations in subtropical China to examine how nutrient additions influenced soil microbial community composition and enzyme activities. The results showed that most soil microbial properties were responsive to N and/or P additions, but responses often varied depending on the nutrient added and the quantity added. For instance, there were more than 30 % greater increases in the activities of β-glucosidase (βG) and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) in the treatments that received nutrient additions compared to the control plot, whereas acid phosphatase (aP) activity was always higher (57 and 71 %, respectively) in the P treatment. N and P additions greatly enhanced the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) abundance especially in the N2P (100 kg ha−1 yr−1 of N +50 kg ha−1 yr−1 of P) treatment; the bacterial PLFAs (bacPLFAs), fungal PLFAs (funPLFAs) and actinomycic PLFAs (actPLFAs) were about 2.5, 3 and 4 times higher, respectively, than in the CK (control). Soil enzyme activities were noticeably higher in November than in July, mainly due to seasonal differences in soil moisture content (SMC). βG or NAG activities were significantly and positively correlated with microbial PLFAs. These findings indicate that βG and NAG would be useful tools for assessing the biogeochemical transformation and metabolic activity of soil microbes. We recommend combined additions of N and P fertilizer to promote soil fertility and microbial activity in this kind of plantation.

With the introduction of the small four‐wheel tractors (ST), agricultural mechanization has developed rapidly in China. In this study, we investigated the impact of these relatively small tractors on soil compaction of a silty clay loam (fine‐silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiboroll) in northeast China using soil penetration resistance (PR) and bulk density as soil compaction indicators. The relationship between soil water content and PR, the comparison of soil compaction induced by ST and the medium power tractor (MT), the effect of tractor mass on compaction, the effect of number of tractor passes and tillage on PR, and the effect of compaction on crop yield were studied. Compared with MT‐powered tillage, the ST‐powered tillage system created a more compacted plow layer due to increased passes required with this system. Small four‐wheeled tractors had a statistically significant higher PR than MT in the topsoil and subsoil. The PR had a significant negative correlation (r = − 0.640, P < 0.01) with soil water content at time of PR measurement. After trafficking in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) field, the highest PR values were found in the 5‐ to 14‐cm depth interval. Crop yield decreased with increasing numbers of tractor passes. There were different yield‐loss responses to compaction for spring wheat and corn (Zea mays L.). With the development of mechanical tillage in China, the problem of soil compaction may be significantly increased, causing potential yield reductions.