Management‐induced changes in soil organic carbon and related crop yield dynamics in China's cropland

Lin, Bai-Jian; Li, Ruo-Chen; Liu, Kechun; Oladele, Olatunde Pelumi; Xu, Zhiyu; Lal, R.; Zhao, Xin; Zhang, Hai‐Lin

doi:10.1111/gcb.16703

Cited by 43 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…In this study, the N 1 P 3 treatment exhibited the highest SOC content, while the N 1 P 2 treatment resulted in the highest hay yield. These findings align with previous research indicating that a sustained increase in SOC levels may lead to a slight decrease in crop yield (Lin et al, 2023). To maximize SOC sequestration and increase crop yield, the combined analysis showed that the N 1 P 2 treatment provided a better balance between SOC content and alfalfa hay yield.…”

Section: A B D C Figuresupporting

confidence: 89%

Optimizing nitrogen and phosphorus application to improve soil organic carbon and alfalfa hay yield in alfalfa fields

Wei,

Zhao,

Sun

et al. 2024

Front. Plant Sci.

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Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the principal factor contributing to enhanced soil fertility and also functions as the major carbon sink within terrestrial ecosystems. Applying fertilizer is a crucial agricultural practice that enhances SOC and promotes crop yields. Nevertheless, the response of SOC, active organic carbon fraction and hay yield to nitrogen and phosphorus application is still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of nitrogen-phosphorus interactions on SOC, active organic carbon fractions and hay yield in alfalfa fields. A two-factor randomized group design was employed in this study, with two nitrogen levels of 0 kg·ha-1 (N0) and 120 kg·ha-1 (N1) and four phosphorus levels of 0 kg·ha-1 (P0), 50 kg·ha-1 (P1), 100 kg·ha-1 (P2) and 150 kg·ha-1 (P3). The results showed that the nitrogen and phosphorus treatments increased SOC, easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and hay yield in alfalfa fields, and increased with the duration of fertilizer application, reaching a maximum under N1P2 or N1P3 treatments. The increases in SOC, EOC, DOC, POC, MBC content and hay yield in the 0–60 cm soil layer of the alfalfa field were 9.11%-21.85%, 1.07%-25.01%, 6.94%-22.03%, 10.36%-44.15%, 26.46%-62.61% and 5.51%-23.25% for the nitrogen and phosphorus treatments, respectively. The vertical distribution of SOC, EOC, DOC and POC contents under all nitrogen and phosphorus treatments was highest in the 0–20 cm soil layer and tended to decrease with increasing depth of the soil layer. The MBC content was highest in the 10–30 cm soil layer. DOC/SOC, MBC/SOC (excluding N0P1 treatment) and POC/SOC were all higher in the 0–40 cm soil layer of the alfalfa field compared to the N0P0 treatment, indicating that the nitrogen and phosphorus treatments effectively improved soil fertility, while EOC/SOC and DOC/SOC were both lower in the 40–60 cm soil layer than in the N0P0 treatment, indicating that the nitrogen and phosphorus treatments improved soil carbon sequestration potential. The soil layer between 0-30 cm exhibited the highest sensitivity index for MBC, whereas the soil layer between 30-60 cm had the highest sensitivity index for POC. This suggests that the indication for changes in SOC due to nitrogen and phosphorus treatment shifted from MBC to POC as the soil depth increased. Meanwhile, except the 20–30 cm layer of soil in the N0P1 treatment and the 20–50 cm layer in the N1P0 treatment, all fertilizers enhanced the soil Carbon management index (CMI) to varying degrees. Structural equation modeling shows that nitrogen and phosphorus indirectly affect SOC content by changing the content of the active organic carbon fraction, and that SOC is primarily impacted by POC and MBC. The comprehensive assessment indicated that the N1P2 treatment was the optimal fertilizer application pattern. In summary, the nitrogen and phosphorus treatments improved soil fertility in the 0–40 cm soil layer and soil carbon sequestration potential in the 40–60 cm soil layer of alfalfa fields. In agroecosystems, a recommended application rate of 120 kg·ha-1 for nitrogen and 100 kg·ha-1 for phosphorus is the most effective in increasing SOC content, soil carbon pool potential and alfalfa hay yield.

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Section: A B D C Figuresupporting

confidence: 89%

Optimizing nitrogen and phosphorus application to improve soil organic carbon and alfalfa hay yield in alfalfa fields

Wei,

Zhao,

Sun

et al. 2024

Front. Plant Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The “4 per 1000” initiative aims to sequester 0.4% of soil organic carbon (SOC) annually to offset global carbon emissions. Furthermore, SOC is instrumental in enhancing soil quality and boosting agricultural productivity (Dang, 2023; Lin et al, 2023; Zhang, Dang, & Li, 2023; Zhang, Wang, et al, 2023). Thus, enhancing SOC accumulation as a potential leverage point is an effective approach to mitigate global warming and ensure food security.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No‐till reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates

Yu,

Xu,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

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Microbial necromass is a crucial contributor to the formation of soil aggregates and serves as a key source of stable soil organic carbon (SOC). However, how tillage practices regulate microbial necromass accumulation within aggregate fractions at different soil depths remains unclear. Thus, a 20‐year field experiment was carried out to identify how microbial necromass carbon (MC) is distributed in aggregates and its contribution to SOC under no‐till (NT) and plow tillage (PT) in a rice‐wheat rotation system. The results showed that NT significantly increased bacterial and fungal necromass carbon (C) concentrations in both macro‐ and micro‐aggregates (>0.25 and <0.25 mm), and enhanced the contribution of MC to SOC compared with PT at 0–5 cm topsoil depth. However, NT decreased SOC concentration in micro‐aggregates by 12.4% mainly attributed to lower bacterial and fungal necromass C in micro‐aggregates by 21.6% and 27.6% compared with PT at 5–15 cm subsoil depth. There was no significant difference for SOC mineralization per unit SOC concentration between NT and PT, which can be attributed to the equilibrium between microbial necromass C and labile C (e.g., dissolved organic C). Random forest and partial least squares path model demonstrated that soil total nitrogen, available NH4+, and NO3− positively regulated β‐glucosidase activity, and thus affected MC and SOC concentration. NT decreased soil nitrogen concentration and β‐glucosidase activity in micro‐aggregates, and thus lowered MC formation at 5–15 cm depth. Our findings highlights that NT reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates.

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Soil quality associated with microbial community characteristics and dominant taxa across different tillage practices

Liu,

Zhu,

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

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Despite conservation tillage being a promising strategy to mitigate soil degradation, the intricate role of microbial communities in shaping soil quality over long‐term tillage remains poorly understood. The study aimed to investigate the microbial mechanisms governing the soil quality index (SQI) and maize yield under different tillage practices spanning 13 years, including no‐till without straw retention (NT0), no‐till with straw retention (NTSR), plough tillage with straw retention (PTSR), and rotary tillage with straw retention (RTSR). The findings revealed that NTSR improved the SQI index by 22.4% and 11.3% higher than PTSR and RTSR, respectively, within the 0–10 cm soil layer. This improvement was correlated with an increase in maize yield (R2 = 0.39, p < 0.05). PERMANOVA analysis confirmed that both soil depth and tillage practices significantly impacted the composition of microbial communities (p < 0.05). Furthermore, conservation tillage, compared to PTSR and RTSR, increased the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis by 78.6%–460.3% but decreased the saprophytic fungal abundance by 27.5%–28.3%. Soil quality was notably influenced by the interaction between bacterial and fungal communities. The presence of bacterial‐dominated Module 2 was associated with decreased soil quality in the 0–10 cm soil depth (r = −0.47, p < 0.01). This study emphasizes the pivotal role of microbial diversity and dominant taxa in driving soil quality after long‐term conservation tillage practices. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for establishing farmland management to achieve agricultural and ecological sustainability in the face of climate change and soil degradation challenges.

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Management‐induced changes in soil organic carbon and related crop yield dynamics in China's cropland

Cited by 43 publications

References 79 publications

Optimizing nitrogen and phosphorus application to improve soil organic carbon and alfalfa hay yield in alfalfa fields

Optimizing nitrogen and phosphorus application to improve soil organic carbon and alfalfa hay yield in alfalfa fields

No‐till reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates

Soil quality associated with microbial community characteristics and dominant taxa across different tillage practices

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