Responses of Soil Respiration and Organic Carbon to Straw Mulching and Ridge Tillage in Maize Field of a Triple Cropping System in the Hilly Region of Southwest China

Abstract

Soil disturbance by tillage practices promotes soil respiration which is a main source of carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different tillage practices on soil respiration and the carbon source/sink characteristics of maize farmland ecosystems in the wheat–maize–soybean cropping system. Six tillage treatments, namely, traditional tillage (T), ridge tillage (R), traditional tillage + straw mulching (TS), ridge tillage + straw mulching (RS), traditional tillage + straw mulching + decomposing inoculants (TSD), and ridge tillage + straw mulching + decomposing inoculants (RSD), were used to measure the soil respiration and its hydrothermal factors. The results showed that the intensity of soil respiration increased initially and decreased afterwards throughout the growth period of maize ranging from 1.011 to 5.575 μmol (m2·s)−1. The soil respiration rate under different treatments varied remarkably presenting a trend of RSD > TSD > TS > RS > T > R. Ridge tillage reduced the soil respiration rate of maize farmland while straw mulching improved it. Meanwhile, ridge tillage and straw mulching increased the soil temperature sensitivity index of soil respiration, but the addition of decomposing inoculants reduced this trend. The soil moisture response threshold under ridge tillage was lower, while the straw mulching was found to increase it, compared with the control. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between trapped soil fauna and soil respiration. Compared with the control, ridge tillage and straw mulching were beneficial to the carbon sink of the farmland ecosystem as shown by the maize field for the entire growing season.

Optimum Water and Fertilizer Management for Better Growth and Resource Use Efficiency of Rapeseed in Rainy and Drought Seasons

“…Slow-release fertilizer application reduced nutrient leaching and cut down the fertilization frequency and dosage which are helpful to lower the risk of environmental pollution [22]. Straw mulching (SM) and ridge-furrow rainfall harvesting systems (RF), as water-saving technologies, have extensively been applied in dryland agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions of China [23,24]. Straw mulching is not only useful to restrain soil evaporation but also to improve soil perviousness and soil retention of water and fertilizer.…”

Functional ecosystem parameters: Soil respiration and diversity of mite (Acari, Mesostigmata) communities after disturbance in a Late Cambrian bedrock environment

“…Numerous factors, including soil OM content, land use, soil biology, etc., affect soil respiration rate. These factors are affected not only by the environment but also by the soil parameters themselves, with immediate relevance to soil respiration (Zhang et al, 2019).…”

Effects of Combined Application of Biochar and Different Types of Nitrogen Fertilizers on Rapeseed Root Growth and Properties of Purple Soil in Southwest China

“…For soil respiration [37], measurements were taken during the seedling, bud, blooming, and pod stages of rapeseed, with a uniform measurement time of 09:00-11:00 in the morning. The instrument used for measurement was the LI6400 portable photosynthesis system connected to a 6400-09 respiration chamber (Li6400-09, LI-COR Inc., Lincoln, OR, USA (see Figure 1).…”