Characteristics of Phosphorous Adsorption and Desorption by Organo-Mineral Colloidal Complexes of Purple Paddy Soils

The kinetic characteristics of P adsorption and desorption by organo-mineral colloidal complexes (OMC)were studied using acid, calcareous and neutral purple paddy soils taken from Chongqing and Sichuan, China.The results showed that the P adsorption capacity of the organo-mineral colloidal complexes differed with the soil types, being higher for the acid and calcareous purple soils than for the neutral purple soils. Partial removal of the organic matter increased the adsorption capacity of the colloidal complexes. A very significant positive correlation was found between the amounts of P desorbed from OMC and the P saturation degrees.The P adsorption reaction was quick at the early stage and slowed later. The raise of temperature increased P adsorption capacity and P adsorption rate of the colloidal complexes. The adsorption processes could be described by the Elovich equation.

The Effect of Organo-Mineral Fertilizer Applications on the Yield of Winter Wheat, Spring Barley, Forage Maize and Grass Cut for Silage

Biosolids were applied with urea to produce a granulated organo-mineral fertiliser (OMF) for application by farm fertiliser equipment to a range of agricultural crops. The recommended rates of nitrogen, phosphate and potash were calculated for the test crops using “The Fertiliser Manual”, which assesses the nutrient requirement based on previous cropping, rainfall and soil index. The OMF produced similar crop yields compared to ammonium nitrate fertiliser when applied as a top-dressing to winter wheat, forage maize and grass cut for silage in the cropping years 2010 to 2014. In 2012 the grain yield of spring barley top-dressed with OMF was significantly lower than the conventional fertiliser treatment, due to dry conditions following application. For this reason it is recommended that OMF is incorporated into the seedbed for spring sown crops and The Safe Sludge Matrix guidelines followed. The experimental work presented shows that OMF can be used in sustainable crop production systems as a source of nitrogen and phosphorus for a range of agricultural crops.

Composition and Characteristics of Organo-Mineral Complexes of Red Soils in South China

The objective of the present study is to reveal the composition and characteristics of organo-mineral complexes in red soils (red soil, lateritic red soil and latosol) of south China in terms of chemical dissolution and fractional peptization methods. In the combined humus, most of the extractable humus could dissolve in 0.1 M NaOH extractant and belonged to active humus (H1), and there was only a small amount of humus which could be further dissolved in 0.1 M Na4P2O7 extractant at pH 13 and was stably combined humus (H2). The H1/ H2 ratio ranged from 3.3 to 33.8 in red soils, and the proportions of both H, and total extractable organic carbon (H1+H2) in total soil organic carbon and the ratios of H1 to H2 and H1 to (H1 +H2) were all higher in lateritic red soil and latosol than in red soil. The. differences of combined humus composition in various red soils were directly related to the content of Fe and Al oxides. In organo-mineral complexes, the ratio of Na-dispersed fraction (G1) to Na-ground-dispersed fraction (G2) was generally smaller than 1 for red soils, but there was a higher G1 / G2 ratio in red soil than in lateritic red soil and latosol. G1 fraction had a higher content of fulvic acid (FA), but G2 fraction had a higher content of humic acid (HA). The ratios of H1 to H2 and HA to FA were higher in G2 than in G1. The differences in the composition and activity of humus between G1 and G2 fractions were related to the content of free Fe and Al oxides. The quantities of complex Fe and Al, the Fe/ C and Al/ C atomic ratios were higher in G2 than in G1, and the ratio of Al/ C was much higher than that of Fe/ C. It may be deduced that aluminum plays a more important role than iron in the formation process of organo-mineral complexes in red soils.

Effect of Rice-Based Cropping System on Organic Matter Status in Soils

A long-term simulation experiment was carried out to study the effect of rice-based cropping system,green manure and ground-water level on soil organic matter. Soil organic matter content increased when upland soil was puddled and cropped under submerged conditions. Among all treatments, soil organic matter contents in the treatments of rice-rice-flooded fallow in winter (WF) were the highest, those in the treatments of rice-rice-astragalus (WG) came the second, and those in the treatments of rice-rice-rape (WR)were the lowest. At the same rate of green manure application, the degrees of organo-mineral complexing in soils of treatments WG and WR were higher than those of treatment WF. After 9-year rice cultivation, the state of combination of humus in heavy fraction varied with treatments. The relative content of loosely bonded humus decreased in the order of WR > WG > WF, and it correlated significantly with Se availability.

Characteristics of Organo－Mineral Complexing of Microaggregates in Paddy Soils Developed from Purple Soils

This paper deals with characteristics of organo-mineral complexing of microaggregates in the paddy soils developed from purple soils in Sichuan, China. Results show that the contents of organic matter in microaggregates are in the order of 1--0.25 mm > smaller than 0.05 mm > 0.05-0.25 mm. But the organic matter in 1-0.01 mm microaggregates accounts for 68.1%-78.7% of that in soil. The organic matter in<0.05 mm microaggregates is complexed humus on the whole, of which the degree of organo-mineral complexing varies between 96.1% and 99.5%, which is higher than that of the soil or>0.05 mm microaggregates. The contents of loosely combined humus and the ratios of loosely and tightly combined humus markedly decline with the size of microaggregates. Fresh soil humus formed from semi-decomposed organic material or organic manure added is combined first with<0.001 mm clay, and then aggregated with other organic and mineral particles to form larger microaggregates, in which the aging of humus happens at the same time; whereas organic matter of the light fraction is mainly involved in the formation of>0.05 mm microaggregates.

Soil Aggregation and Its Relationship with Organic Carbon of Purple Soils in the Sichuan Basin,China

The interaction of soil aggregate dynamics with soil organic carbon is complex with varied spatio-temporal processes in macro-and micro-aggregates. This paper is to determine the aggregation of soil aggregates in purple soils （Regosols in FAO Taxonomy or Entisols in USDA Taxonomy） for four types of land use, cropland [corn （Zea mays L.）], orchard （citrus）, forestland （bamboo or cypress）, and barren land （wild grass）, and to explore their relationship with soil organic carbon in the Sichuan basin of southwestern China. Procedures and methods, including manual dry sieving procedure, Yoder＇s wet sieving procedure, pyrophosphates solution method, and Kachisky method, are used to acquire dry, wet, and chemically stable aggregates, and microaggregates. Light and heavy fractions of soil organic carbon were separated using 2.0 g·mL^-1 HgI2-KI mixed solution. The loosely, stably, and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction were separated by extraction with 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M NaOH-0.1M Na4P2O7 mixed solution （pH 13）. The results show that the contents of dry and wet macroaggregates 〉0.25 mm in diameter were 974.1 and 900.0 g·kg^-1 highest in red brown purple soils under forestland, while 889.6 and 350.6 g·kg^-1 lowest in dark purple soil and lowest in grey brown purple soils under cropland, respectively. The chemical stability of macroaggregates was lowest in grey brown purple soil with 8.47% under cropland, and highest in red brown purple soil with 69.34% under barren land. The content of microaggregates in dark purple soils was 587g·kg^-1 higher than brown purple soils, while 655g·kg^-1 in red brown purple soils was similar to grey brown purple soils （651g·kg^-1）. Cropland conditions, only 38.4% of organic carbon was of the combined form, and 61.6% of that existed in light fraction. Forestland conditions, 90.7% of organic carbon in red brown purple soil was complexed with minerals as a form of humic substances. The contents and stability of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm, contents and stability of chemically stable aggregates 〉0.25 mm, contents of microaggregates 〉 0.01 mm, contents of aggregated primary particle （d〈0.01 mm） and degree of primary particles （d 〈0.01 mm） aggregation were closely related to the concentrations of total soil organic carbon, and loosely and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction. Soil microaggregation could be associated with organic carbon concentration and its combined forms in heavy fraction. There was a direct relationship between microaggregation and macroaggregation of soil primary particles, because the contents of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm and its water stability of aggregates were highly correlated with the contents of aggregated primary particle （d 〈 0.01 mm） and the degree of primary particles （d 〈 0.01 mm） aggregation.

Composition and Structural Features of Calcium—Bound and Iron—and Aluminium—Bound Humus in Soils

Calcium-bound and iron-and aluminium-bound humus extracted from different soils collected from north to south of China were characterized by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Meaningful differences in the composition and structure between them were revealed by (13)C NMR, visible spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Results showed that the contents of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen were higher in iron-and aluminium-bound humus than in calcium-bound humus while oxygen content in calcium-bound humus was shown to be higher. The calcium-bound humus had hasher C/N and O/C ratios than iron- and aluminumbound humus. The calcium-bound humic acid (HA1) showed higher E4/E6 ratios than iron- and aluminumbound humic acid (HA2) while iron- and aluminum-bound pulvic acid (FA2) showed higher E4/E6 ratios than calcium-bound fulvic acid (PA1). An inverse relationship between E4/E6 ratios and aromaticity as determined by (13)C NMR spectra was observed for HA and FA from black soil. The (13)C NMR spectroscopy revealed that HA2 was more aromatic than HA1. On the other hand, FA1 exhibited a higher aromaticitythan FA2.

Zero Point of Charge of Organo—Mineral Complexes

Five soil samples collected from China and two soil samples from Pakistan with widely different origin and characteristics were used to study the zero point of charge (ZPC) of soil colloids. The results showed that the value of zero point of charge of H-clay complexes was lower than that of H-clays in all the samples.Natural clay complexes had the highest ZPC as compared to H-clay complex and H-clay in alfisol, closer to H-clays rather than H-clay complexes in oxisol and udult. The delta value of ZPT (zero point of titration)to ZPC was higher in H-clay complexes than in H-clays.

Changes in particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon with land use in contrasting soils

Soil organic carbon(SOC)is the largest terrestrial carbon(C)stock,and the capacity of soils to preserve organic C(OC)varies with many factors,including land use,soil type,and soil depth.We investigated the effect of land use change on soil particulate organic matter(POM)and mineral-associated organic matter(MOM).Surface(0–10 cm)and subsurface(60–70 cm)samples were collected from paired sites(native and cropped)of four contrasting soils.Bulk soils were separated into POM and MOM fractions,which were analyzed for mineralogy,OC,nitrogen,isotopic signatures,and14C.The POM fractions of surface soils were relatively unaffected by land use change,possibly because of the continuous input of crop residues,whereas the POM fractions in corresponding subsurface soils lost more OC.In surface soils,MOM fractions dominated by the oxides of iron and aluminum(oxide-OM)lost more OC than those dominated by phyllosilicates and quartz,which was attributed to diverse organic matter(OM)input and the extent of OC saturation limit of soils.In contrast,oxide-OM fractions were less affected than the other two MOM fractions in the subsurface soils,possibly due to OC protection via organo-mineral associations.The deviations in isotopic signature(linked with vegetation)across the fractions suggested that fresh crop residues constituted the bulk of OM in surface soils(supported by greater14C).Increased isotopic signatures and lower14C in subsurface MOM fractions suggested the association of more microbially processed,aged OC with oxide-OM fractions than with the other MOM fractions.The results reveal that the quantity and quality of OC after land use change is influenced by the nature of C input in surface soils and by mineral-organic association in subsurface soils.

Influence of Humic Acid on Interaction of Ammonium and Potassium Ions on Clay Minerals

Interaction of ammonium (NH+4) and potassium (K+) is typical in field soils. However, the effects of organic matter on interaction of NH+4 and K+have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we examined the changes in major physicochemical properties of three clay minerals (kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite) after humic acid (HA) coating and evaluated the influences of these changes on the interaction of NH+4 and K+on clay minerals using batch experiments. After HA coating, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and specific surface area (SSA) of montmorillonite decreased significantly, while little decrease in CEC and SSA occurred in illite and only a slight increase in CEC was found in kaolinite. Humic acid coating significantly increased cation adsorption and preference for NH+4, and this effect was more obvious on clay minerals with a lower CEC. Results of Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis showed that HA coating promoted the formation of H-bonds between the adsorbed NH+4 and the organo-mineral complexes. HA coating increased cation fixation capacity on montmorillonite and kaolinite, but the opposite occurred on illite. In addition, HA coating increased the competitiveness of NH+4 on fixation sites. These results showed that HA coating affected both the nature of clay mineral surfaces and the reactions of NH+4 and K+with clay minerals, which might influence the availability of nutrient cations to plants in field soils amended with organic matter.

Environment controls on Mesoproterozoic thrombolite morphogenesis:A case study from the North China Platform

Thrombolites are widespread in the Mesoproterozoic Wumishan Formation in the North China Platform.This study shows that they mainly concentrated in subtidal carbonate facies with relatively low hydrodynamic conditions,rather than in intertidal zone as suggested previously.From the deep lower to the shallow upper subtidal facies,the thrombolites show evident changes in morphology from dominantly domal to tabular forms,likely suggestive of environmental controls on their morphogenesis and distribution.As the most important component in thrombolites,mesoclots typically consist of organic-rich micritic nuclei and organic-poor fibrous aragonite rims.Mesoclots may vary considerably in their morphology,but a type of specifically shaped mesoclots tends to concentrate predominantly in a particular group of thrombolites.The proportion of the fibrous aragonite rims in mesoclots decrease as the depositional environments become shallower,likely suggesting that the environmental changes also have controls on the internal fabrics of thrombolites.Putative filamentous bacterial colonies are well preserved in some aragonite fans in the matrix between mesoclots,invoking rapid precipitation and aragonite-supersaturated conditions in the ambient waters.It seems that a suboxic to anoxic environment,highly alkaline seawater and relatively low hydrodynamic conditions were among the important factors that facilitated the development and preservation of thrombolites in the Mesoproterozoic epeiric sea on the North China Platform.

Degradation of the fungicide metalaxyl and its non-extractable residue formation in soil clay and silt fractions

The proportion of organic matter and mineral composition are important factors determining the formation and type of non-extractable residues(NERs) of pesticides in soil. In this study, we investigated the enantioselectivity in degradation and NER formation of the chiral fungicide metalaxyl in soil particle size fractions(silt and clay). Microbial and extracellular enzyme activities during these processes were monitored in incubation of silt and clay samples isolated from sterilized and non-sterilized soil samples collected from a long-term agricultural field experimental site in Ultuna, Sweden. The temporal influence on the fate of the fungicide was noted by short-term(10-d) and long-term(92-d) incubations. Besides the acquisition of quantitative data with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC/MS), stereoselective analyses were performed with chiral GC/MS. Quantitative results pointed to a higher metabolism rate of the pesticide through microbial activity than through extracellular enzyme activity. This was also confirmed by the enantioselective depletion of R-metalaxyl and the subsequent formation of R-metalaxyl acid in microbially active samples from non-sterilized soil. The silt fraction containing a high amount of organic matter exhibited a significant hydrolyzable proportion of metalaxyl NERs that was releasable under alkaline conditions. On the contrary, the clay fraction showed an enhanced affinity for covalently bound residues. Based on our results, we recommend differentiating between reversibly and irreversibly bound proportions of pesticides in persistence and environmental risk assessment because the reversible fraction contained potentially bioavailable amounts of residues that may be released under natural conditions.

Alkaline hydrolyzable nitrogen and properties that dictate its distribution in paddy soil profiles

Nitrogen(N) is a key nutrient for rice production, and its bioavailability in paddy soils is strongly coupled to soil organic matter(SOM) cycling. A better understanding of potentially available N forms in soil, such as alkaline hydrolyzable N(AH-N), and their depth distribution will support the development of best management practices to improve the N use efficiency of rice while minimizing adverse environmental effects. Fifteen rice(Oryza sativa L.) fields from Southern Brazil were selected, and stratified soil samples were taken to a depth of 60 cm before crop establishment. Selected soil physical and chemical properties were analyzed to evaluate their relationships with AH-N contents in the soil profile. The AH-N contents below 20 cm varied extensively(increased,reduced, or constant) compared with that above 20 cm. Although clay and clay + silt contents were highly correlated to AH-N for some soils, the major property dictating AH-N distribution by depth was total N(TN), as the correlation between TN and AH-N was mainly by direct effect. The proportion of TN recovered as AH-N across sites and depths presented high amplitude, and thus AH-N was not a constant N pool across depths, indicating that AH-N can be affected by soil management practices even when TN showed no major changes. The distinct distribution of AH-N across soil sampling sites and depths indicates that depths greater than 20 cm should be considered when calibrating the AH-N index for N fertilizer recommendations for flooded rice in Southern Brazil.

Selective metal leaching from technosols based on synthetic root exudate composition

This study focused on metal release from technosols induced by synthetic root exudate(SRE).The effect of SRE composition on metal release was studied using six technosols.This was done by treating the technosols with SRE solutions having varying concentrations of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs),namely oxalic,citric,and malic acids.Consequently,the physico-chemical parameters (p H and electric conductivity),Ca,Mg,Fe,Zn,and Cu release (by atomic absorption spectroscopy,AAS),chemical changes (by Fourier transform infrared,FT-IR),and organic parameters (by fluorescence) were investigated.Metal release showed to be dependent on the SRE composition and technosol characteristics.Citric acid selectively released Ca,Mg,Zn,and Cu from technosols in a concentration-dependent manner;oxalic acid showed a significant role in the release of Mg and Fe.Under relatively high LMWOA concentrations,particulate organo-mineral complexes precipitated.Additionally,technosol weathering was seen by the dissolution of humic substances and ferriallophanes,which in turn caused metal release.However,re-precipitation of these phases showed to re-sorb metals,thus underestimating the role of LMWOAs in metal release.Therefore,the selective metal leaching was highly dependent on the SRE composition and LMWOA concentrations on one hand,and on the mineral,organic,and organo-mineral components of the technosols on the other.The understanding of such processes is crucial for proposing and implementing environmental management strategies to reduce metal leaching or for the beneficial re-usage of metals (e.g.,for agromining) from technosols.

Size fractions of organic matter pools influence their stability: Application of the Rock-Eval® analysis to beech forest soils

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a complex heterogeneous mixture formed through decomposition and organo-mineral interactions, and characterization of its composition and biogeochemical stability is challenging. From this perspective, Rock-Eval® is a rapid and efficient thermal analytical method that combines the quantitative and qualitative information of SOM, including several parameters related to thermal stability. This approach has already been used to monitor changes in organic matter (OM) properties at the landscape, cropland, and soil profile scales. This study was aimed to assess the stability of SOM pools by characterizing the grain size fractions from forest litters and topsoils using Rock-Eval® thermal analysis. Litter (organic) and topsoil samples were collected from a beech forest in Normandy (France), whose management in the last 200 years has been documented. Fractionation by wet sieving was used to separate large debris (> 2 000 μm) and coarse (200–2 000 μm) and fine particulate OM (POM) (50–200 μm) in the organic samples as well as coarse (200–2 000 μm), medium (50–200 μm), and fine (< 50 μm) fractions of the topsoil samples. Rock-Eval® was able to provide thermal parameters sensitive enough to study fine-scale soil processes. In the organic layers, quantitative and qualitative changes were explained by the progressive decomposition of labile organic compounds from plant debris to the finest organic particles. Meanwhile, the grain size fractions of topsoils presented different characteristics. The coarse organo-mineral fractions showed higher C contents, albeit with a different composition, higher thermal stability, and greater decomposition degree than the plant debris forming the organic layer. These results are consistent with those of previous studies that microbial activity is more effective in this fraction. The finest fractions of topsoils showed low C contents, the highest thermal stability, and low decomposition degree, which can be explained by the stronger interactions with the mineral matrix. Therefore, it is suggested that the dynamics of OM in the different size fractions be interpreted in the light of a plant-microbe-soil continuum. Finally, three distinct thermostable C pools were highlighted through the grain size heterogeneity of SOM: free coarse OM (large debris and coarse and fine particles), weakly protected OM in (bio)aggregates (coarse fraction of topsoil), and stabilized OM in the fine fractions of topsoil, which resulted from the interactions within organo-mineral complexes. Therefore, Rock-Eval® thermal parameters can be used to empirically illustrate the conceptual models emphasizing the roles of drivers played by the gradual decomposition and protection of the most thermally labile organic constituents.

Soil organic matter content and chemical composition under two rotation management systems in a Mediterranean climate

The crop rotation system in organic farming is a determinant factor to accumulate and preserve soil organic matter(SOM),and in depth knowledge on its effects is still lacking.Tillage intensity in particular is crucial to maintain soil aggregates and protect SOM from degradation.The evolution of SOM was tested in two adjacent fields under two different rotation cropping systems(low-intensity tillage and high-intensity tillage),and the effect of a further cultivation of legume in both fields was evaluated using ^(13)carbon(C)-nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)and elemental analysis of samples isolated through combined aggregate size and density fractionation.The two adjacent fields had been managed using the following organic farming methods for 13 seasons since 1998:i)alfalfa-based,with nitrogen(N)enrichment and low-frequency tillage with alfalfa(Medicago sativa)(9 seasons),winter wheat(Triticum durum)(3 seasons),and broad bean(Vicia faba)(1 season)and ii)cereal-based,with N depletion and annual tillage with barley(Hordeum vulgare)(7 seasons),sunflower(Helianthus annuus)(2 seasons),broad bean(Vicia faba)(3 seasons),and bare fallow(1 season).Soil sampling was carried out at the end of the 13-year rotation(T0,November 2011)and after winter wheat and chickpea cultivation in both fields over two subsequent years(T1,July 2013).Bulk organic C was significantly higher in the alfalfa-based system than in the cereal-based system at both T0 and T1,with SOM occluded in soil aggregates and associated with mineral particles.In terms of the macroaggregates heavy fraction at T0,the alfalfa-based field contained twice the organic C of that in the cereal-based field,as well as three times the organic C in the occluded particulate organic matter(POM).The occluded POM(oPOM)had a lower aryl/O-alkyl C ratio in the alfalfa-based system than in the cereal-based system,suggesting that oPOM undergoes a lower degree of decomposition during low-intensity management.The aryl/O-alkyl C ratios of the macro-and microaggregate oPOM decreased from T0 to T1 in the cereal-based system,suggesting increased protection of these fractions by soil aggregates.Thus,including legumes in crop rotation appears to positively affect the accumulation of SOM associated with mineral particles and within soil aggregates.