Tillage Pedogenesis of Purple Soils in Southwestern China

Land cultivation and tillage process, and their consequent impacts on soil erosion, have been criticized as the main cause of degradation of land or soil quality. However, purple soils, classified as Regosols in FAO Taxonomy or Entisols in USDA Taxonomy, are formed from purple rocks of the Trias- Cretaceous system, have been developed or at least accelerated the development due to continual tillage operation, especially digging and ridging. The present study took micromorphological investigation on the sedimentary rocks and the soils under different operations of tillage. Results show that the purple rock of Feixiangguan Formation of the Trias system （Tlf） is the easiest to physical weathering and the most fertile soil material enriched in nutrients, and it has been, therefore, mostly cultivated and intensively tilled around the year. It has the fastest soil formation rate. Soil formation rate in the cropland with conventional tillage is higher than that in the forestiand and the grassland. It implies that the artificial brokenness and tillage disturbance play a great role in physical weathering and initiating soil formation processes.

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.

A Quantification of the Effects of Erosion on the Productivity of Purple Soils

Research on the effects of soil erosion on soil productivity has attracted increasing attention.Purple soil is one of the main soil types in China and plays an important role in the national economy.However,the relationship between erosion and the productivity of purple soils has not been well studied.The purpose of this research was to determine if soil depth,which is dependent on the rate of erosion,has an influence on crop yield and growth.Plot and pot experiments at different soil depths were performed.Results indicate that soils from different parental materials had different growth features and crop yields due to the differential fertility of the derived soils.The yield reduction rate increases exponentially with the depth of eroded soil(level of erosion).The yield reduction rate per unit eroded soil horizon(10 cm) is approximately 10.5% for maize and wheat.

Shear strength features of soils developed from purple clay rock and containing less than two-millimeter rock fragments

Soil shear strength is an important indicator of engineering design and an essential parameter of soil precision tillage and agricultural machinery and equipment design. Although numerous studies have investigated the characteristics of different soil shear strengths, only a few of these works have paid attention to soils containing considerable quantities of rock fragments. To date, most studies on the effects of rock fragments on the shear strength have paid attention to the role of rock fragments with sizes 〉2 mm. The effects of rock fragments 〈2 mm in soil are generally ignored. Similar to rock fragments 〉2 ram, the presence of rock fragments 〈2 mm could also change the mechanical properties of soils. Thus, in the present study we evaluated the potential influence of 〈2 mm rock fragments on soil shear strength via an unconsolidated undrained （UU） triaxial compression test. Our results were as follows： （1） A certain quantity of 〈2 mm rock fragments presented in purple soils developed from clay rocks; and an appropriate quantity of 〈2 mm rock fragments could improve the shear strength of soils. （2） The different PSDs of soils containin 〈2 mm rock fragment mainly caused variations in the internal friction angle of soils. （3） The shear strengths of the two mudstone-developed red-brown and gray-brown purple soils was more sensitive to water than that of the shale-developed coarse-dark purple soil. As the soil water content increased from 9% to 23%, the changes in the cohesion, internal friction angle, shear strength, and the maximum principal stress difference were smaller in the coarse dark purple soil than in the two other soils. We therefore concluded that 〈2 mm rock fragments in purple soils exerted important effects on soil shear strength. A better understanding of the differences among the shear strength features of purple soils could help improve the design of agricultural machinery and equipment.

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.

Distribution and Transformation of Native and Added Ni Fractions in Purple Soils from Sichuan Province

The distribution and transformation of added and native Ni in purple soils were investigated with both sequential extraction procedure and isotopic tracer technique.The distribution of added and native Ni was greatly dependent on soil properties.Low soil PH was favorable for soluble plus exchangeable (EX) Fraction,while Fe/Mn oxides and clay for Fe/Mn oxide bound (OX) and residual (RES) fractions. The added Ni,however,has not yet reached the distribution equilibrium up to the 150th day after incubation.This was reflected in the fact that the proportion of EX fraction from added Ni was 150%-600% as much as that of native Ni, while that of RES fraction was only about 80%.Once entering soil, the applied soluble Ni was rapidly transformed into Other fractions, but the organic complexed (OM) fraction of added Ni was relatively stable during incubation.The carbonate bound(CAB) fraction showed a progressive increase and attained a peak value after 0-14 d of incubation and thereafter decreased gradually. The occurrence time of this peak advanced as initial soil PH increased, but the peak would disappear when initial soil pH was higher than 7.5(or containing free CaCO3). The transformation processes of the EX,OX and RES fractions could be described by Elovich and two-constant rate equstions,and the rates were positively correlated with soil pH,CEC and clay.These findings could explain why there are differences in ecological and environmental effects of Ni in different soils and at various intervals.

Effects of Long-term Fertilization on Micro-morphological Features in Purple Soil

[Objective] The study aimed to better understand the effect of different fertilizer treatments on micro-morphological characteristics of a purple soil at the 0-20 cm topsoil in a long-term fertilizer experiment. [Method] Soil micro-morphology was observed and analyzed under a single polarizing microscope. [Result] For the CK （no fertilizer） treatment, soil structure was dense with little porosity developed. Its soil microstructure was poor, sandy fabric-granular fabric. After continuously applied chemical fertilizers only for more than two decades, the soil particles did not evolve into soil structures and formed little porosity. The microstructures of soil in N, NP and NPK treatments were porphyroskelic fabric-fine sandy granular fabric, better than that of the soil in CK treatment. Adding manure obviously improved the quantity of groundmass and endowed the soil a loose structure and plenty porosity, enriched animal and plant residues, and well-formed iron-manganese nodules and humus ma- terials, all resulting in better micro-aggregates development. The type of soil microstructures in MNPK treatment was pectized-compacted takyric fabric-intertextic fabric, the best among all the treatments. [Conclusion] Combined application of both or- ganic and inorganic fertilizers can significantly improve the structure of the purple soil, enhance soil fertility and achieve soil sustainable development.

Tillage Effect on Organic Carbon in a Purple Paddy Soil

The distribution and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) based on a long-term experiment with various tillage systems were studied in a paddy soil derived from purple soil in Chongqing, China. Organic carbon storage in the 0-20 and 0-40 cm soil layers under different tillage systems were in an order: ridge tillage with rice-rape rotation (RT-rr) > conventional tillage with rice only (CT-r) > ridge tillage with rice only (RT-r) > conventional tillage with rice-rape rotation (CT-rr). The RT-rr system had significantly higher levels of soil organic carbon in the 0-40 cm topsoil, while the proportion of the total remaining organic carbon in the total soil organic carbon in the 0-10 cm layer was greatest in the RT-rr system. This was the reason why the RT-rr system enhanced soil organic carbon storage. These showed that tillage system type was crucial for carbon storage. Carbon levels in soil humus and crop-yield results showed that the RT-rr system enhanced soil fertility and crop productivity. Adoption of this tillage system would be beneficial both for environmental protection and economic development.

Effects of Application of Controlled Release Nitrogen Fertilizer on N_2O Emission in Slope Cultivated Land with Purple Soil

In order to study effects of application of contmllE=d release fertilizer on ni- trous oxide （N2O） emission in slope cultivated land with purple soil, four treatments including the control group （CK）, urea （UR）, controlled release nitrogen fertilizer （CR）, and controlled release nitrogen fertilizer＋urea （25%CR, 75%UR） were set up, and their impacts on maize yield, surface runoff and nitrogen loss in the growth pe- riod of maize and N2O emission were studied. The results show that maize yield, surface runoff, nitrogen loss from subsurface flow, and N2O emission in the control group was far lower than that in the fertilization treatments, revealing that fertilization was the main reason for nitrogen loss and N2O emission. Among the four treat- ments, nitrogen loss from subsurface flow in the treatment CR was the highest, up to 31.7 kg/hm^2, but N2O emission was 0.35 kg/hm^2, which was 37% less than that in the treatment UR. Nitrogen loss from subsurface flow in the treatment 25% CR was the lowest, only 20.9 kg/hm^2, and N2O emission was 15% less than that in the treatment UR. Nitrogen was slowly released from controlled release nitrogen fertilizer in the growth period, and controlled release nitrogen fertilizer could reduce N2O emis- .sion from slope cultivated land due to low content of soil inorganic nitrogen, but it could increase the nitrogen loss from subsurface flow. Therefore, the combination of controlled release fertilizer and urea can not only reduce N2O emission but also de- crease nitrogen loss from subsurface flow.

Rainfall and Tillage Impacts on Soil Erosion of Sloping Cropland with Subtropical Monsoon Climate- A Case Study in Hilly Purple Soil area, China

Under global warming, storm events tend to intensify, particularly in monsoon-affected regions. As an important agricultural area in China, the purple soil region in the Sichuan Basin, where it has a prevailing monsoon climate, is threatened by serious soil erosion. Tillage operations alter runoff and soil erosion processes on croplands by changing the physical properties of the soil surface. To clarify the relationship between tillage and soil erosion in the purple soil region, three different tillage practices in this region were investigated at the plot scale over 4 years： bare land with minimum tillage （BL）, conventional tillage （CT） and seasonal no-tillage ridges （SNTR） which was initially designed to prevent soil erosion by contoured ridges and no-tillage techniques. The results showed that although there were no significant differences in the surface runoff and soil erosion among the three oractices, BL caused relatively high surface runoff and soil erosion, followed by CT and SNTR. Classification and comparison of the rainfall events based on cluster analysis （CA） verified that the surface runoff was not significantly different between most intensive event and long intensive events but was significantly different between most intensive and short and medium-duration events. Only the rainfall events with the highest rainfall intensity could trigger serious soil erosion, up to 1000 kg ha^-1 in the region. Further detailed investigations on the effects of tillage operations on the soil erosion in a subtropical region with a monsoon climate are needed to provide a basis for modeling catchments and designing better management practices.

Comparative Study on Rain Splash Erosion of Representative Soils in China

As the first event of soil erosion, rain splash erosion supplies materials for subsequent transportation and en-trainment. The Loess Plateau, the southern hilly region and the Northeast China are subject to serious soil and water loss; however, the characteristics of rain splash erosion in those regions are still unclear. The objectives of the study are to ana-lyze the characteristics of splash erosion on loess soil, red soil, purple soil and black soil, and to discuss the relationship between splash erosion and soil properties. Soil samples spatially distributed in the abovementioned regions were col-lected and underwent simulated rainfalls at a high intensity of 1.2mm/min, lasting for 5, 10, 15, and 20min, respectively. Rain splash and soil crust development were analyzed. It shows that black soil sample from Heilongjiang Province corre-sponds to the minimum splash erosion amount because it has high aggregate content, aggregate stability and organic mat-ter content. Loess soil sample from Inner Mongolia corresponds to the maximum splash erosion amount because it has high content of sand particles. Loess soil sample from Shanxi Province has relatively lower splash erosion amount be-cause it has high silt particle content and low aggregate stability easily to be disrupted under rainfalls with high intensity. Although aggregate contents of red soil and purple soil samples from Hubei and Guangdong provinces are high, the sta-bility is weak and prone to be disrupted, so the splash erosion amount is medium. Splash rate which fluctuates over time is observed because soil crust development follows a cycling processes of formation and disruption. In addition, there are two locations of soil crust development, one appears at the surface, and the other occurs at the subsurface.

Phosphorus transport with runoff of simulated rainfall from purple-soil cropland of different surface conditions

We investigated the patterns of phosphorus transport from purple-soil cropland of 5° and 10° slopes with bare and vegetated surfaces,respectively.Each type of land was tested under a simulated moderate rainfall of 0.33 mm/min,a downfall of 0.90 mm/min,and a rainstorm of 1.86 mm/min.Runoff dynamics and changes in the export amount of phosphorus are influenced by the rainfall intensity,the slope and surface conditions of cropland.The vegetation diverts rain water from the surface into soil and helps the formation of a subsurface runoff,but has little influence on runoff process at the same sloping degree.Vegetated soil has a smaller phosphorous loss,particularly much less in the particulate form.A heavier rainfall flushes away more phosphorous.Rainwater percolating soil carries more dissolved phosphorous than particulate phosphorous.Understanding the patterns of phosphorous transport under various conditions from purple soil in the middle of Sichuan basin is helpful for developing countermeasures against non-point-source pollution resulting in the eutrophication of water bodies in this region that could,if not controlled properly,deteriorate the water quality of the Three Gorges Reservoir.

Effects of slope gradient on runoff from bare-fallow purple soil in China under natural rainfall conditions

Purple soil is highly susceptible for overland flow and surface erosion, therefore understanding surface runoff and soil erosion processes in the purple soil region are important to mitigate flooding and erosion hazards. Slope angle is an important parameter that affects the magnitude of runoff and thus surface erosion in hilly landscapes or bare land area. However, the effect of slope on runoff generation remains unclear in many different soils including Chinese purple soil. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between different slope gradients and surface runoff for bare-fallow purple soil, using 5 m × 1.5 m experimental plots under natural rainfall conditions. Four experimental plots(10°, 16°, 20° and 26°) were established in theYanting Agro-ecological Experimental Station of Chinese Academy of Science in central Sichuan Basin. The plot was equipped with water storage tank to monitor water level change. Field monitoring from July 1 to October 31, 2012 observed 42 rainfall events which produced surface runoff from the experimental plots. These water level changes were converted to runoff. The representative eight rainfall events were selected for further analysis, the relationship between slope and runoff coefficient were determined using ANOVA, F-test, and z-score analysis. The results indicated a strong correlation between rainfall and runoff in cumulative amount basis. The mean value of the measured runoff coefficient for four experimental plots was around 0.1. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between slope and runoff coefficient. We reviewed the relationship between slope and runoff in many previous studiesand calculated z-score to compare with our experimental results. The results of z-score analysis indicated that both positive and negative effects of slope on runoff coefficient were obtained, however a moderate gradient(16°-20° in this study) could be a threshold of runoff generation for many different soils including the Chinese purple soil.

Estimating purple-soil moisture content using Vis-NIR spectroscopy

Soil moisture is essential for plant growth in terrestrial ecosystems.This study investigated the visible-near infrared(Vis-NIR)spectra of three subgroups of purple soils(calcareous,neutral,and acidic)from western Chongqing,China,containing different water contents.The relationship between soil moisture and spectral reflectivity(R)was analyzed using four spectral transformations,and estimation models were established for estimating the soil moisture content(SMC)of purple soil based on stepwise multiple linear regression(SMLR)and partial least squares regression(PLSR).We found that soil spectra were similar for different moisture contents,with reflectivity decreasing with increasing moisture content and following the order neutral>calcareous>acidic purple soil(at constant moisture content).Three of the four spectral transformations can highlight spectral sensitivity to SMC and significantly improve the correlation between the reflectance spectra and SMC.SMLR and PLSRmethods provide similar prediction accuracy.The PLSR-based model using a first-order reflectivity differential(R?)is more effective for estimating the SMC,and gave coefficient of determination(v2),root mean square errors of validation(RMSEV),and ratio of performance to inter-quartile distance(RPIQ)values of 0.946,1.347,and 6.328,respectively,for the calcareous purple soil,and 0.944,1.818,and 6.569,respectively,for the acidic purple soil.For neutral purple soil,the best prediction was obtained using the SMLR method with R?transformation,yieldingv2,RMSEV and RPIQ values of 0.973,0.888 and 8.791,respectively.In general,PLSR is more suitable than SMLR for estimating the SMC of purple soil.

Transport of phosphorus in runoff and sediment with surface runoff from bare purple soil during indoor simulated rainfall

Phosphorus(P)in surface runoff from purple soil is a critical element of agricultural nonpoint source pollution,leading to eutrophication of surface waters in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area(TGRA)of China.This work aimed to understand the processes and mechanisms of P losses from bare purple soil.Based on an indoor rainfall simulation experiment,we focused on the processes of surface runoff and P losses via different hydrological pathways.Experimental treatments included three simulated rainfall intensities,four slope gradients,and three fertilizer treatments.P loss from sediment was the main pathway in the purple soil,and bioavailable P was mainly transferred in dissolved P(DP)of runoff water.The P loss loads tend to grow with the increase of the slope until 25°for the maximum load of runoff water and 20°for the maximum load of sediment.Concentrations of DP in the surface runoff after fertilizer application can exceed the estimates of those required for accelerated eutrophication.Sediment P control might be an essential way for reducing P loss in purple soil for the local government and farmers of TGRA.

Assessment of the Performance of WEPP in Purple Soil Area with Simulated Rainfall Experiments

The water erosion prediction project （WEPP） model is a popular water erosion prediction tool developed on the basis of the physical processes of water erosion. Although WEPP has been widely used around the world, its application in China is still insufficient. In this study, the performance of WEPP used to estimate the runoff and soil loss on purple soil （Calcaric Regosols in FAO taxonomy） sloping cropland was assessed with the data from runoff plots under simulated rainfall conditions. Based on measured soil properties, runoff and erosion parameters, namely effective hydraulic conductivity, inter-rill erodibility, rill erodibility, and critical shear stress were determined to be 2.68 mm h-1, 5.54 x l0^6 kg s-1 m-4, 0.027 s m-1 and 3-5 Pa, respectively, by using the recommended equations in the WEPP user manual. The simulated results were not good due to the low Nash efficiency of 0.41 for runoff and negative Nash efficiency for soil loss. After the four parameters were calibrated, WEPP performed better for soil loss prediction with a Nash efficiency of 0.76. The different results indicated that the equations recommended by WEPP to calculate parameters such as erodiblity and critical shear stress are not suitable for the purple soil areas, Sichuan Province, China. Although the predicted results can be accepted by optimizing the runoff and erosion parameters, more research related to the determination of erodibility and critical sheer stress must be conducted to improve the application of WEPP in the purple soil areas.

Erosion and Sediment Production in Small Watershed in Purple Hilly Areas and Prevention Techniques

Purple Soil distributes extensively and mainly in China. Because of abundant easily weatherable parent rocks/ materials and unstable soil structure, and also influenced by parent materials, usage systems, and slope gradients, erosion and sediment production of purple soils are very severe with main fashions of water erosion and gravitational erosion. Basing on observed data in small watersheds, rainfall erosivity, vegetation coverage, previous soil water content, flow and relating factors such as climate, topograph of small watershed, land usage, and soil kinds are all the influence factors of erosion and erodibility of purple soil as well as sediment production and transport in small watershed of purple hilly areas. The effective technological countermeasures of ecosystem restoration, agricultural tillage for water conservation and erosion prevention, agriculture project, and soil changing for fertility and anti-erosion were provided.

Nutrient Balance in Relation to High Yield and Good Quality of Potato on an Acid Purple Soil in Chongqing,China

A field experiment was carried out to study nutrient balance among N, P, K and Mg in potato cultivation on an acid purple soil in Chongqing, China. The experiment included 8 treatments with equal P rate of 120 kg P2O5 hm-2: N0K2, N1K2, N2K2, N3K2, N2K0, N2K1, N2K1Mg and N2K3, where N0, N1, N2 and N3 stand for the N rates of 0, 75, 150 and 225 kg N hm-2, and K0, K1, K2 and K3 for the K rates of 0, 165, 330 and 495 kg K2O hm-2, respectively. Among the treatments designed, Thatment N2K2 with a nutrient supply ratio of N:P2O5:K2O:MgO = 1.25:1:2.75:0.28 gave the highest tuber yield and dry matter, highest starch and Zn and lowest NO3- contents in tuber, and high N, P and K use efficiency with an uptake ratio of N:P:K:Mg = 11.38:1:13.32:0.33 by tuber. Yield and starch and protein contents of tuber were the lowest in Treatment N0K2. Dry matter was the lowest but protein and NO3- contents were the highest in Treatment N2K0. Treatment N2K1Mg had the highest N, P and K utilization rates. Statistical analysis showed that yields of tuber and starch were in a positive linear correlation with the uptake amount of various nutrients and protein of the potato tuber was in a significantly positive linear correlation with tuber N cotent and in a significantly negative linear correlation with tuber K and Mg contents. Balanced application of N, P, K and Mg fertilizers (Treatmeat N2K2) was recommended for realization of high yield and good quality in potato cultivation.

Effect of Different Fertilizer Treatments on Quantity of Soil Microbes and Structure of Ammonium Oxidizing Bacterial Community in a Calcareous Purple Paddy Soil

The quantity of soil microbes and the structure of ammonium oxidizing bacterial （AOB） community were analyzed using the dilution plate counting and most probable number method （MPN）, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE）, respectively. Fertilizer application tended to increase the number of soil microbes and alter the AOB community compared to the control with no fertilizer application （CK）. Among the eight fertilizer treatments, soil samples from the treatments of mineral fertilizers （e.g., N, P, K） in combination with farmyard manure （M） had greater number.s of soil microbes and more complex structure of AOB community than those receiving mineral fertilizers alone. The principal component analyses （PCA） for ammonium oxidizing bacterial community structure showed that the eight fertilizer treatments could be divided into two PCA groups （PCA1 and PCA2）. For the soil sampled after rice harvest, PCA1 included NP, NM, NPM and NPKM fertilizer treatments, while PCA2 was consisted of CK, N, M and NPK fertilizer treatments. For soil samples collected after wheat harvest, PCA1 was consisted of M, NM, NPM and NPKM fertilizer treatments, while PCA2 was composed of CK, N, NP and NPK fertilizer treatments. For a given rotation, the richness of AOB community in PCA1 was greater than that in PCA2. In addition, AOB community structure was more complex in the soil after rice harvest than that after wheat harvest. The results indicated that different fertilizer treatments resulted in substantial changes of soil microbe number and AOB community. Furthermore, mineral fertilizers （N, NP, NPK） combined with farmyard manure were effective for increasing the quantity of soil microbes, enriching AOB community, and improving the soil biofertility.

Soil carbon sequestration under long-term rice-based cropping systems of purple soil in Southwest China

Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils is a complex process controlled by farming practices, climate and some other environment factors. Since purple soils are unique in China and used as the main cropland in Sichuan Basin of China, it is of great importance to study and understand the impacts of different fertilizer amendments on soil organic carbon（SOC） changes with time. A research was carried out to investigate the relationship between soil carbon sequestration and organic carbon input as affected by different fertilizer treatments at two long-term rice-based cropping system experiments set up in early 1980 s. Each experiment consisted of six identical treatments, including（1） no fertilizer（CK）,（2） nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers（NP）,（3） nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers（NPK）,（4） fresh pig manure（M）,（5） nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers plus manure（MNP）, and（6） nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers plus manure（MNPK）. The results showed that annual harvestable carbon biomass was the highest in the treatment of MNPK, followed by MNP and NPK, then M and NP, and the lowest in CK. Most of fertilizer treatments resulted in a significant gain in SOC ranging from 6.48 to 2 9.13% compared with the CK, and raised soil carbon sequestration rate to 0.10–0.53 t ha–1 yr-1. Especially, addition of manure on the basis of mineral fertilizers was very conducive to SOC maintenance in this soil. SOC content and soil carbon sequestration rate under balanced fertilizer treatments（NPK and MNPK） in the calcareous purple soil（Suining） were higher than that in the acid purple soil（Leshan）. But carbon conversion rate at Leshan was 11.00%, almost 1.5 times of that（7.80%） at Suining. Significant linear correlations between soil carbon sequestration and carbon input were observed at both sites, signifying that the purple soil was not carbon-saturated and still had considerable potential to se questrate more carbon.