Effects of cotton field management practices on soil CO2 emission and C balance in an arid region of Northwest China

Changes in both soil organic C storage and soil respiration in farmland ecosystems may affect atmospheric CO2 concentration and global C cycle. The objective of this field experiment was to study the effects of three crop field management practices on soil CO2 emission and C balance in a cotton field in an arid region of Northwest China. The three management practices were irrigation methods（drip and flood）, stubble managements（stubble-incorporated and stubble-removed） and fertilizer amendments（no fertilizer（CK）, chicken manure（OM）, inorganic N, P and K fertilizer（NPK）, and inorganic fertilizer plus chicken manure（NPK＋OM））. The results showed that within the C pool range, soil CO2 emission during the whole growing season was higher in the drip irrigation treatment than in the corresponding flood irrigation treatment, while soil organic C concentration was larger in the flood irrigation treatment than in the corresponding drip irrigation treatment. Furthermore, soil CO2 emission and organic C concentration were all higher in the stubble-incorporated treatment than in the corresponding stubble-removed treatment, and larger in the NPK＋OM treatment than in the other three fertilizer amendments within the C pool range. The combination of flood irrigation, stubble incorporation and application of either NPK＋OM or OM increased soil organic C concentration in the 0-60 cm soil depth. Calculation of net ecosystem productivity（NEP） under different management practices indicated that the combination of drip irrigation, stubble incorporation and NPK＋OM increased the size of the C pool most, followed by the combination of drip irrigation, stubble incorporation and NPK. In conclusion, management practices have significant impacts on soil CO2 emission, organic C concentration and C balance in cotton fields. Consequently, appropriate management practices, such as the combination of drip irrigation, stubble incorporation, and either NPK＋OM or NPK could increase soil C storage in cotton fields of Northwest China.

Responses of microbial activities and soil physical-chemical properties to the successional process of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert,Xinjiang

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） are capable of modifying nutrient availability to favor the establishment of biogeochemical cycles. Microbial activities serve as critical roles for both carbon and nutrient transformation in BSCs. However, little is known about microbial activities and physical-chemical properties of BSCs in the Gurbantunggut Desert, Xinjiang, China. In the present research, a sampling line with 1-m wide and 20-m long was set up in each of five typical interdune areas selected randomly in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Within each sampling line, samples of bare sand sheet, algal crusts, lichen crusts and moss crusts were randomly collected at the depth of 0-2 cm. Varia- tions of microalgal biomass, microbial biomass, enzyme activities and soil physical-chemical properties in different succession of BSCs were analyzed. The relationships between microalgal biomass, microbial biomass, enzymatic activities and soil physical-chemical properties were explored by stepwise regression. Our results indicate that micro- algal biomass, microbial biomass and most of enzyme activities increased as the BSCs developed and their highest values occurred in lichen or moss crusts. Except for total K, the contents of most soil nutrients （organic C, total N, total P, available N, available P and available K） were the lowest in the bare sand sheet and significantly increased with the BSCs development, reaching their highest values in moss crusts. However, pH values significantly decreased as the BSCs developed. Significant and positive correlations were observed between chlorophyll a and microbial biomass C. Total P and N were positively associated with chlorophyll a and microbial biomass C, whereas there was a significant and negative correlation between microbial biomass and available P. The growth of cyanobacteria and microorganism contributed C and N in the soil, which offered substrates for enzyme activities thus increasing enzyme activities. Probably, improvement in enzyme activities increased soil fertility and promoted the growth of cyanobacteria, eukary- otic algae and heterotrophic microorganism, with the accelerating succession of BSCs. The present research found that microalgal-microbial biomass and enzyme activities played important roles on the contents of nutrients in the successional stages of BSCs and helped us to understand developmental mechanism in the succession of BSCs.

Coarse fragment content influences estimates of soil C and N stocks of alpine grassland on the northeastern edge of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

Soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)stocks are usually calculated with samples collected using core samplers.Although the calculation considers the effects of gravel in soil samples,other coarse fragments such as stones or boulders in soil may not be collected due to the restricted diameter of core samplers.This would cause an incorrect estimation of soil bulk density and ultimately SOC and TN stocks.In this study,we compared the relative volume of coarse fragment and bulk density of fine earth determined by large size soil sampler with three core samplers.We also investigated the uncertainties in estimation of SOC and TN stocks caused by this soil sampler procedure in three typical alpine grasslands on the northeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP),China.Results show that(1)the relative volume and size of coarse fragment collected by large size sampler were significantly(p<0.05)higher and larger than those of core samplers,while bulk density of fine earth,SOC and TN stocks show opposite patterns in all grassland types;(2)SOC and TN stocks determined by core samplers were 17%-45%and 18%-46%higher than larger size sampler for three typical alpine grasslands;and(3)bulk density of fine earth,SOC and TN stocks exponentially decreased with the increasing of coarse fragment content.We concluded that core sampler methods significantly underestimated the volume occupied by coarse fragment but overestimated SOC and TN stocks.Thus,corrections should be made to the results from core samplers using large size samplers on regions with gravel and stone-rich soils in future studies.

Land-Use Change on Soil C and N Stocks in the Humid Savannah Agro-Ecological Zone of Ghana

Land-use conversion and unsustainable farming practices are degrading native forest ecosystems of Ghana’s humid savannah agro-ecological zone. This study assessed the impact of land-use change on soil C and N stocks in different land-use systems and soil types. A total of eighty (80) composite soil samples at two depths (0 - 20 cm and 20 - 50 cm) were sampled from five land use types (Forest, Woodland savannah, Grassland, Fallow and Cropland) for laboratory analyses. Particle size distribution, bulk density, pH, SOC and TN were determined using standard procedures. Results of the study indicated that C and N stocks were significantly lower in croplands (p < 0.05) compared to other land-use systems. There were significant interactions (p < 0.05) within land-use systems, soil types, and soil depth for soil C and N stocks. Acrisol and associated soils had the highest C and N stocks. A strong positive significant correlation (p < 0.05) was observed between C and N stocks with an R2 value of 0.85 and 0.93 for the 0 - 20 and 20 - 50 cm depth, respectively. Soil C and N stocks in the study area were estimated to be 34.56 kg/m2 and 4.63 kg/m2 for soil types and 26.89 kg/m2 and 3.39 kg/m2 for land use types, respectively for the 0 to 50 cm soil depth. Our findings indicated that the conversion of native forest to arable land has significantly reduced soil C and N stocks in the top 50 cm (0.50 m) soil layer by 50.77% and 47.77%, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that land-use change, soil type, and soil depth influenced soil C and N stocks of land-use systems in the humid savannah agro-ecological zone of Ghana.

Physical and Chemical Matrix Effects in Soil Carbon Quantification Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Advanced field methods of carbon (C) analysis should now be capable of providing repetitive, sequential measurements for the evaluation of spatial and temporal variation at a scale that was previously unfeasible. Some spectroscopy techniques, such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), have portable features that may potentially lead to clean and rapid alternative approaches for this purpose. The goal of this study was to quantify the C content of soils with different textures and with high iron and aluminum concentrations using LIBS. LIBS emission spectra from soil pellets were captured, and the C content was estimated (emission line of C (I) at 193.03 nm) after spectral offset and aluminum spectral interference correction. This technique is highly portable and could be ideal for providing the soil C content in a heterogeneous experiment. Dry combustion was used as a reference method, and for calibration a conventional linear model was evaluated based on soil textural classes. The correlation between reference and LIBS values showed r = 0.86 for medium-textured soils and r = 0.93 for fine-textured soils. The data showed that better correlation and lower error (14%) values were found for the fine-textured LIBS model. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 0.32% for medium-textured soils and 0.13% for fine-textured soils. The results indicated that LIBS quantification can be affected by the texture and chemical composition of soil. Signal treatment was shown to be very important for mitigation of these interferences and to improve quantification.

Changes in Soil C and N Contents and Mineralization Across a Cultivation Chronosequence of Paddy Fields in Subtropical China

Dynamics of soil organic matter in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields were studied in subtropical China.Mineralization of soil organic matter was determined by measuring CO2 evolution from soil during 20 days of laboratoryincubation. In the first 30 years of cultivation, soil organic C and N contents increased rapidly. After 30 years, 0-10 cmsoil contained 19.6 g kg-1 organic C and 1.62 g kg-1 total N, with the corresponding values of 18.1 g kg-1 and 1.50g kg-1 for 10-20 cm, and then remained stable even after 80 years of rice cultivation. During 20 days incubation themineralization rates of organic C and N in surface soil (0-10 cm) ranged from 2.2% to 3.3% and from 2.8% to 6.7%,respectively, of organic C and total N contents. Biologically active C size generally increased with increasing soil organicC and N contents. Soil dissolved organic C decreased after cultivation of wasteland to 10 years paddy field and thenincreased. Soil microbial biomass C increased with number of years under cultivation, while soil microbial biomass Nincreased during the first 30 years of cultivation and then stabilized. After 30 years of cultivation surface soil (0-10 cm)contained 332.8 mg kg-1 of microbial biomass C and 23.85 mg kg-1 of microbial biomass N, which were 111% and 47%higher than those in soil cultivated for 3 years. It was suggested that surface soil with 30 years of rice cultivation insubtropical China would have attained a steady state of organic C content, being about 19 g kg-1.

Four years of free-air CO_2 enrichment enhance soil C concentrations in a Chinese wheat field

Elevated atmospheric CO2 can influence soil C dynamics in agroecosystems. The effects of free-air CO2 enrichment （FACE） and N fertilization on soil organic C （Corg）, dissolved organic C （DOC）, microbial biomass C （Cmic） and soil basal respiration （SBR） were investigated in a Chinese wheat field after expose to elevated CO2 for four full years. The results indicated that elevated CO2 has stimulative effects on soil C concentrations regardless of N fertilization. Following the elevated CO2, the concentrations of Corg and SBR were increased at wheat jointing stage, and those of DOC and Cmic were enhanced obviously across the wheat jointing stage and the fallow period after wheat harvest. On the other hand, N fertilization did not significantly affect the content of soil C. Significant correlations were found among DOC, Cmic, and SBR in this study.

Spatial Variability of Soil Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio and Its Driving Factors in Ili River Valley,Xinjiang,Northwest China

Soil carbon to nitrogen(C/N) ratio is one of the most important variables reflecting soil quality and ecological function,and an indicator for assessing carbon and nitrogen nutrition balance of soils.Its variation reflects the carbon and nitrogen cycling of soils.In order to explore the spatial variability of soil C/N ratio and its controlling factors of the Ili River valley in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,Northwest China,the traditional statistical methods,including correlation analysis,geostatistic alanalys and multiple regression analysis were used.The statistical results showed that the soil C/N ratio varied from 7.00 to 23.11,with a mean value of 10.92,and the coefficient of variation was 31.3%.Correlation analysis showed that longitude,altitude,precipitation,soil water,organic carbon,and total nitrogen were positively correlated with the soil C/N ratio(P < 0.01),whereas negative correlations were found between the soil C/N ratio and latitude,temperature,soil bulk density and soil p H.Ordinary Cokriging interpolation showed that r and ME were 0.73 and 0.57,respectively,indicating that the prediction accuracy was high.The spatial autocorrelation of the soil C/N ratio was 6.4 km,and the nugget effect of the soil C/N ratio was 10% with a patchy distribution,in which the area with high value(12.00–20.41) accounted for 22.6% of the total area.Land uses changed the soil C/N ratio with the order of cultivated land > grass land > forest land > garden.Multiple regression analysis showed that geographical and climatic factors,and soil physical and chemical properties could independently explain 26.8%and 55.4% of the spatial features of soil C/N ratio,while human activities could independently explain 5.4% of the spatial features only.The spatial distribution of soil C/N ratio in the study has important reference value for managing soil carbon and nitrogen,and for improving ecological function to similar regions.

Degradation induces changes in the soil C:N:P stoichiometry of alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau

Due to the Tibetan Plateau’s unique high altitude and low temperature climate conditions,the region’s alpine steppe ecosystem is highly fragile and is suffering from severe degradation under the stress of increasing population,overgrazing,and climate change.The soil stoichiometry,a crucial part of ecological stoichiometry,provides a fundamental approach for understanding ecosystem processes by examining the relative proportions and balance of the three elements.Understanding the impact of degradation on the soil stoichiometry is vital for conservation and management in the alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau.This study aims to examine the response of soil stoichiometry to degradation and explore the underlying biotic and abiotic mechanisms in the alpine steppe.We conducted a field survey in a sequent degraded alpine steppe with seven levels inNorthern Tibet.The plant species,aboveground biomass,and physical and chemical soil properties such as the moisture content,temperature,pH,compactness,total carbon(C),total nitrogen(N),and total phosphorus(P)were measured and recorded.The results showed that the contents of soil C/N,C/P,and N/P consistently decreased along intensifying degradation gradients.Using regression analysis and a structural equation model(SEM),we found that the C/N,C/P,and N/P ratios were positively affected by the soil compactness,soil moisture content and species richness of graminoids but negatively affected by soil pH and the proportion of aboveground biomass of forbs.The soil temperature had a negative effect on the C/N ratio but showed positive effect on the C/P and N/P ratios.The current study shows that degradation-induced changes in abiotic and biotic conditions such as soil warming and drying,which accelerated the soil organic carbon mineralization,as well as the increase in the proportion of forbs,whichwere difficult to decompose and input less organic carbon into soil,resulted in the decreases in soil C/N,C/P,and N/P contents to a great extent.Our results provide a sound basis for sustainable conservation and management of the alpine steppe.

Effect of chemical and organic fertilization on soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation in a newly cultivated farmland

Increased food demand from the rapidly growing human population has caused intensive land transition from desert to farmland in arid regions of northwest China. In this developing ecosystem, the optimized fertilization strategies are becoming an urgent need for sustainable crop productivity, efficient resources use, together with the delivery of ecosystems services including soil carbon（C） and nitrogen（N） accumulation. Through a 7-year field experiment with 9 fertilization treatments in a newly cultivated farmland, we tested whether different fertilizations had significant influences on soil C and N accumulation in this developing ecosystem, and also investigated possible mechanisms for this influence. The results showed that applying organic manure in cultivated farmland significantly increased the soil C and N accumulation rates; this influence was greater when it was combined with chemical fertilizer, accumulating 2.01 t C and 0.11 t N ha^（–1） yr^（–1） in the most successful fertilization treatment. These high rates of C and N accumulation were found associated with increased input of C and N, although the relationship between the N accumulation rate and N input was not significant. The improved soil physical properties was observed under only organic manure and integrated fertilization treatments, and the significant relationship between soil C or N and soil physical properties were also found in this study. The results suggest that in newly cultivated farmland, long term organic manure and integrated fertilization can yield significant benefits for soil C and N accumulation, and deliver additional influence on physical properties.

Effects of Soil C/N Ratio on Apple Growth and Nitrogen Utilization,Residue and Loss

Soil C /N ratio is an important influencing factor in soil nitrogen cycling. Two-year old apple trees( Borkh. cv. ‘Fuji'/Malus hupehensis) were used to understand the effect of soil C/N ratio [6. 52( CK),10,15,20,25,30,35 and 40]on apple growth and nitrogen utilization and loss by using15N trace technique. The results showed that,with the increasing of soil C/N ratio,apple shoot length and fresh weight increased at first,and then decreased; the higher apple shoot length and fresh weight appeared in C/N = 15,20 and 25 treatments,and there were no significant differences among these three treatments,but significantly higher than the other treatments. Statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference in nitrogen utilization rate between the different treatments,the highest N utilization rate was occurred in soil C/N = 25 treatment which value was 22. 87%,and there was no significant difference between soil C/N = 25 and C/N = 20 treatments,but both the two treatments were significantly higher than the other treatments; Soil C/N = 40 had the lowest N utilization rate which value was 15. 43%,and this value was less than CK( 16. 65%). The proportion of plant absorption nitrogen from fertilizer was much higher when the value of soil C/N ratio in the range of 15- 25,but the percentage of plant absorption nitrogen from soil was much higher when the soil C/N ratio was too low( < 15) or high( < 25). Amount of residual nitrogen in soil increased gradually with the soil C/N ratio increasing,the amount of residual nitrogen in C/N = 40 treatment was 1. 32 times than that in CK. With the increasing of soil C/N ratio,fertilizer nitrogen loss decreased at first,and then increased,fertilizer nitrogen loss was the minimum in C/N = 25 treatments( 49. 87%) and the maximum were occurred in CK( 61. 54%). Therefore,regarding the apple growth and nitrogen balance situation,the value of soil C/N ratio in the range of 15- 25 would be favorable for apple growth and could increase effectively nitrogen fixed by soil,reduce nitrogen loss,and improve the nitrogen utilization ratio.

Increase in medium-size rainfall events will enhance the C-sequestration capacity of biological soil crusts

Biological soil crusts(BSCs) play important roles in the carbon(C) balance in arid regions. Net C balance of BSCs is strongly dependent on rainfall and consequent activation of microbes in the BSCs. The compensation-rainfall size for BSCs(the minimum rainfall amount for a positive net C balance) is assumed to be different with BSCs of different developmental stages. A field experiment with simulated rainfall amount(SRA) of 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mm was conducted to examine the C fluxes and compensation-rainfall size of BSCs in different parts of fixed dunes in the ecotone between the Badain Jaran Desert and the Minqin Oasis. We found algae-lichen crust on the interdunes and crest, algae crust on the leeward side, and lichen-moss crust on the windward. Even a small rainfall(1 mm) can activate both photosynthesis and respiration of all types of BSCs. The gross ecosystem production, ecosystem respiration, and net ecosystem exchange were significantly affected by SRA, hours after the simulated rainfall, position on a dune, and their interactions. The rapid activation of photosynthesis provides a C source and therefore could be responsible for the increase of C efflux after each rewetting. C-uptake and-emission capacity of all the BSCs positively correlated with rainfall size, with the lowest C fluxes on the leeward side. The compensation rainfall for a net C uptake was 3.80, 15.54, 8.62, and 1.88 mm for BSCs on the interdunes, the leeward side, the crest, and the windward side, respectively. The whole dune started to show a net C uptake with an SRA of 5 mm and maximized with an SRA of about 30 mm. The compensation-rainfall size is negatively correlated with chlorophyll content. Our results suggest that BSCs will be favored in terms of C balance, and sand dune stabilization could be sustained with an increasing frequency of 5-10 mm rainfall events in the desert-oasis transitional zone.-

Soil Carbon Sequestration,Water Use Efficiency(WUE) and Biological Nitrogen Fixation(BNF) Under Conservation Agriculture in Rain-fed Dry Area of North-west Pakistan

Land degradation,unbalanced nutrition,change in climate and its extreme variability are the factors affecting the sustainability of agriculture and food security.In North-west Pakistan,more than 50%of the cultivated area is rain-fed and the crop productivity is low.Conservation agriculture reduces greenhouse gas emissions by enhancing soil carbon sequestration and then improved soil fertility,WUE and crop productivity.A field experiment

Impact on Soil Organic C and Total Soil N from Cool- and Warm-Season Legumes Used in a Green Manure-Forage Cropping System

Annual forage legumes are important components of livestock production systems in East Texas and the southeastern US. Forage legumes contribute nitrogen (N) to cropping systems through biological N fixation, and their seasonal biomass production can be managed to complement forage grasses. Our research objectives were to evaluate both warm- and cool-season annual forage legumes as green manure for biomass, N content, ability to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil N, and impact on post season forage grass crops. Nine warm-season forage legumes (WSL) were spring planted and incorporated as green manure in the fall. Forage rye (Secale cereale L.) was planted following the incorporation of WSL treatments. Eight cool-season forage legumes (CSL) were fall planted in previously fallow plots and incorporated as green manure in late spring. Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x Sorghum bicolor var. sudanense) was planted over all treatments in early summer after forage rye harvest and incorporation of CSL treatments. Sorghum-sudangrass was harvested in June, August and September, and treatments were evaluated for dry matter and N concentration. Soil cores were taken from each plot, split into depths of 0 to 15, 15 to 30 and 30 to 60 cm, and soil C and N were measured using combustion analysis. Nylon mesh bags containing plant samples were buried at 15 cm and used to evaluate decomposition rate of above ground legume biomass, including change in C and N concentrations. Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. [Wilczek]) had the highest shoot biomass yield (6.24 t DM ha-1) and contributed the most total N (167 kg∙ha-1) and total C (3043 kg∙ha-1) of the WSL tested. Decomposition rate of WSL biomass was rapid in the first 10 weeks and very slow afterward. Winter pea (Pisum sativum L. spp. sativum), arrow leaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum Savi.), and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) were the most productive CSL in this trial. Austrian winter pea produced 8.41 t DM ha-1 with a total N yield of 319 kg N ha-1 and total C production of 3835 kg C ha-1. The WSL treatments had only small effects on rye forage yield and N concentration, possibly due to mineralization of N from a large SOC pool already in place. The CSL treatments also had only minimal effects on sorghum-sudangrass forage production. Winter pea, arrow leaf and crimson clover were productive cool season legumes and could be useful as green manure crops. Mungbean and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) were highly productive warm season legumes but may include more production risk in green manure systems due to soil moisture competition.

C/N配施对旱作谷子根系形态分布及土壤养分的影响

为明确不同C/N配比对谷子的根系形态分布及土壤养分的影响,研究以晋谷21号为研究对象,设置5个处理分别为C115 g/m^(2)生物炭、C220 g/m^(2)生物炭、C325 g/m^(2)生物炭,N13 g/m^(2)氮肥、N29 g/m^(2)氮肥交互的处理。结果表明:拔节期C2N2谷子根系长度、根系总表面积、根系体积增幅分别为134.06%、293.40%、500.00%;成熟期C2N2土壤铵态氮、硝态氮、速效磷、速效钾、有机碳增幅分别为149.64%、139.00%、10.53%、20.83%和136.00%,综上所述,C2N2配比能显著促进晋谷21根系的生长发育,调控土壤养分,存在最佳的配比。

高比活度[苯环-^(14)C]-环磺酮在好氧土壤中的降解转化研究

环磺酮是一种4-羟基苯丙酮酸双加氧酶(HPPD)抑制剂类除草剂,研究环磺酮在好氧土壤中的降解规律对其环境安全性评价具有重要意义。本研究以高比活度[苯环-^(14)C]-环磺酮为示踪剂,综合运用同位素示踪法并有机结合液相色谱-高分辨质谱等现代仪器分析方法,研究并明确了环磺酮在好氧土壤中的主要降解产物、降解途径及降解产物含量随时间的变化规律。结果表明,在好氧培养条件下,环磺酮母体在红壤土、潮土、黑土和褐土4种供试土壤中的降解均符合一级动力学模型,其半衰期分别为13.18、5.05、10.49和2.82 d;环磺酮在4种好氧土壤中均存在M1、M2和M3三种主要降解产物,并推断了其在好氧土壤中的降解途径;除潮土120 d采样点外,在整个培养过程中,4种土壤中降解产物含量均表现为M2(0.5%~60.8%AR)>M3(0.0~10.0%AR)>M1(0.0~3.9%AR)。本研究结果为环磺酮的环境安全性评估提供了基础数据和科学依据。

基于模糊c-均值聚类的亚热带丘陵区土壤肥力空间分异与管理分区

[目的]亚热带丘陵区地形复杂,土壤肥力空间变异大,科学地将土壤按照相似地力进行分区,是实现丘陵区土壤精确管理,优化土壤培肥技术的理论基础。[方法]研究对象位于亚热带丘陵区的典型小流域-湖南省长沙县金井镇,2009年在全镇范围内(112 km~2)密集布置946个样点采集土壤样品,以测定的土壤肥力指标为数据源,包括土壤有机碳(SOC)、全氮(TN)、全磷(TP)、速效氮(AN)、有效磷(AP)和pH,采用地统计学和模糊c-均值聚类算法,分析流域土壤肥力的空间异质性;采用主成分分析法进行土壤肥力分区,并根据数据的差异显著性和变异系数对分区结果进行验证。[结果]除pH外,流域内土壤有机碳、全氮、全磷、速效氮和有效磷均存在中等至强的空间变异,变异系数(CV)介于36%~125%。基于主成分分析和模糊c-均值聚类可将研究区划分为3个肥力管理分区:MZ1、MZ2和MZ3,分区后各土壤肥力指标的变异系数(CV)不同程度地降低,以pH变异系数降幅最小(6%),AP变异系数降幅最大(96%)。同一分区内主要土壤肥力指标趋于同质化,分区间则异质化显著(P<0.01)。分区间水稻产量差异明显,MZ1区晚稻产量和早晚稻总产量显著高于MZ2和MZ3 (P<0.01)。MZ1、MZ2和MZ3区土壤pH值分别为4.12、4.04和4.00,均属于极酸水平;SOC分别为15.15、14.38和12.24 g/kg,均处于高水平;TN也为高水平(1.56、1.48和1.34 g/kg);TP为高至很高水平(0.86、0.69和0.60 g/kg);AN则处于很低至低水平(41.08、35.33和26.16 mg/kg);AP为中低水平(8.63、4.46和3.39 mg/kg)。[结论]亚热带丘陵区地形地貌复杂,是土壤肥力空间变异较大的主要影响因素。通过土壤肥力管理分区,可有效降低区域内肥力指标的变异程度,优化复杂丘陵区耕地管理措施。本研究区域中MZ1、MZ2和MZ3区均应着重改良土壤酸化现象,提高肥料氮素利用率,避免过量施用化学氮肥;MZ1区可适当减施磷肥,避免关键生育期过量施用磷肥;MZ2和MZ3区可以考虑适量施用生物酶活化磷肥或增施有机肥,以提高作物对磷素的利用效率。

Land-use induced changes in topsoil organic carbon stock of paddy fields using MODIS and TM/ETM analysis:A case study of Wujiang County,China

Topsoil soil organic carbon (SOC) that plays an important role in mitigating atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO_2) buildup is greatly affected by human activities.To evaluate the influence of land-use changes on SOC stocks in paddy soils,a new algorithm was developed by integrating MODIS (moderate resolution imaging spectral-radiometer) and TM/ETM data for timely monitoring the land-use change in Wujiang County.Thereafter,the land-use class-maps derived from MODIS and TM/ETM analyses were further used to estima...

Effects of a decade of organic fertilizer substitution on vegetable yield and soil phosphorus pools, phosphatase activities, and the microbial community in a greenhouse vegetable production system

Partial substitution of chemical fertilizers by organic amendments is adopted widely for promoting the availability of soil phosphorus(P)in agricultural production.However,few studies have comprehensively evaluated the effects of longterm organic substitution on soil P availability and microbial activity in greenhouse vegetable fields.A 10-year(2009–2019)field experiment was carried out to investigate the impacts of organic fertilizer substitution on soil P pools,phosphatase activities and the microbial community,and identify factors that regulate these soil P transformation characteristics.Four treatments included 100%chemical N fertilizer(4 CN),50%substitution of chemical N by manure(2 CN+2 MN),straw(2 CN+2 SN),and combined manure with straw(2 CN+1 MN+1 SN).Compared with the 4 CN treatment,organic substitution treatments increased celery and tomato yields by 6.9-13.8%and 8.6-18.1%,respectively,with the highest yields being in the 2 CN+1 MN+1 SN treatment.After 10 years of fertilization,organic substitution treatments reduced total P and inorganic P accumulation,increased the concentrations of available P,organic P,and microbial biomass P,and promoted phosphatase activities(alkaline and acid phosphomonoesterase,phosphodiesterase,and phytase)and microbial growth in comparison with the 4 CN treatment.Further,organic substitution treatments significantly increased soil C/P,and the partial least squares path model(PLS-PM)revealed that the soil C/P ratio directly and significantly affected phosphatase activities and the microbial biomass and positively influenced soil P pools and vegetable yield.Partial least squares(PLS)regression demonstrated that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi positively affected phosphatase activities.Our results suggest that organic fertilizer substitution can promote soil P transformation and availability.Combining manure with straw was more effective than applying these materials separately for developing sustainable P management practices.

Forest soil CO_2 fluxes as a function of understory removal and N-fixing species addition

We report on the effects of forest management practices of understory removal and N-fixing species（Cassia alata） addition on soil CO2 fluxes in an Eucalyptus urophylla plantation（EUp）,Acacia crassicarpa plantation（ACp）,10-species-mixed plantation（Tp）,and 30-species-mixed plantation（THp） using the static chamber method in southern China.Four forest management treatments,including（1） understory removal（UR）;（2） C.alata addition（CA）;（3） understory removal and replacement with C.alata（UR＋CA）;and（4） control without any disturbances（CK）,were applied in the above four forest plantations with three replications for each treatment.The results showed that soil CO2 fluxes rates remained at a high level during the rainy season（from April to September）,followed by a rapid decrease after October reaching a minimum in February.Soil CO2 fluxes were significantly higher（P 〈 0.01） in EUp（132.6 mg/（m2.hr）） and ACp（139.8 mg/（m2.hr）） than in Tp（94.0 mg/（m2.hr）） and THp（102.9 mg/（m2.hr））.Soil CO2 fluxes in UR and CA were significantly higher（P 〈 0.01） among the four treatments,with values of 105.7,120.4,133.6 and 112.2 mg/（m2.hr） for UR＋CA,UR,CA and CK,respectively.Soil CO2 fluxes were positively correlated with soil temperature（P 〈 0.01）,soil moisture（P 〈 0.01）,NO3？-N（P 〈 0.05）,and litterfall（P 〈 0.01）,indicating that all these factors might be important controlling variables for soil CO2 fluxes.This study sheds some light on our understanding of soil CO2 flux dynamics in forest plantations under various management practices.