Difference in Organic Carbon Contents and Distributions in Particle-size Fractions between Soil and Sediment on the Southern Loess Plateau, China

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of long-term cultivation and water erosion on the soil organic carbon （OC） in particle-size fractions. The study site is located at Nihegou Watershed in the Southern Loess Plateau, China. The soil at this site is loess with loose and silty structure, and contains macropores. The results showed that the OC concentrations in sediments and in the particle-size fractions of sediments were higher than those in soils and in the particle-size fractions of soils. The OC concentration was highest in the clay particles and was lowest in the sand particles. Clay particles possessed higher OC enrichment ability than silt and sand particles. The proportions of OC in the silt fractions of soil and sediment were the highest （mean value of 53.87% and 58.48%, respectively）, and the total proportion of OC in the clay and silt fractions accounted for 96% and 98% of the total OC in the soil and sediment, respectively. The loss of OC was highest in silt particles, with an average value of 0.16 Mg ha^-1 y^-1, and was lowest in the sand （0.003 Mg ha^-1 y^-l）. This result suggests that the fine particle-size fraction in the removed sediment may be an important indicator to assess soil OC losses.

Sorption of pyrene on two paddy soils and their particle-size fractions

In the present study, the sorption of pyrene on two kinds of bulk paddy soils, Gleyic Stagnic Anthrosols, and Ferric accumulic Stagnic Anthrosols as well as their particle-size fractions was investigated. The sorption isotherms fitted well with Freundlich equation. For both soils, the clay fraction（ 〈 2μm） and coarse sand fraction（2000-250μm） had higher sorption capacity than fine sand fraction（250-20 μm） and silt fraction（20-2 μm）. The IogKoc values obtained of each soil and its particle-size fractions were similar, proving that SOM content was a key factor affecting pyrene sorption. The Kd values showed a significant correlation with contents of dithionite-extractable Fe in both paddy soils and a good relationship with CEC in Gleyic Stagnic Anthrosols, indicating possible effects of surface properties of particle-size fractions on the sorption of pyrene.

Soil Organic Carbon Pools in Particle-Size Fractions as Affected by Slope Gradient and Land Use Change in Hilly Regions,Western Iran

This study was conducted to explore the effects of topography and land use changes on particulate organic carbon(POC),particulate total nitrogen(PTN),organic carbon(OC) and total nitrogen(TN) associated with different size primary particle fractions in hilly regions of western Iran.Three popular land uses in the selected site including natural forest(NF),disturbed forest(DF) and cultivated land(CL) and three slope gradients(0-10 %,S1,10-30 %,S2,and 30-50%,S3) were employed as the basis of soil sampling.A total of 99 soil samples were taken from the 0-10 cm surface layer in the whole studied hilly region studied.The results showed that the POC in the forest land use in all slope gradients was considerably more than the deforested and cultivated lands and the highest value was observed at NF-S1 treatment with 9.13%.The values of PTN were significantly higher in the forest land use and in the down slopes(0.5%) than in the deforested and cultivated counterparts and steep slopes(0.09%) except for the CL land use.The C:N ratios in POC fraction were around 17-18 in the forest land and around 23 in the cultivated land.In forest land,the silt-associated OC was highest among the primary particles.The enrichment factor of SOC,EC,was the highest for POC.For the primary particles,EC of both primary fractions of silt and clay showed following trend for selected land uses and slope gradients:CL> DF> NF and S3 > S2> S1.Slope gradient of landscape significantly affected the OC and TN contents associated with the silt and clay particles,whereas higher OC and TN contents were observed in lower positions and the lowest value was measured in the steep slopes.Overall,the results showed that native forest land improves soil organic carbon storage and can reduce the carbon emission and soil erosion especially in the mountainous regions with high rainfall in west of Iran.

Variations in nitrogen isotopic values among various particle-sized fractions in modern soil in northwestern China

Ratios of stable nitrogen isotopes in organic matter derived from plants and preserved in soil are potential tracers for nitrogen cycles in natural ecosystems and valuable for evaluation of climate change. However, the rela-tionship between nitrogen isotopic compositions in surface soil and in plant litter during the decomposition process from plant litter to soil organic matter is not well understood. By using nitrogen isotopic analysis of soil parti-cle-sized fractions, nitrogen isotope discrimination between plant litter and surface soil organic matter in various modern ecosystems in northwestern China was conducted. The results of our study indicate that: (1) in general, the nitrogen isotopic compositions of particle-sized fractions from surface soil are different, and δ15N values increase from plant litter to fine soil organic matter; (2) the δ15N values in the soil particle-sized fractions become larger with increasing relative humidity and temperature, and the largest variation in the δ15N values is from -5.9‰ to -0.3‰; and (3) under a controlled climate, significant nitrogen isotope differences in δ15N values (Δδ15Nplant-soil) between plant litter and bulk soil organic matter were observed, with the values of 1.52 to 4.75 at various sites. Our results suggested that comparisons of Δδ15N values between bulk soil and the particle-sized fractions of soil could reveal the effect of humidity on transferring process of nitrogen from plant to soil in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

Applicability of Fractal Models in Estimating Soil Water Retention Characteristics from Particle-Size Distribution Data

Soil water retention characteristics are the key information required in hydrological modeling. Frac-tal models provide a practical alternative for indirectly estimating soil water retention characteristics fromparticle-size distribution data. Predictive capabilities of three fractal models, i.e, Tyler-Wheatcraft model,Rieu-Sposito model, and Brooks-Corey model, were fully evaluated in this work using experimental datafrom an international database and literature. Particle-size distribution data were firstly interpolated into20 classes using a van Genuchten-type equation. Fractal dimensions of the tortuous pore wall and the poresurface were then calculated from the detailed particle-size distribution and incorporated as a parameter infractal water retention models. Comparisons between measured and model-estimated water retention cha-racteristics indicated that these three models were applicable to relatively different soil textures and pressurehead ranges. Tyler-Wheatcraft and Brooks-Corey models led to reasonable agreements for both coarse- andmedium-textured soils, while the latter showed applicability to a broader texture range. In contrast, Rieu-Sposito model was more suitable for fine-textured soils. Fractal models produced a better estimation of watercontents at low pressure heads than at high pressure heads.

Soil organic carbon associated with aggregate-size and density fractions in a Mollisol amended with charred and uncharred maize straw

Straw return has been strongly recommended in China,whereas applying biochar into soil is considered to provide more benefits for agriculture as well as the environment.In this study,a five-year(2011-2015) field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of uncharred maize straw amendment(MS) and charred maize straw amendment(charred MS) on organic carbon(C) contents in bulk soil and in various soil aggregate-size and density fractions.Compared to no amendment(CK),the bulk soil organic C content significantly improved by 9.30% for MS and by 23.4% for charred MS.Uncharred and charred maize straw applied annually at a consistent equal-C dosage resulted in 19.7 and 58.2% organic C sequestration efficiency in soil,respectively,after the five years of the field experiment.The percentages of macroaggregates(>0.25 mm) and occluded microaggregates(0.25-0.053 mm) obviously increased by 7.73 and 18.1% for MS and by 10.7 and 19.6% for charred MS,respectively.Moreover,significant incremental increases of 19.4 and 35.0% in macroaggregate-associated organic C occurred in MS and charred MS,respectively.The occluded microaggregates associated organic C significantly increased by 21.7% for MS and 25.1% for charred MS.Mineral-associated organic C(<0.053 mm) inside the macroaggregates and the occluded microaggregates obviously improved by 24.7 and 33.3% for MS and by 18.4 and 44.9% for charred MS.Organic C associated with coarse particulate organic matter(POM) within the macroaggregates markedly increased by 65.1 and 41.2% for MS and charred MS,respectively.Charred MS resulted in a noteworthy increment of 50.4% for organic C associated with heavy POM inside the occluded microaggregates,whereas charred MS and MS observably improved organic C associated with heavy POM inside the free microaggregates by 36.3 and 20.0%,respectively.These results demonstrate that uncharred and charred maize straw amendments improve C sequestration by physically protecting more organic C in the macroaggregates and the occluded microaggregates.Compared to the feedstock straw amendment,charred maize straw amendment is more advantageous to C sequestration.

Distribution of Cu and Pb in particle size fractions of urban soils from different city zones of Nanjing, China

Soil samples from 4 defined city zones of Nanjing were randomly collected at 0-5 cm and 5-20 cm intervals and size fractions of soil particles were separated from undisturbed bulk soils by low energy dispersion procedure. The total contents of Cu and Pb in the different particle size fractions of the urban soils were analyzed by HNO3-HF-HClO4 digestion and flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer determination. The total content of Cu and Pb in soil particle size fractions varied with their size and with city zones as well. Both the content and variation with the size fractions of Pb was bigger than of Cu supporting our previous finding that there was Pb pollution to different degrees in the urban soils although the two elements were generally enriched in clay-sized fraction. Contaminated Pb tended to be preferentially enriched in the size fraction of 2000-250 μm and clay-sized fraction. While the size fractions of the soils from newly developed and preserved area contained smaller amount of Cu and Pb, the partitioning of them in coarse and fine particle size fractions were insignificant compared to that from inner residence and commercial area. The very high Pb level over 150 mg/kg of the fine particle fractions from the soils of the inner city could be a cause of high blood Pb level reported of children from the city as acute exposure to Pb of fine particles of the urban soil might occur by soil ingestion and inhalation by young children. Thus, much attention should be paid to the partitioning of toxic metals in fine soil particles of the urban soils and countermeasures against high health risk of Pb exposure by soil ingestion and dust inhalation should be practiced against the health problem of blood Pb for young children from the cities.

Effects of free iron oxyhydrates and soil organic matter on copper sorption-desorption behavior by size fractions of aggregates from two paddy soils

Effects of free iron oxyhydrates （Fed） and soil organic matter （SOM） on copper （Cu^2＋） sorption-desorption behavior by size fractions of aggregates from two typical paddy soils （Ferric-Accumulic Stagnic Anthrosol （Soil H） and Gleyic Stagnic Anthrosol （Soil W）） were investigated with and without treatments of dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate and of H2O2. The size fractions of aggregates were obtained from the undisturbed bulk topsoil using a low energy ultrasonic dispersion procedure. Experiments of equilibrium sorption and subsequent desorption were conducted at soil water ratio of 1：20, 25℃. For Soil H, Cu^2＋ sorption capacity of the DCB-treated size fractions was decreased by 5.9% for fine sand fraction, by 40.4% for coarse sand fraction, in comparison to 2.9% for the bnlk sample. However, Cu^2＋ sorption capacities of the H2O2-treated fractions were decreased by over 80% for the coarse sand fraction and by 15% for the clay-sized fraction in comparison to 88% for bulk soil. For Soil W, Cu^2＋ sorption capacity of the DCB-treated size fraction was decreased by 30% for the coarse sand fraction and by over 75% for silt sand fraction in comparison to 44.5% for the bulk sample. Cu^2＋ sorption capacities of the H2O2-treated fractions were decreased by only 2.0% for the coarse sand fraction and by 15% for the fine sand fraction in comparison to by 3.4% for bulk soil. However, Cu^2＋ desorption rates were increased much in H2O2-treated samples by over 80% except the clay-sized fraction （only 9.5%） for Soil H. While removal of SOM with H2O2 tendend to increase the desorption rate, DCB- and H2O2-treatments caused decrease in Cu^2＋ retention capacity of size fractions, Particularly, there hardly remained Cu^2＋ retention capacity by size fractions from Soil H after H2O2 treatment except for clay-sized fraction. These findings supported again the dominance of the coarse sand fraction in sorption of metals and the preference of absorbed metals bound to SOM in differently stabilized status among the size fractions. Thus, enrichment and turnover of SOM in paddy soils may have great effects on metal retention and chemical mobility in paddy soils.

Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Soils as Affected by Soil Types and Metal Load Quantity

Two series of soil subsamples, by spiking copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) in an orthogonal design, were prepared using red soil and brown soil, respectively. The results indicated that heavy metal fractions in these soil subsamples depended not only on soil types, but also on metal loading quantity as well as on interactions among metals in soil. Lead and Cu in red soil appeared mostly in weakly specifically adsorbed (WSA), Fe and Mn oxides bound (OX), and residual (RES) fractions. Zinc existed in all fractions except organic bound one, and Cd was major in water soluble plus exchangeable (SE) one. Different from the results of red soil, Pb and Cu was present in brown soil in all fractions except organic one, but over 75% of Zn and 90% of Cd existed only in SE fraction. Meanwhile, SE fraction for any metal in red soil was lower than that in brown soil and WSA and OX fractions were higher. It is in agreement with low cation exchange capacity and large amounts of metal oxides included in red soil. Metal fractions in soil, especially for water soluble plus exchangeable one, were obviously influenced by other coexisting metals. The SE fraction of heavy metals increased with increasing loading amounts of metals in red soil but not obviously in brown soil, which suggest that metal availability be easily affected by their total amounts spiked in red soil. In addition, more metals in red soil were extracted with 0.20 mol L-1 NH4Cl (pH 5.40) than that with 1.0 mol L-1 Mg(NO3)2 (pH 7.0), but the reverse happened in brown soil, implicating significantly different mechanisms of metal desorption from red soil and brown soil.

Changes in soil organic carbon contents and fractionations of forests along a climatic gradient in China

Background: Soil organic carbon(SOC) is a large reservoir of terrestrial carbon(C); it consists of different fractions of varying complexity and stability. Partitioning SOC into different pools of decomposability help better predict the trend of changes in SOC dynamics under climate change. Information on how physical fractions and chemical structures of SOC are related to climate and vegetation types is essential for spatial model ing of SOC processes and responses to global change factors.Method: Soil samples were col ected from multiple representative forest sites of three contrasting climatic zones(i.e. cool temperate, warm temperate, and subtropical) in eastern China. Measurements were made on SOC contents and physical fractions of the 0–20 cm soil layer, and the chemical composition of SOC of the 0–5 cm soil layer, along with measurements and compilation of the basic site and forest stand variables. The long-term effects of temperature, litter inputs, soil characteristics and vegetation type on the SOC contents and factions were examined by means of "space for time substitution" approach and statistical analysis.Result: Mean annual temperature(MAT) varied from 2.1 °C at the cool temperate sites to 20.8 °C at the subtropical sites. Total SOC of the 0–20 cm soil layer decreased with increasing MAT, ranging from 89.2 g·kg^(-1) in cool temperate forests to 57.7 g·kg^(-1) in subtropical forests, at an average rate of 1.87% reduction in SOC with a 1 °C increase in MAT.With increasing MAT, the proportions of aromatic C and phenolic C displayed a tendency of decreases, whereas the proportion of alkyl C and A/O-A value(the ratio of alkyl C to the sum of O-alkyl C and acetal C) displayed a tendency of increases. Overall, there were no significant changes with MAT and forest type in either the physical fractions or the chemical composition. Based on the relationship between the SOC content and MAT, we estimate that SOC in the top 20 soil layer of forests potentially contribute 6.58–26.3 Pg C globally to the atmosphere if global MAT increases by 1 °C–4 °C by the end of the twenty-first century, with nearly half of which(cf. 2.87–11.5 Pg C) occurring in the 0–5 cm mineral soils.Conclusion: Forest topsoil SOC content decreased and became chemical y more recalcitrant with increasing MAT,without apparent changes in the physical fractions of SOC.

Fractional description of mechanical property evolution of soft soils during creep

The motion of pore water directly influences mechanical properties of soils, which are variable during creep. Accurate description of the evolution of mechanical properties of soils can help to reveal the internal behavior of pore water. Based on the idea of using the fractional order to reflect mechanical properties of soils, a fractional creep model is proposed by introducing a variable-order fractional operator, and realized on a series of creep responses in soft soils. A comparative analysis illustrates that the evolution of mechanical properties, shown through the simulated results, exactly corresponds to the motion of pore water and the solid skeleton. This demonstrates that the proposed variable-order fractional model can be employed to characterize the evolution of mechanical properties of and the pore water motion in soft soils during creep. It is observed that the fractional order from the proposed model is related to the dissipation rate of pore water pressure.

Fractions and Bioavailability of Soil Inorganic Phosphorus in the Loess Plateau of China under Different Vegetations

Plants play an important role in soil phosphorus nutrition. However, the effect of plants on phosphorus nutrition in soils of the Loess Plateau of China is not well understood. This study was conducted to reveal the relationships between plants and phosphorus＇ fractions and availability in the Loess Plateau of China. Twenty-two plant communities were surveyed and soil samples under different plant canopies were collected for the determination of soil properties and inorganic phosphorus fractionation. The results showed that Leguminosae and Lilaceae reduced pH and increased organic matter, cation exchange capacity, total and Olsen phosphorus in soils under their canopies, while Labiatae and Rosaceae increased pH and decreased organic matter, cation exchange capacity, total and Olsen phosphorus in soils under their canopies. The contents of Ca2P, CasP, AI-P and Fe-P were highly related with soil Oisen phosphorus. They were all higher in soils under Leguminosae and Lilaceae and lower in softs under Labiatae and Rosaceae. The results of this study indicate that Leguminosae and Lilaceae improved phosphorus nutrition in soils, yet Labiatae and Rosaceae impeded the improvement of phosphorus nutrition in soils under their canopies, which will be of more help to instruct vegetation restoration in the region and provide information for soil development.

Accumulation and Fractionation of Rare Earth Elements in Soil-Rice Systems

Accumulation and fractionation of rare earth elements （REEs） were studied through applications of exogenous REEs in soils with pot-cultured rice for 2 years. The results show that the biomass of rice consistently decreases at sprouting and maturity stages when the amount of exogenous REEs are over 400 mg· kg^- 1. It illustrates that the endurance of rice to exogenous REE exposure is much weaker than that of wheat. The distribution patterns of REEs in rice of the control are similar to that in the soil, both exhibiting light REE （LREE） enrichment and positive Tb in the roots and the aboveground parts. Applications of exogenous REEs ranging from 400 to 1200 mg· kg^- 1 have significant effects on the distribution patterns of REEs in roots, some effects in stems and leaves, and almost no effects in grains. Accumulation rates of REEs in different organs follow the order of roots 〉 leaves 〉 stems 〉 panicle axes and crusts 〉 grains. The roots take up different REEs at almost the same rates, except for the selective accumulation of Th. In the aboveground parts, the accumulation rates of middle REEs （MREEs） and heavy REEs （HREEs） are higher than those of LREEs, there are significant selective accumulations of Eu and Tb. Accumulation rates of REEs in the roots, stems and leaves increase with the increasing applications of exogenous REEs, but they change slightly in the panicle axes, crusts and grains, demonstrating that it is easier for the roots, stems and leaves to accumulate exogenous REEs. Selective accumulation and fractionation of exoge nous Nd are also observed in rice organs including grains.

Long-Term Effect of No-Tillage on Soil Organic Carbon Fractions in a Continuous Maize Cropping System of Northeast China

Increasing evidence has shown that conservation tillage is an effective agricultural practice to increase carbon （C） sequestration in soils. In order to understand the mechanisms underlying the responses of soil organic carbon （SOC） to tillage regimes, physical fractionation techniques were employed to evaluate the effect of long-term no-tillage （NT） on soil aggregation and SOC fractions. Results showed that NT increased the concentration of total SOC by 18.1% compared with conventional tillage （CT） under a long-term maize （Zea mays L.） cropping system in Northeast China. The proportion of soil large macroaggregates （〉 2 000 μm） was higher in NT than that in CT, while small macroaggregates （250-2 000μm） showed an opposite trend. Therefore, the total proportion of macroaggregates （〉 2 000 and 250-2 000μm） was not affected by tillage management. However, C concentrations of macroaggregates on a whole soil basis were higher under NT relative to CT, indicating that both the amount of aggregation and aggregate turnover affected C stabilization. Carbon concentrations of intra-aggregate particulate organic matter associated with microaggregates （iPOM-m） and microaggregates occluded within macroaggregates （iPOM-mM） in NT were 1.6 and 1.8 times greater than those in CT, respectively. Carbon proportions of iPOM-n and iPOM-mM in the total SOC increased from 5.4% and 6.3% in CT to 7.2% and 9.7% in NT, respectively. Furthermore, the difference in the microaggregate protected C （i. e., iPOM-m and iPOM-mM） between NT and CT could explain 45.4% of the difference in the whole SOC. The above results indicate that NT stimulates C accumulation within microaggregates which then are further acted upon in the soil to form macroaggregates. The shift of SOC within microaggregates is beneficial for long-term C sequestration in soil. We also corroborate that the microaggregate protected C is useful as a pool for assessing the impact of tillage management on SOC storage.

Soil Organic Matter Fractions under Different Vegetation Types in Permafrost Regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, North of Kunlun Mountains, China

As a key attribute of soil quality, soil organic matter(SOM) and its different fractions play an important role in regulating soil nutrient cycling and soil properties.This study evaluated the soil carbon(C) and nitrogen(N) concentrations in different SOM fractions(light– and heavy fractions,microbial biomass) under different vegetation types and analyzed their influencing factors in continuous permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in the North of Kunlun Mountains, China.Soil samples were collected in pits under four vegetation types — Alpine swamp meadow(ASM), Alpine meadow(AM), Alpine steppe(AS) and Alpine desert(AD) — at the depth of 0-50 cm.The vegetation coverage was the highest at ASM and AM, followed byAS and AD.The results indicated that the concentrations of light fraction carbon(LFC) and nitrogen(LFN), and microbial biomass carbon(MBC)and nitrogen(MBN) decreased as follows: ASM > AM >AS > AD, with the relatively stronger decrease of LFC,whereas the heavy fraction carbon(HFC) and nitrogen(HFN) concentrations were lower in AS soils than in the AD soils.The relatively higher proportions of LFC/SOC and MBC/SOC in the 0-10 cm depth under the ASM soils are mainly resulted from its higher substrate input and soil moisture content.Correlation analysis demonstrated that aboveground biomass, soil moisture content, soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(TN) positively correlated to LFC, LFN, HFC, HFN, MBC and MBN, while p H negatively correlated to LFC, LFN, HFC, HFN, MBC and MBN.There was no relationship between active layer thickness and SOM fractions, except for the LFC.Results suggested that vegetation cover, soil moisture content, and SOC and TN concentrations were significantly correlated with the amount and availability of SOM fractions, while permafrost had less impact on SOM fractions in permafrost regions of the central Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

Fractionation of Moderately and Highly Stable Organic Phosphorus in Acid Soil *1

The fractionation of moderately and highly organic phosphorus (P o) in acid soil was studied by two me thods. By the first method, after incubation for 40 d, the mineralization rates of eight constituents of stable P o in the soil were determined. By the second method, five constituents of precipitates of stable P o in the soil were separated, then the five precipitates were put back into the original soils and incubated for 40 d and 60 d. Then, mineralization rates of the five precipitates were determined. The same results were obtained by the two methods. When the pH of the alkali solution containing stable P o was adjusted from 3.00 to 3.10, the mineralization rate of moderately stable P o was rapidly raised. Therefore, the pH 3.00 is the critical point between moderately and highly stable P o.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FRACTIONATIONS OF Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn AND Ni AND SOIL PROPERTIES IN URBAN SOILS OF CHANGCHUN, CHINA

An extensive soil investigation was conducted in different domains of Changchun to disclose the fractionations of Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn and Ni in urban soils. Meanwhile correlation analysis and multiple stepwise regressions were used to define relationships between soil properties and metal fractions and the chief factors influencing the fractionation of heavy metals in the soils. The results showed that Pb, Ni and Cu were mainly associated with the residual and organic forms; most of Cd was concentrated in the residual and exchangeable fractions. Zn in residual and carbonate fraction was the highest. The activities of the heavy metals probably declined in the following order: Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu and Ni. The chemical fractions of heavy metals in different domains in Changchun City were of significantly spatial heterogeneity. Soil properties had different influences on the chemical fractions of heavy metals to some extent and the main factors influencing Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu and Ni fractionation and transformation were apparently different.

Root Exudates, Rhizosphere Zn Fractions, and Zn Accumulation of Ryegrass at Different Soil Zn Levels

A glasshouse experiment was conducted using a root-bag technique to study the root exudates, rhizosphere Zn fractions, and Zn concentrations and accumulations of two ryegrass cultivars （Lolium perenne L. cvs. Airs and Tede） at different soil Zn levels （0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 mmol kg^-1 soil）. Results indicated that plant growth of the two cultivars was not advérsely affected at soil Zn level ≤ 8 mmol kg^-1. Plants accumulated more Zn as soil Zn levels increased, and Zn concentrations of shoots were about 540 μg g^-1 in Aris and 583.9 μg g^-1 in Tede in response to 16 mmol Zn kg^-1 soil. Zn ratios of shoots to roots across the soil Zn levels were higher in Tede than in Airs, corresponding with higher rhizosphere available Zn fractions （exchangeable, bound to manganese oxides, and bound to organic matter） in Airs than in Tede. Low-molecular-weight （LMW） organic acids （oxalic, tartaric, malic, and succinic acids） and amino acids （proline, threonine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid, etc.） were detected in root exudates, and the concentrations of LMW organic acids and amino acids increased with addition of 4 mmol Zn kg^-1 soil compared with zero Zn addition. Higher rhizosphere concentrations of oxalic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, phenylalanine, leucine, and proline in Tede than in Airs likely resulted in increased Zn uptake from the soil by Tede than by Airs. The results suggested that genotypic differences in Zn accumulations were mainly because of different root exudates and rhizosphere Zn fractions.

Equilibrium of Organic Matter in Heavy Fraction for Three Long-term Experimental Field Soils in China

Considerable evidence that the soil organic matter （OM） level in agricultural soils will gradually over time reach an equilibrium state under certain bioclimatic conditions and for certain cropping systems has been accumulating. Although models or long-term experiments have been used, this research used physical fractionation procedure to attain an soil OM equilibrium value. To obtain soil OM equilibrium values in the heavy fraction, typical soils from three long-term field experiments at Fengqiu and Yingtan State Key Agro-Ecological Experimental Stations in China were studied using a simple density fractionation procedure and employing the Langmuir equation. Results for the fluvo-aquic soil with organic fertilizer treatments indicated that the soil OM equilibrium value in the heavy fraction was twofold more than that in the inorganic treatments; however, for the paddy soil developed on red soil the OM equilibrium value in the heavy fraction for both treatments was almost identical. It suggested that for fiuvo-aquic soils the increased potential of OM for the heavy fraction in the long run was larger for the organic than the inorganic fertilizer applications, whereas for paddy soils developed on red soils under the same conditions the present OM content in the heavy fraction was at or close to this equilibrium level for all treatments, and increased potential was very limited.

Distribution of Soil Zinc，Iron，Copper and Manganese Fractions and Its Relationship with Plant Availability

The distribution of various fractions of Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn in 15 types of sods in China and its rela-tionship with plant availability were studied. Wactions of various elements were found to have some similarcharacteristic distribution regularities in wirious types of soils, but various soil types derered to varyingdegrees in the distribution of each fraction. Soil physico-chemical properties, such as pH, CEC and thecontents of OM, CaCO_3, free Fe, free Mn and P_2O_5, were signdicantly correlated with the distribution ofelemental fractions, and a significazit correlation also existed between the distribution and plant amilabilityof elemental fractions. Varfous fractions of each element were divided into two groups bed on their plantavailability. The correlation between the distribution of combination fractions aiid plaxit availability indi-cated a significantly or an extremely significantly positive correlation for Group I but a significantly or anextremely significantly negative correlation for Group II. Therefore, the fractions in Group I were primarypools of available nutrients, while those in Group II could hardly provide available nutrients for plants. Descreasing the transformation of corresponding elements into fractions of Group 11 and increasing the storagecapacity of various fractions of Group I were an important direction for regulation and controiling of soilnutrients. However, some Particular soils with too high contents of Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn should be regulatedand controlled adversely