Soil organic carbon contents, aggregate stability,and humic acid composition in different alpine grasslands in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Alpine grassland soils on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau store approximately 33.5 Pg of organic carbon(C) at 0–0.75 m depth and play an important role in the global carbon cycle.We investigated soil organic C(SOC),water-soluble organic C(WSOC),easily oxidizable organic C(EOC),humic C fractions,aggregate-associated C,aggregate stability,and humic acid(HA) composition along an east-west transect across Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,and explored their spatial patterns and controlling factors.The contents of SOC,WSOC,EOC,humic C fractions and aggregate-associated C,the proportions of macroaggregates(2-0.25) and micro-aggregates(0.25-0.053 mm),and the aggregate stability indices all increased in the order alpine desert < alpine steppe < alpine meadow.The alkyl C,O-alkyl C,and aliphatic C/aromatic C ratio of HA increased as alpine desert < alpine meadow < alpine steppe,and the trends were reverse for the aromatic C and HB/HI ratio.Mean annual precipitation and aboveground biomass weresignificantly correlated with the contents of SOC and its fractions,the proportions of macro- and microaggregates,and the aggregate stability indices along this transect.Among all these C fractions,SOC content and aggregate stability were more closely associated with humic C and silt and clay sized C in comparison with WSOC,EOC,and macro- and microaggregate C.The results suggested that alpine meadow soils containing higher SOC exhibited high soil aggregation and aggregate stability.Mean annual precipitation should be the main climate factor controlling the spatial patterns of SOC,soil aggregation,and aggregate stability in this region.The resistant and stable C fractions rather than labile C fractions are the major determinant of SOC stocks and aggregate stability.

Organic carbon losses by eroded sediments from sloping vegetable fields in South China

Soil Organic Carbon(SOC) is the most important component of soil. Though small, it determines soil fertility and prevents soil losses. In this study, we examined relationships between the Particle–Size Distribution(PSD) of the eroded sediment and SOC loss, and evaluated the effects of plant coverage ratios(0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, 60% and 90%), slope lengths(2 m, 4 m), fertilizer treatments(unfertilized control(CK), compound N–P–K fertilizer(CF), and organic fertilizer(OF)) on SOC loss and the SOC enrichment ratio(ERSOC) in the eroded sediments. The experimental results showed that longer slope length and lower surface cover ratios produced larger surface runoff and the eroded sediments, resulting in larger SOC losses. The average SOC loss was greatest in the OF treatment and SOC loss was mainly associated with the eroded sediment. Surface runoff, which causes soil erosion, is a selective transportation process, hence there were more claysized particles(<2 μm) and silt-sized particles(2-50 μm) in the eroded sediments than in the original soils. SOC was enriched in the eroded sediments relative to in the original soil when ERSOC > 1. ERSOC was positively correlated with ER_(clay)(<2 μm)(R^2 = 0.68) and ERfine silt(2–20 μm)(R^2 = 0.63), and from all thesize particle categories of the original soil or the eroded sediments, more than 95% of SOC was concentrated in small-sized particles(<50 μm). The distribution of SOC in different-sized particles of the original soil and the eroded sediment is primarily associated with clay-sized particles and fine silt-sized particles, thus we conclude that as the eroded sediment particles became finer, more SOC was absorbed, resulting in more severe SOC loss.

Fertilization increases paddy soil organic carbon density

Field experiments provide an opportunity to study the effects of fertilization on soil organic carbon(SOC) sequestration.We sampled soils from a long-term(25 years) paddy experiment in subtropical China.The experiment included eight treatments:(1) check,(2) PK,(3) NP,(4) NK,(5) NPK,(6) 7F:3M(N,P,K inorganic fertilizers+30% organic N),(7) 5F:5M(N,P,K inorganic fertilizers+50% organic N),(8) 3F:7M(N,P,K inorganic fertilizers+70% or-ganic N).Fertilization increased SOC content in the plow layers compared to the non-fertilized check treatment.The SOC density in the top 100 cm of soil ranged from 73.12 to 91.36 Mg/ha.The SOC densities of all fertilizer treatments were greater than that of the check.Those treatments that combined inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments had greater SOC densities than those receiving only inorganic fertilizers.The SOC density was closely correlated to the sum of the soil carbon converted from organic amendments and rice residues.Carbon sequestration in paddy soils could be achieved by balanced and combined fertilization.Fertilization combining both inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments is an effective sustainable practice to sequestrate SOC.