The effects of co-utilizing green manure and rice straw on soil aggregates and soil carbon stability in a paddy soil in southern China

The co-utilization of green manure (GM) and rice straw (RS) in paddy fields has been widely applied as an effective practice in southern China.However,its effects on soil aggregate and soil organic carbon (SOC) stability remain unclear.In the present study,the effect of GM,RS,and co-utilization of GM and RS on particle size distribution of soil aggregates and SOC density fractions were measured in a field experiment.The experiment included six treatments,i.e.,winter fallow (WF) without RS return (Ctrl),WF with 50%RS return (1/2RS),WF with 100%RS return (RS),GM without RS return (GM),GM with 50%RS return (GM1/2RS) and GM with 100%RS return (GMRS).The results showed that the proportion of small macro-aggregates (0.25–2 mm) and the mean weight diameter (MWD) of aggregates in the GMRS treatment was greater (by 18.9 and 3.41%,respectively) than in the RS treatment,while the proportion of silt+clay particles (<0.053 mm) was lower (by 14.4%).The concentration of SOC in microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm)and silt+clay particles was higher in the GMRS treatment than in GM and RS treatments individually.The concentration and proportion of free light organic carbon (fLOC) in aggregates of various particle sizes and bulk soil was greater in the GMRS treatment than the RS treatment,whereas the concentration and proportion of mineral-associated organic carbon in small macroaggregates,microaggregates,and bulk was lower in the GMRS treatment than in the RS treatment.The proportion of intra-aggregate particulate organic carbon (iPOC) was greater in the GMRS treatment than in GM treatment.The GMRS treatment had strong positive effects on iPOC in small macroaggregates,suggesting that SOC was transferred from fLOC to iPOC.In conclusion,co-utilizing green manure and rice straw cultivated the SOC pool by increasing the concentration of fLOC and improved soil carbon stability by promoting the sequestration of organic carbon in iPOC as a form of physical protection.

Predicting herbicides concentrations in paddy water and runoff to the river basin

This study was conducted to investigate the dissipation pattern and runoff of herbicides to the river basin from the paddy fields. Pesticide paddy field model(PADDY) was applied to predict herbicide concentration in paddy fields. A field study was conducted in a paddy farm of Higashi Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan in the year of 2003 paddy season. The herbicides were mefenacet, thiobencarb, and bensulfuron methyl. The sample water was analyzed by using gas chromatography and HPLC after solid phase extraction. Predicted dissipation rate of thiobencarb in paddy water was higher(DT_ 50 = 4 36) than that measured, with a lower k value(-0 069). Two weeks after application no thiobencarb was detected in the drainage channel and down stream. In the down stream, thiobencarb was detected until 3 d after application, with a range of 0 02% to 0 08% of applied herbicide. The predicted dissipation rate(k) and half-life(DT_ 50 ) of mefenacet was not significantly different from that of measured. In the drainage channel, upstream and downstream mefenacet was found during the whole study period. In downstream, the maximum concentration of mefenacet was present 0 61% of applied in the paddy field on 3DAH. The dissipation rate(k) of BSM varied from -0 0860 to -0 1059 to with half-life(DT_ 50 ) 3 5 and 2 84 d. In upstream water, no BSM was detected except trace amounts(0 01 μg/L) at 3 d after application. However, in the drainage channel 8%, 6% and 1 58% of applied BSM was present at 0, 1 and 3 d after application respectively. In the down stream, the highest concentration was 1 06%, shortly after application.

Topsoil organic carbon mineralization and CO_2 evolution of three paddy soils from South China and the temperature dependence

Carbon mineralization and its response to climatic warming have been receiving global attention for the last decade. Although the virtual influence of temperature effect is still in great debate, little is known on the mineralization of organic carbon （SOC） of paddy soils of China under warming. SOC mineralization of three major types of China＇s paddy soils is studied through laboratory incubation for 114 d under soil moisture regime of 70% water holding capacity at 20℃ and 25℃ respectively. The carbon that mineralized as CO2 evolved was measured every day in the first 32 d and every two days in the following days. Carbon mineralized during the 114 d incubation ranged from 3.51 to 9.22 mg CO2-C/gC at 20℃ and from 4.24 to 11.35 mg CO2-C/gC at 25℃ respectively; and a mineralizable C pool in the range of 0.24 to 0.59 gC/kg, varying with different soils. The whole course of C mineralization in the 114 d incubation could be divided into three stages of varying rates, representing the three subpools of the total mineralizable C： very actively mineralized C at 1-23 d, actively tnineralized C at 24--74 d and a slowly mineralized pool with low and more or less stabilized C mineralization rate at 75-114 d. The calculated Q10 values ranged from 1.0 to 2.4, varying with the soil types and N status. Neither the total SOC pool nor the labile C pool could account for the total mineralization potential of the soils studied, despite a well correlation of labile C with the shortly and actively mineralized C, which were shown in sensitive response to soil warming. However, the portion of microbial C pool and the soil C/N ratio controlled the C mineralization and the temperature dependence. Therefore, C sequestration may not result in an increase of C mineralization proportionally. The relative control of C bioavailability and microbial metabolic activity on C mineralization with respect to stabilization of sequestered C in the paddy soils of China is to be further studied.

Organic carbon stratification and size distribution of three typical paddy soils from Taihu Lake region,China

Developing realistic soil carbon （C） sequestration strategies for China＇s sustainable agriculture relies on accurate estimates of the amount, retention and turnover rates of C stored in paddy soils. Available C estimates to date are predominantly for the tilled and flood-irrigated surface topsoil （ca. 30 cm）. Such estimates cannot be used to extrapolate to soil depths of 100 cm since soil organic carbon （SOC） generally shows a sharp decrease with depth. In this research, composite soil samples were collected at several depths to 100 cm from three representative paddy soils in the Taihu Lake region, China. Soil organic carbon distribution in the profiles and in aggregate-size fractions was determined. Results showed that while SOC decreased exponentially with depth to 100 cm, a substantial proportion of the total SOC （30%-40%） is stored below the 30 cm depth. In the carbon-enriched paddy topsoils, SOC was found to accumulate preferentially in the 2-0.25 and 0.25-0.02 mm aggregate size fractions. δ^13C analysis of the coarse micro-aggregate fraction showed that the high degree of C stratification in the paddy topsoil was in agreement with the occurrence of lighter δ^1313C in the upper 30 cm depth. These results suggest that SOC stratification within profiles varies with different pedogenetical types of paddy soils with regards to clay and iron oxyhydrates distributions. Sand-sized fractions of aggregates in paddy soil systems may play a very important role in carbon sequestration and turnover, dissimilar to other studied agricultural systems.

Phospholipid fatty acid patterns of microbial communities in paddy soil under different fertilizer treatments

The microbial communities under irrigated rice cropping with different fertilizer treatments, including control （CK）, PK, NK, NP, NPK fertilization, were investigated using phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） profile method. The results of this study revealed that the fertilizer practice had an impact on the community structure of specific microbial groups. The principal components analysis （PCA） showed that proportion of the actinomycete PLFAs （10Me 18：0 and 10Me 16：0） were the lowest in the PK treatment and the highest in the NPK treatment, which means that soil nitrogen status affected the diversity of actinomycetes, whereas nitrogen cycling was related to the actinomycets. Under CK treatment, the ratio of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria was lower compared with that in fertilizer addition treatments, indicating that fertilizer application stimulated Gram-positive bacterial population in paddy soil. The fatty acid 18：2to6,9, which is considered to be predominantly of fungal origin, was at low level in all the treatments. The ratio of cyl9：0 to 18：1 to7, which has been proposed as an indicator of stress conditions, decreased in PK treatment. Changes of soil microbial community under different fertilizer treatments of paddy soil were detected in this study; however, the causes that lead to changes in the microbial community still needs further study.

Effects of Long-Term Winter Planted Green Manure on Distribution and Storage of Organic Carbon and Nitrogen in Water-Stable Aggregates of Reddish Paddy Soil Under a Double-Rice Cropping System

In agricultural systems, maintenance of soil organic matter has long been recognized as a strategy to reduce soil degradation. Manure amendments and green manures are management practices that can increase some nutrient contents and improve soil aggregation. We investigated the effects of 28 yr of winter planted green manure on soil aggregate-size distribution and aggregateassociated carbon（C） and nitrogen（N）. The study was a randomized completed block design with three replicates. The treatments included rice-rice-fallow, rice-rice-rape, rice-rice-Chinese milk vetch and rice-rice-ryegrass. The experiment was established in 1982 on a silty light clayey paddy soil derived from Quaternary red clay（classified as Fe-Accumuli-Stagnic Anthrosols） with continuous early and late rice. In 2009, soil samples were collected（0-15 cm depth） from the field treatment plots and separated into water-stable aggregates of different sizes（i.e., 〉5, 2-5, 1-2, 0.5-1, 0.25-0.5 and 〈0.25 mm） by wet sieving. The long-term winter planted green manure significantly increased total C and N, and the formation of the 2-5-mm water-stable aggregate fraction. Compared with rice-rice-rape, rice-rice-Chinese milk vetch and rice-rice-ryegrass, the rice-rice-fallow significantly reduced 2-5-mm water-stable aggregates, with a significant redistribution of aggregates into micro-aggregates. Long-term winter planted green manure obviously improved C/N ratio and macro-aggregate-associated C and N. The highest contribution to soil fertility was from macro-aggregates of 2-5 mm in most cases.

Effects of Long-Term Winter Planted Green Manure on Physical Properties of Reddish Paddy Soil Under a Double-Rice Cropping System

Soil physical properties are important indicators of the potential for agricultural production.Our objective was to evaluate the effects of long-term inputs of green manures on physical properties of a reddish paddy soil（Fe-Typic Hapli-Stagnic Anthrosols） under a double cropping system.The common cropping pattern before the study was early-late rice-fallow（winter）.The field treatments included rice-rice-fallow（R-R-WF）,rice-rice-rape（R-R-RP）,rice-rice-Chinese milk vetch（RR-MV）,and rice-rice-ryegrass（R-R-RG）.The rape,Chinese milk vetch and ryegrass were all incorporated as green manures 15 d before early rice transplanting during the following year.The soil bulk density in all green manure treatments was significantly reduced compared with the winter fallow treatment.Soil porosity with green manure applications was significantly higher than that under the winter fallow.The green manure treatments had higher 0.25-5 mm water stable aggregates and aggregates stabilities in the plow layer（0-15 cm depth） compared with the fallow treatment.The mean weight diameter（MWD） and normalized mean weight diameter（NMWD） of aggregates in the green manure treatment were larger than that with the winter fallow.Soil given green manure retained both a higher water holding capacity in the plow layer soil,and a larger volume of moisture at all matric potentials（-10,-33 and-100 kPa）.We conclude that the management of double-rice fields in southern central China should be encouraged to use green manures along with chemical fertilizers to increase SOC content,improve soil physical properties and soil fertility.

Effects of straw and biochar addition on soil nitrogen,carbon,and super rice yield in cold waterlogged paddy soils of North China

The additions of straw and biochar have been suggested to increase soil fertility, carbon sequestration, and crop produc- tivity of agricultural lands. To our knowledge, there is little information on the effects of straw and biochar addition on soil nitrogen form, carbon storage, and super rice yield in cold waterlogged paddy soils. We performed field trials with four treatments including conventional fertilization system （CK）, straw amendment 6 t ha^-1 （S）, biochar amendment 2 t ha^-1 （C1）, and biochar amendment 40 t ha^-1 （C2）. The super japonica rice variety, Shennong 265, was selected as the test Crop. The results showed that the straw and biochar amendments improved total nitrogen and organic carbon content of the soil, reduced N2O emissions, and had little influence on nitrogen retention, nitrogen density, and CO2 emissions. The S and C1 increased NH4^＋-N content, and C2 increased NO3^--N content. Both S and C1 had little influence on soil organic carbon density （SOCD） and C/N ratio. However, C2 greatly increased SOCD and C/N ratio. C1 and C2 significantly improved the soil carbon sequestration （SCS） by 62.9 and 214.0% （P〈0.05）, respectively, while S had no influence on SCS. C1 and C2 maintained the stability of super rice yield, and significantly reduced CH4 emissions, global warming potential （GWP）, and greenhouse gas intensity （GHGI）, whereas S had the opposite and negative effects. In summary, the biochar amendments in cold waterlogged paddy soils of North China increased soil nitrogen and carbon content, improved soil carbon sequestration, and reduced GHG emission without affecting the yield of super rice.

Long-Term Effect of Fertilizer and Rice Straw on Mineral Composition and Potassium Adsorption in a Reddish Paddy Soil

Increasing K＋ adsorption can be an effective alternative in building an available K pool in soils to optimize crop recovery and minimize losses into the environment. We hypothesized that long-term fertilization might change K＋ adsorption because of changes in the chemical and mineralogical properties of a rice （Oryza sativa L.）. The aims of this study were （i） to determine clay minerals in paddy soil clay size fractions using X-ray diffraction methods and a numerical diagramdecomposition method; （ii） to measure K＋ adsorption isotherms before and after H202 oxidation of organic matter, and （iii） to investigate whether K＋ adsorption is correlated with changes in soil chemical and mineral properties. The 30-yr longterm fertilization treatments caused little change in soil organic C （SOC） but a large variation in soil mineral composition. The whole-clay fraction （〈5 Jam） corresponded more to the fertilization treatment than the fine-clay fraction （〈1 gin） in terms of percentage of illite peak area. The total percentage of vermiculite-chlorite peak area was significantly negatively correlated with the total percentage ofillite peak area in the 〈5 lam soil particles （R=-0.946, P〈0.0006）. Different fertilization treatments gave significantly different results in K＋ adsorption. The SOC oxidation test showed positive effects of SOC on K＋ adsorption at lower K＋ concentration （≤120 mg L-0 and negative effects at higher K＋ concentration （240 mg L-l）. The K＋ adsorption by soil clay minerals after SOC oxidization accounted for 60-158% of that by unoxidized soils, suggesting a more important role of soil minerals than SOC on K＋ adsorption. The K＋ adsorption potential was significantly correlated to the amount of poorly crystallized illite present （R--0.879, P=0.012）. The availability of adsorbed K＋ for plant growth needs further study.

Comparison of Manual and Automatic Methods for Measurement of Methane Emission from Rice Paddy Fields

S The methane emission flux from rice paddies was simultaneously measured with automatic and manual methods in the suburban of Suzhou. Both methods were based on the static chamber/GC-FID techniques. Detail analysis of the experimental results indicates: a) The data of methane emission measured with the automatic method is reliable. b) About 11 or 19 o′clock of local time is recommended as the optimum sampling time for the manual spot measurement of methane emission from rice paddies. The methane emission fluxes measured by manual sampling at local time other than the optimum time have to be corrected. The correction coefficient may be determined by automatic and continuous measurement. c) In order to get a more accurate result, an empirical correction factor, such as 18%, is recommended to correct the seasonally total amount of measured methane emission by enlarging the automatically measured data or reducing the manually measured ones.

Adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) in paddy soils cultivated for various years in the subtropical China

The adsorption and desorption of Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ） on upland red soil,and paddy soils which were originated from the upland soil and cultivated for 8,15,35 and 85 years,were investigated using the batch method.The study showed that the organic matter content and cation exchange capacity （CEC） of the soils are important factors controlling the adsorption and desorption of Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ）.The 15-Year paddy soil had the highest adsorption capacity for Pb（Ⅱ）,followed by the 35-Year paddy soil.Both the 35-Year paddy soil and 15-Year paddy soil adsorbed more Cu（Ⅱ） than the upland soil and other paddy soils.The 15-Year paddy soils exhibited the highest desorption percentage for both Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ）.These results are consistent with the trend for the CEC of the soils tested.The high soil CEC contributes not only to the adsorption of Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ） but also to the electrostatic adsorption of the two heavy metals by the soils.Lower desorption percentages for Cu（Ⅱ） （36.7% to 42.2%） and Pb（Ⅱ） （50.4% to 57.9%） were observed for the 85-Year paddy soil.The highest content of organic matter in the soil was responsible for the low desorption percentages for the two metals because the formation of the complexes between the organic matter and the metals could increase the stability of the heavy metals in the soils.

Effects of long-term green manure application on the content and structure of dissolved organic matter in red paddy soil

Dissolved organic matter(DOM) plays important roles in soil biogeochemistry activity and nutrients transportation in soils, but studies regarding the long-term effects of green manures on the content and structure of DOM in red paddy soil have not been reported yet. A long-term green manure experiment established in 1982 was utilized to test the DOM contents in different treatments, and the spectral characteristics of DOM were investigated by using ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis) spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectrometry. The experiment included four cropping systems: ricerice-milk vetch(RRV), rice-rice-rape(RRP), rice-rice-ryegrass(RRG) and rice-rice-winter fallow(RRF), among them, milk vetch, rape, and ryegrass are popular winter green manure species in southern China. The results showed that the content of dissolved organic carbon(DOC), which is widely used to estimate the concentration of DOM, was significantly promoted after the incorporation of green manures compared with the other sampling stages. The contents of aromatic groups and the degree of humification of DOM increased in RRV and RRP, suggesting more complex compositions of the soil DOM after long-term application of milk vetch and rape. The contents of phenol, alcohol and carboxylic acid group at the mature stage of early rice were significantly higher than those at the stage of after green manures turned over, especially for the RRV treatment. The absorption ratio of FTIR indicated that winter plantation of rape increased the aromatic-C/aliphatic-C ratio, and ryegrass increased the aromatic-C/carboxyl-C ratio. In conclusion, long-term planting of milk vetch and rape as green manures increased the degree of aromaticity, humification and average molecular weight of DOM, and made the DOM more stable in red paddy soil.

Nitrous oxide emission and reduction in a laboratory-incubated paddy soil response to pretreatment of water regime

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to investigate nitrous oxide(N 2O) emission and reduction in a paddy soil(Stagnic Anthrosol) response to the pretreatment of water regime. The paddy soil was maintained under either air dried(sample D) or submerged(sample F) conditions for 110 d before the soil was adjusted into soil moisture of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% water holding capacity(WHC) respectively, and then incubated with or without 10%(v/v) acetylene for 138 h at 25℃. At lower soil water content (≤60% WHC), N 2O emission from the sample F was 2 29 times higher than that from the sample D( P <0 01). While, N 2O emission from the sample F was only 29 and 14 percent of that from the sample D at the soil moisture of 80% and 100% WHC, respectively( P <0 01). The maximal N 2O emissions observed at soil moisture of 80% WHC were about 24 and 186 times higher than the minima obtained at the soil moisture of 20% WHC for the sample F and D, respectively. But at the soil moisture of 80% and 100% WHC, N 2O emission from the sample F with acetylene(F+ACE) was comparable to that of the sample D with acetylene (D+ACE). The results showed that the F sample produced N 2O ability in denitrification was similar to the sample D, however, the sample F was in the better reduction of N 2O to N 2 than the sample D even after the soil moisture was adjusted into the same level of 80% or 100% WHC. Therefore, the pretreatment of water regime influenced the strength and product composition of denitrification and N 2O emission from the paddy soil.

Effects of long-term straw return on soil organic carbon fractions and enzyme activities in a double-cropped rice paddy in South China

Long-term straw return is an important carbon source for improving soil organic carbon(SOC) stocks in croplands, and straw removal through burning is also a common practice in open fields in South China. However, the specific effects of long-term rice straw management on SOC fractions, the related enzyme activities and their relationships, and whether these effects differ between crop growing seasons remain unknown. Three treatments with equal nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium nutrient inputs, including straw/ash and chemical nutrients, were established to compare the effects of straw removal(CK), straw return(SR), and straw burned return(SBR). Compared to CK, long-term SR tended to improve the yield of early season rice(P=0.057), and significantly increased total organic carbon(TOC) and microbial biomass carbon(MBC) in double-cropped rice paddies. While SBR had no effect on TOC, it decreased light fraction organic carbon(LFOC) in early rice and easily oxidizable organic carbon(EOC) in late rice, significantly increased dissolved organic carbon(DOC), and significantly decreased soil p H. These results showed that MBC was the most sensitive indicator for assessing changes of SOC in the double-cropped rice system due to long-term straw return. In addition, the different effects on SOC fraction sizes between SR and SBR were attributed to the divergent trends in most of the soil enzyme activities in the early and late rice that mainly altered DOC, while DOC was positively affected by β-xylosidase in both early and late rice. We concluded that straw return was superior to straw burned return for improving SOC fractions, but the negative effects on soil enzyme activities in late rice require further research.

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.

Effect of various crop rotations on rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency in paddy–upland systems in southeastern China

To evaluate the effects of various rotation systems on rice grain yield and N use efficiency, a paddy–upland cropping experiment(2013–2016) was conducted in southeastern China. The experiment was designed using six different rice––winter crop rotations: rice–fallow(RF),rice–wheat(RW), rice–potato with rice straw mulch(RP), rice–green manure(Chinese milk vetch; RC–G), rice–oilseed rape(RO), and rice–green manure crop(oilseed rape with fresh straw incorporated into soil at flowering; RO–G) and three N rates, N0(0 kg N ha-1), N1(142.5 kg N ha-1), and N2(202.5 kg N ha-1). Average rice yields in the RF(5.93 t ha-1) rotation were significantly lower than those in the rotations with winter crops(7.20–7.48 t ha-1)under the N0 treatment, suggesting that incorporation of straw might be more effective for increasing soil N than winter fallow. The rice yield differences among the rotations varied by year with the N input. In general, the grain yields in the RP and RO–G rotations –were respectively 11.6–28.5% and 14.80–37.19% higher than those in the RF in plots with N applied. Increasing the N rate may have tended to minimize the average yield gap between the RF and the other rotations; the yield gaps were 18.55%, 4.14%, and 0.23% in N0, N1, and N2, respectively. However, the N recovery efficiency in the RF was significantly lower than that in other rotations, except for 2015 under both N1 and N2 rates, a finding that implies a large amount of chemical N loss. No significant differences in nitrogen agronomic efficiency(NAE) and physiological efficiency(NPE) were found between the rotations with legume(RC–G) and non–legume(RO and RW) winter crops, a result that may be due partly to straw incorporation. For this reason, we concluded that the return of straw could reduce differences in N use efficiency between rotations with and without legume crops. The degree of synchrony between the crop N demand and the N supply was evaluated by comparison of nitrogen balance degree(NBD) values. The NBD values in the RP and RW were significantly lower than those in the other rotations under both N1 and N2 rates. Thus,in view of the higher grain yield in the RP compared to the RW under the N1 rate, the RP rotation might be a promising practice with comparable grain yield and greater N use efficiency under reduced N input relative to the other rotations. The primary yield components of the RF and RP were identified as number of panicles m-2 and numbers of kernels panicle-1, respectively. The NAE and NPE were positively correlated with harvest index, possibly providing a useful indicator for evaluating N use efficiency.

Effect of microbial mediated iron plaque reduction on arsenic mobility in paddy soil

The potential of microbial mediated iron plaque reduction, and associated arsenic （As） mobility were examined by iron reducing bacteria enriched from As contaminated paddy soil. To our knowledge, this is the first time to report the impact of microbial iron plaque reduction on As mobility. Iron reduction occurred during the inoculation of iron reducing enrichment culture in the treatments with iron plaque and ferrihydrite as the electron acceptors, respectively. The Fe（II） concentration with the treatment of anthraquinone-2, 6-disulfonic acid （AQDS） and iron reducing bacteria increased much faster than the control. Arsenic released from iron plaque with the iron reduction, and a significant correlation between Fe（II） and total As in culture was observed. However, compared with control, the increasing rate of As was inhibited by iron reducing bacteria especially in the presence of AQDS. In addition, the concentrations of As（III） and As（V） in abiotic treatments were higher than those in the biotic treatments at day 30. These results indicated that both microbial and chemical reductions of iron plaque caused As release from iron plaque to aqueous phase, however, microbial iron reduction induced the formation of more crystalline iron minerals, leading to As sequestration. In addition, the presence of AQDS in solution can accelerate the iron reduction, the As release from iron plaque and subsequently the As retention in the crystalline iron mineral. Thus, our results suggested that it is possible to remediate As contaminated soils by utilizing iron reducing bacteria and AQDS.

Soil Quality Assessment of Acid Sulfate Paddy Soils with Different Productivities in Guangdong Province,China

Land conversion is considered an effective measure to ensure national food security in China, but little information is available on the quality of low productivity soils, in particular those in acid sulfate soil regions. In our study, acid sulfate paddy soils were divided into soils with high, medium and low levels based on local rice productivity, and 60 soil samples were collected for analysis. Twenty soil variables including physical, chemical and biochemical properties were determined. Those variables that were significantly different between the high, medium and low productivity soils were selected for principal component analysis, and microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, total nitrogen （TN）, available silicon （ASi）, pH and available zinc （AZn） were retained in the minimum data set （MDS）. After scoring the MDS variables, they were integrated to calculate a soil quality index （SQI）, and the high, medium and low productivity paddy soils received mean SQI scores of 0.95, 0.83 and 0.60, respectively. Low productivity paddy soils showed worse soil quality, and a large discrepancy was observed between the low and high productivity paddy soils. Lower MBC, TN, ASi, pH and available K （AK） were considered as the primary limiting factors. Additionally, all the soil samples collected were rich in available P and AZn, but deficient in AK and ASi. The results suggest that soil AK and ASi deficiencies were the main limiting factors for all the studied acid sulfate paddy soil regions. The application of K and Si on a national basis and other sustainable management approaches are suggested to improve rice productivity, especially for low productivity paddy soils. Our results indicated that there is a large potential for increasing productivity and producing more cereals in acid sulfate paddy soil regions.

Differences in Organic C Mineralization Between Aerobic and Submerged Conditions in Paddy Soils of Southern Jiangsu Province,China

Moisture regime plays a crucial role in the mineralization of soil organic carbon （SOC）. In this paper, the dynamics of SOC mineralization in typical paddy soils of Changshu, Jiangsu Province, China, was investigated by incubation test in laboratory. The differences in SOC mineralization under aerobic and submerged conditions of paddy soils were also studied. Results showed that the daily mineralization of SOC under different moisture regimes was significantly different in the whole incubation period, at the beginning of the incubation, it decreased quickly under aerobic condition, but increased rapidly under submerged condition, and both remained constant after 10 d of incubation. The differences in SOC mineralization were found to be mainly at the beginning period of the incubation and decreased along with the incubation time. Thus, the difference was not significantly different at the later incubation period. The respiration intensity, daily and cumulative mineralization of SOC under aerobic condition was 2.26-19.11, 0.96-2.41, and 0.96-2.41 times than those .under submerged condition, respectively. Statistic analyses showed that the higher the contents of microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, the more significant difference in respiration intensity between aerobic and submerged conditions, but the higher the contents of microbial biomass nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon, the more significant difference in daily mineralization of SOC between the two conditions. The decrease in soil microbial activity under submerged condition was the main reason leading to the decrease in respiration intensity, but the decrease in SOC mineralization was also correlated with the changes in dissolved organic carbon over the whole incubation period.

Changes in Soil Properties of Paddy Fields Across a Cultivation Chronosequence in Subtropical China

Rice production plays a crucial role ia the food supply of China and a better understanding of the changes in paddy soil fertility and the management effects is of practical importance for increasing rice productivity. In this study, field sampling in a typical red soil region of subtropical China, Jiangxi Province, was used to observe changes in the soil physical, chemical,and biological properties in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields. After cultivation, clay (＜ 0.002 mm) content in the soil, which was 39% in the original uncultivated wasteland, decreased to 17% in the 80-year paddy field, while silt(0.02-0.002 mm) content increased. Additionally, macroporosity increased and pore shapes became more homogeneous.Soil pH generally increased. Soil organic C and total N contents of the 0-10 cm layer increased from 4.58 and 0.39 g kg-1to 19.6 and 1.62 g kg-1, respectively, in the paddy fields after 30-year cultivation and then remained stable. Soil total P content increased from 0.5 to 1.3 g kg-1 after 3 years of rice cultivation, indicating that application of phosphate fertilizer could accelerate phosphorous accumulation in the soil. Total K content in the 0-10 cm soil layer for the 80-year paddy field decreased by 28% compared to that of the uncultivated wasteland land. Total Fe and free Fe contents declined with years of cultivation. The bacterial population increased and urease activity noticeably intensified after years of cultivation.In this chronosequence it appeared that it took 30 years to increase soil fertility to a relatively constant value that was seen after 80 years of cultivation.