Shifts in Carbon Stocks through Soil Profiles Following Management Change in Intensive Agricultural Systems

Soil carbon content is an important ecosystem property, especially under the ongoing climate change. The stability of soil organic matter (SOM) is controlled by environmental and biological factors including anthropogenic-induced agricultural management change. However, understanding the effects of anthropogenic activities (e.g., intensive agricultural practices) on carbon stability of soil profiles remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in carbon stocks through soil profiles following agricultural management change from grain fields to greenhouse vegetable fields. The sampling sites were located in an intensive vegetable production area in northernChina. A total of 20 pairs of grain fields (GF) and adjacent vegetable fields (VF) within a distance of50 mwere selected. The results showed that soil organic carbon (SOC) storage increased by 10.6 mg C ha-1 in upper soil layers but decreased by 5.3 mg C hm2 indeeper soil layers due to large input of organic manure and chemical fertilizer following the conversion from GF to VF. Conversion to VF also led to increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations. Extremely higher input of chemical N fertilizer in the VF led to the soil C:N ratio decreased by 2.02 times and the -N leached to deeper soils increased by 3.7 times compared to that in the GF. The pH value and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content were lower in the VF than in the GF. These results indicate that excessive nitrogen application as fertilizers might lead to deeper soil carbon depletion. Reducing nitrogen addition in intensive agricultural systems is thus necessary to reduce soil carbon loss and to maintain a relatively sustainable soil system.

The impact of the accumulation of algal blooms on reed wetlands in the littoral zones of Chaohu Lake

In a large eutrophic lake,the littoral zone is normally an area with high-density elevated aquatic plant life,including algal blooms,where the presence of reed wetlands allows the accumulation of algae.In this study,the impact of accumulated algal blooms in reed wetlands in the littoral zone s of Chaohu Lake was investigated seasonally from 2018 to 2019.The concentrations of chlorophyll a(Chl a),total nitrogen(TN),and total phosphorus(TP)were much higher in the reed-covered littoral zones(RCLZ)than in the unvegetated littoral zones(ULZ),indicating that more algal biomass was trapped and accumulated in the RCLZ.Algal biomass could be horizontally transported to downwind littoral zones under low wind speeds,favoring the establishment of blooms.Algal accumulation levels were highest in summer due to high water temperatures and algal biomasses.Likewise,the northern littoral zones were conducive to the development of large algal blooms because of the wind pattern.The values of TN,TP,Chl a,and loss on ignition in surface sediments were higher in the RCLZ than in the ULZ.Moreover,the diffusive fluxes of ammonium and soluble reactive pho sphorus were also higher in the RCLZ than in the ULZ.Considering the capability of reed wetlands to trap algae,mechanical salvage and other physical methods should be adopted to eliminate algal biomass when massive blooms accumulate in the RCLZ.

Accumulation and potential sources of heavy metals in soils of the Hetao area,Inner Mongolia,China

Soil contamination by heavy metals is a problem in agricultural irrigation systems.To assess the accumulation and sources of heavy metals in the Yongji irrigation district of the Hetao area,Inner Mongolia,China,195 soil samples from 39 sites(0–100 cm)were collected,and Zn,Cu,Pb,Cr,and Cd concentrations were analyzed.The mean concentrations were 107.17,32.48,12.31,53.53,and 0.22 mg kg-1,respectively,with no significant differences between soil depths(P>0.05).Concentrations of Zn,Cu,and Cd were higher than the background levels,with moderate accumulation;the contamination factor(CF)values were 1.9,1.7,and 1.9,respectively,and the geoaccumulation index(Igeo)was>0.Concentrations of Pb and Cr were lower than,or close to,the background levels(CF<1,Igeo<0),indicating that they originated from a natural source.The monomial potential ecological risk index(Eri)for Zn,Cu,Pb,and Cr was low;Eri for Cd was 55.73,implying a moderate risk.The grade of potential ecological risk index of the five heavy metals(RI)was low,declining from south to north.The studied soils were contaminated with Zn,Cu,and Cd;principal component(PC)analysis implicated the enrichment of Cd and partial Cu(high loading in PC 2)was related to agricultural activities;Zn and partial Cu,closely associated with PC 3,may have originated from irrigation water from the Yellow River.Future agricultural development should focus on fertilizer and pesticide application and the quality of irrigation water.

Impact of Land Use and Soil Fertility on Distributions of Soil Aggregate Fractions and Some Nutrients

The size distribution of water-stable aggregates and the variability of organic C,N and P contents over aggregate size fractions were studied for orchard,upland,paddy,and grassland soils with high,medium,and low fertility levels.The results showed that > 5 mm aggregates in the cultivated upland and paddy soils were 44.0% and 32.0%,respectively,less than those in the un-tilled orchard soil.Organic C and soil N in different size aggregate fractions in orchard soil with high fertility were significantly higher than those of other land uses.However,the contents of soil P in different size aggregates were significantly greater in the paddy soil as compared to the other land uses.Soil organic C,N and P contents were higher in larger aggregates than those in smaller ones.The amount of water-stable aggregates was positively correlated to their contribution to soil organic C,N and P.For orchard and grassland soils,the > 5 mm aggregates made the greatest contribution to soil nutrients,while for upland soil,the 0.25-0.053 mm aggregates contributed the most to soil nutrients.Therefore,the land use with minimum disturbance was beneficial for the formation of a better soil structure.The dominant soil aggregates in different land use types determined the distribution of soil nutrients.Utilization efficiency of soil P could be improved by converting other land uses to the paddy soil.

Effects of inorganic arsenic on growth and microcystin production of a Microcystis strain isolated from an algal bloom in Dianchi Lake,China

Our previous data have shown that inorganic arsenic concentrations were high in Dianchi Lake,China,where Microcystis blooms often occur.To explore the relationship between arsenic and the growth of Microcystis,the effects of arsenite[As(III)]and arsenate[As(V)]on the growth and toxin production of M.aeruginosa strain FACHB 905 were tested.Results showed that M.aeruginosa FACHB 905 was tolerant to inorganic arsenic and its growth was not inhibited when the concentration of As(III)was below 10-5 mol L-1 or that of As(V)below 10-3 mol L-1.Total microcystin production was stimulated in the presence of 10-7 mol L-1 As(III)and the response of this M.aeruginosa strain to As(III)seemed to be a typical inverted U-shaped hormesis.The content increase of microcystin-LR per cell indicated that the toxicity was enhanced as M.aeruginosa FACHB 905 was exposed to As(V).Considering the relatively high concentration of inorganic arsenic in Dianchi Lake(139μg L-1 in epilimnetic water),the origin of the M.aeruginosa strain,inorganic arsenic favors survival of M.aeruginosa FACHB 905 and may stimulate its microcystin production and cellular toxicity.

An Integrated Quantitative Method to Simultaneously Monitor Soil Erosion and Non-Point Source Pollution in an Intensive Agricultural Area

In China, some areas with intensive agricultural use are facing serious environmental problems caused by non-point source pollution(NPSP) as a consequence of soil erosion(SE). Until now, simultaneous monitoring of NPSP and SE is difficult due to the intertwined effects of crop type, topography and management in these areas. In this study, we developed a new integrated method to simultaneously monitor SE and NPSP in an intensive agricultural area(about 6 000 km2) of Nanjing in eastern China, based on meteorological data,a geographic information system database and soil and water samples, and identified the main factors contributing to NPSP and SE by calculating the NPSP and SE loads in different sub-areas. The levels of soil total nitrogen(TN), total phosphorus(TP), available nitrogen(AN) and available phosphorus(AP) could be used to assess and predict the extent of NPSP and SE status in the study area.The most SE and NPSP loads occurred between April to August. The most seriously affected area in terms of SE and NPSP was the Jiangning District, implying that the effective management of SE and NPSP in this area should be considered as a priority. The sub-regions with higher vegetation coverage contributed to less SE and NPSP, confirming the conclusions of previous studies, namely that vegetation is an effective factor controlling SE and NPSP. Our quantitative method has both high precision and reliability for the simultaneous monitoring of SE and NPSP occurring in intensive agricultural areas.