A new approach to estimating the pool of stable organic matter in soil using data from long-term field experiments

It is a necessity to have a successful method to separate, quantify and define the active and passive soil organic matter pools for appropriate verification of models. In this study, the organic carbon content of long-term bare fallow soils was used as an indicator of the size of the stable soil organic matter pool. Although soil texture and soil structure are widely accepted as having an influence on the stable pool, most soil organic models neglect the relationship between soil structure and carbon stabilization. Therefore, the aim of this presentation is to estimate the size of the stable carbon pool and to relate it to soil texture and structure properties. It was calculated that over 50 yr, under bare fallow conditions, the relative decrease in the amount of carbon (C) for the most stable pools ranged between 2 and 12%. In comparison, for the less stabilized pools the relative decrease was calculated from 50 to 100%. This indicates that the organic carbon content of long-term bare fallow soils should be very similar to the size of the most stable C pool. We also observed that the amounts of carbon associated with primary particles <20 μm for numerous soils with contrasting carbon content, soil texture, and management practices showed a lower and an upper limit. Both these limits and the carbon content of long-term bare fallow soils (which were assumed to be similar to the size of the stable pool) were related to the content of primary particles <20 μm in the soil. To calculate these relationships, an equation was used including one term to describe the influence of soil texture and another to describe that of soil structure. The calculated regression for the bare fallow soils corresponded very well to the lower limit of carbon content associated with primary particles <20 μm. The upper limit was estimated only by increasing the regression parameter which is related to the amount of C per unit primary particles <20 μm. Considering the many published results of the influence of soil texture and structure on carbon stabilization processes in soil, the stable pool may be defined as the capacity of soils to sorb C. The upper limit of carbon content associated with primary particles <20 μm may be interpreted as the capacity of soil to protect C. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Management options for reducing CO2 emissions from agricultural soils

Crop-based agriculture occupies 1.7 billion hectares, globally, with a soil C stock of about 170 Pg. Of the past anthropogenic CO² additions to the atmosphere, about 50 Pg C came from the loss of soil organic matter (SOM) in cultivated soils. Improved management practices, however, can rebuild C stocks in agricultural soils and help mitigate CO² emissions.Increasing soil C stocks requires increasing C inputs and/or reducing soil heterotrophic respiration. Management options that contribute to reduced soil respiration include reduced tillage practices (especially no-till) and increased cropping intensity. Physical disturbance associated with intensive soil tillage increases the turnover of soil aggregates and accelerates the decomposition of aggregate-associated SOM. No-till increases aggregate stability and promotes the formation of recalcitrant SOM fractions within stabilized micro- and macroaggregate structures. Experiments using¹³ C natural abundance show up to a two-fold increase in mean residence time of SOM under no-till vs intensive tillage. Greater cropping intensity, i.e., by reducing the frequency of bare fallow in crop rotations and increasing the use of perennial vegetation, can increase water and nutrient use efficiency by plants, thereby increasing C inputs to soil and reducing organic matter decomposition rates.Management and policies to sequester C in soils need to consider that: soils have a finite capacity to store C, gains in soil C can be reversed if proper management is not maintained, and fossil fuel inputs for different management practices need to be factored into a total agricultural CO² balance.     

Soil properties and crop performance on a kaolinitic Alfisol after 15 years of fallow and continuous cultivation

A long-term field experiment was established on a kaolinitic Alfisol in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1972. The land was cleared manually from secondary forest and used for (i) continuous no-till cropping with maize (Zea mays L.) and maize/cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) intercropping, (ii) planted fallow of guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.), leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala de Wit), and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan Millsp.), and (iii) natural bush regrowth in a randomized complete block design with three replications. At the end of 15 years, the fallow plots were cleared manually and cropped with maize for three years. The chemical and physical soil properties and crop performance of the newly-cleared plots were compared with those under 15 years of continuous cultivation. A total of 26 woody species were identified on the bush regrowth plots. Above-ground biomass accumulation of the bush plots was 157 Mg ha^-1 containing 1316 kg N ha^-1. Guinea grass, leucaena and natural bush regrowth plots had comparable organic C concentrations (approximately 20 g kg^-1) in the surface soil (0 to 10 cm) after 15 years. The organic C concentration in the surface soil under pigeon pea was the lowest (9.5 g kg^-1) among the four fallow treatments. Soil under 15 years of continuous no-till maize with and without residue mulch, respectively, contained approximately half (10 g kg^-1) and a quarter (5.7 g kg^-1) of the organic C under natural bush or guinea grass fallow. The levels of exchangeable Ca, K, Mg and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) were lower in the soils under continuous cultivation than in those under natural bush and planted fallow. Soil acidification occurred in soils under continuous cropping as depicted by the lower pH values and greater exchangeable Al and Mn concentrations compared to the fallow plots. Grain yield of maize (3 to 5 Mg ha^-1) without fertilizer application in the plots newly cleared from natural bush, guinea grass and leucaena fallow was comparable with that of continuous no-till maize with residue mulch and chemical fertilizer (N, P, K, Mg, Zn) applications. Among the four fallow treatments, maize grain and stover yields were the lowest in plots cleared from pigeon pea fallow.     

Reversibility of Soil Productivity Decline with Organic Matter of Differing Quality Along a Degradation Gradient

In the highlands of Western Kenya, we investigated the reversibility of soil productivity decline with increasing length of continuous maize cultivation over 100 years (corresponding to decreasing soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient contents) using organic matter additions of differing quality and stability as a function of soil texture and inorganic nitrogen (N) additions. The ability of additions of labile organic matter (green and animal manure) to improve productivity primarily by enhanced nutrient availability was contrasted with the ability of stable organic matter (biochar and sawdust) to improve productivity by enhancing SOC. Maize productivity declined by 66% during the first 35 years of continuous cropping after forest clearing. Productivity remained at a low level of 3.0 t grain ha^-1 across the chronosequence stretching up to 105 years of continuous cultivation despite full N–phosphorus (P)–potassium (K) fertilization (120–100–100 kg ha⁻¹). Application of organic resources reversed the productivity decline by increasing yields by 57–167%, whereby responses to nutrient-rich green manure were 110% greater than those from nutrient-poor sawdust. Productivity at the most degraded sites (80–105 years since forest clearing) increased in response to green manure to a greater extent than the yields at the least degraded sites (5 years since forest clearing), both with full N–P–K fertilization. Biochar additions at the most degraded sites doubled maize yield (equaling responses to green manure additions in some instances) that were not fully explained by nutrient availability, suggesting improvement of factors other than plant nutrition. There was no detectable influence of texture (soils with either 11–14 or 45–49% clay) when low quality organic matter was applied (sawdust, biochar), whereas productivity was 8, 15, and 39% greater (P < 0.05) on sandier than heavier textured soils with high quality organic matter (green and animal manure) or only inorganic nutrient additions, respectively. Across the entire degradation range, organic matter additions decreased the need for additional inorganic fertilizer N irrespective of the quality of the organic matter. For low quality organic resources (biochar and sawdust), crop yields were increasingly responsive to inorganic N fertilization with increasing soil degradation. On the other hand, fertilizer N additions did not improve soil productivity when high quality organic inputs were applied. Even with the tested full N–P–K fertilization, adding organic matter to soil was required for restoring soil productivity and most effective in the most degraded sites through both nutrient delivery (with green manure) and improvement of SOC (with biochar).     

Biochar amendment of soil improves resilience to climate change

Because of climate change, insufficient soil moisture may increasingly limit crop productivity in certain regions of the world. This may be particularly consequential for biofuel crops, many of which will likely be grown in drought‐prone soils to avoid competition with food crops. Biochar is the byproduct of a biofuel production method called pyrolysis. If pyrolysis becomes more common as some scientists predict, biochar will become more widely available. We asked, therefore, whether the addition of biochar to soils could significantly increase the availability of water to a crop. Biochar made from switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) shoots was added at the rate of 1% of dry weight to four soils of varying texture, and available water contents were calculated as the difference between field capacity and permanent wilting point water contents. Biochar addition significantly increased the available water contents of the soils by both increasing the amount of water held at field capacity and allowing plants to draw the soil to a lower water content before wilting. Among the four soils tested, biochar amendment resulted in an additional 0.8–2.7 d of transpiration, which could increase productivity in drought‐prone regions or reduce the frequency of irrigation. Biochar amendment of soils may thus be a viable means of mitigating some of the predicted decrease in water availability accompanying climate change that could limit the future productivity of biofuel crops.     

Effects of length of forest fallow on fertility dynamics in a Mexican ultisol

Changes with time in the fertility of a Mexican ultisol were evaluated from analyses of soil samples from fields representing 50 years of pineapple slash-and-burn agriculture. Sixteen fields with similar soil profile charactersitics representing eight ages of forest fallow were sampled. The fields, within an area of 5 km² of nearly level tropical forest, had been cleared by hand, initially intercropped with corn and manioc, followed with 3 to 4 y of pineapple, and then abandoned. The surface soils contained relatively high levels of C and N (5% and 0.3% respectively), were strongly acid (pH 5 to 5.5), and supplied very low levels of available P and K. Soil contents of both C and N declined rapidly after clearing to levels approximately 20% lower at 10y, then increased steadily during the fallow period to values not different from their initial levels. Since little of the N released was utilized by the low-yielding, P-deficient crops, this loss of C, N and accompanying cations is a most serious consequence of this rotation. Both the exchangeable and reserve K levels of these ultisols are low. Thus, K is identified as second to P as a growth limiting factor and the most difficult fertility management problem.     

土壤湿度对中国南部热带森林土壤甲烷吸收的影响

森林土壤是一个重要的大气甲烷的汇。然而,相较于寒带和温带,在热带尤其是东南亚地区,森林土壤甲烷通量的观测较少,这限制了目前对热带森林土壤甲烷通量与环境因子之间关系的认识,也给热带森林土壤甲烷汇的估算带来了一定的不确定性。在中国海南省吊罗山国家森林公园的热带森林土壤,采用激光光谱法测量了2016年9月至2018年9月逐月的土壤甲烷通量,并分析了其与周围环境因子的关系。结果表明：研究区土壤是甲烷的汇,山顶样地的年平均吸收量为0.95 kg CH₄-C hm^-2 a^-1,山脚样地的年平均吸收量为1.93 kg CH₄-C hm^-2 a^-1。干季(11月—次年4月)的甲烷吸收通量明显高于湿季(5—10月),占到全年甲烷吸收的68%。山顶样地年平均土壤湿度为19.2%,年内的波动较小(2.8%)。而山脚样地的年平均湿度相对较低,为12.7%,且年内波动大(5.4%)。土壤湿度是控制甲烷吸收最主要的环境因子,可以解释月际甲烷吸收变化的76%,甲烷吸收通量与土壤温度的相...     

Plant-Soil-Contaminant Specificity Affects Phytoremediation of Organic Contaminants

The objective of this study was the evaluation of seven forage and conservation crop species for phytoremediation of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and pyrene-contaminated soils. TNT and pyrene were added to soil at 100 mg kg^-1. Crop species screening studies were conducted in a greenhouse and growth chambers on two soil types with different organic matter contents. Under high soil organic matter conditions, adsorption or covalent binding to the soil organic matter appeared to be a dominant force of removal limiting TNT and pyrene availability. In both soil types, pyrene dissipation could not be attributed to the presence of plants. However, in soils with lower organic matter content, all of the plant species treatments showed a significantly higher degree of TNT transformation compared with the unplanted control. Statistically significant differences in TNT transformation were observed among crop species grown in the low OM soil. Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) were the most effective species in enhancing TNT transformation. Our data indicated that use of plants was effective for phytoremediation of TNT-contaminated low OM content soils, but did not have any significant effect on pyrene dissipation. Based on these observations, it appears that plant-soil-contaminant interactions are very specific, and this specificity determines the effectiveness of phytoremediation schemes.     

西宁南山4种灌木根际和非根际土壤微生物、酶活性和养分特征

西宁南山区植被退化情况严重,人工造林植被恢复被看作是最有效的恢复手段,其中选择合适造林树种尤为关键。选择人工种植的唐古特白刺Nitraria tangutorum、柠条Caragana korshinskii、西北小蘗Berberis vernae和短叶锦鸡儿Caragana brevifolia共4种灌木树种造林试验区为研究对象,通过测定根际和非根际土壤微生物数量、酶活性及养分含量,综合比较种植4种灌木树种根际和非根际土壤肥力差异,科学评价其对土壤的改善效果。研究表明:(1)土壤微生物数量和酶活性总体呈现出根际高于非根际的规律,仅放线菌数量和脲酶活性出现了根际低于非根际现象。(2)土壤养分方面,4种灌木根际土壤和非根际土壤p H值、全N、全P、全K含量差异不显著,有机质、有效P、速效K含量均呈现出根际非根际,而碱解N则是根际非根际。(3)土壤酶活性与土壤微生物数量相关性不显著,土壤有机质含量与土壤细菌、真菌数量呈极显著正相关,有效P含量与土壤细菌、真菌和放线菌数量呈极显著正相关,速效K含量与过氧化氢酶、酸性磷酸酶活性呈显著正相关,全N、碱解N含量均与脲酶活性呈显著正相关。(4)从土壤肥力综合水平来看,根际非根际,其中根际土壤中西北小蘗柠条短叶锦鸡儿唐古特白刺,研究结果表明西北小蘗和柠条能大幅提高土壤肥力,改良土壤效果较好。     

Land use change and the global carbon cycle: the role of tropical soils

Millions of hectares of tropical forest are cleared annually for agriculture, pasture, shifting cultivation and timber. One result of these changes in land use is the release of CO₂ from the cleared vegetation and soils. Although there is uncertainty as to the size of this release, it appears to be a major source of atmospheric CO₂, second only to the release from the combustion of fossil fuels. This study estimates the release of CO₂ from tropical soils using a computer model that simulates land use change in the tropics and data on (1) the carbon content of forest soils before clearing; (2) the changes in the carbon content under the various types of land use; and (3) the area of forest converted to each use. It appears that the clearing and use of tropical soils affects their carbon content to a depth of about 40 cm. Soils of tropical closed forests contain approximately 6.7 kg C · m^-2; soils of tropical open forests contain approximately 5.2 kg C · m^-2 to this depth. The cultivation of tropical soils reduces their carbon content by 40% 5 yr after clearing; the use of these soils for pasture reduces it by about 20%. Logging in tropical forests appears to have little effect on soil carbon. The carbon content of soils used by shifting cultivators returns to the level found under primary forest about 35 yr after abandonment. The estimated net release of carbon from tropical soils due to land use change was 0.11–0.26 × 10¹⁵ g in 1980.     

长期不同施肥下水稻产量及土壤有机质和氮素养分的变化特征

利用开始于1982年的湖南祁阳官山坪水稻长期(1982-2010年)定位试验,研究不同施肥条件下水稻产量及土壤有机质、氮素养分的动态变化特征,试验设置NPK、NPKM(M为牛粪)、 NPM、NKM、PKM、M和CK等7个处理.28年长期不同施肥处理结果表明：肥料的施用均能提高土壤有机质、全氮、碱解氮含量和水稻产量.氮、磷、钾化肥+有机肥(NPKM)处理的水稻产量一直保持最高水平,氮、磷、钾化肥(NPK)处理随着试验年限的延长呈下降趋势,其水稻产量逐渐低于其他施肥处理.单施有机肥或有机无机肥配施各处理土壤有机质含量在试验开始后的前16年有一个快速增加的过程,之后略有下降,然后仍保持增长趋势;NPK化肥处理土壤有机质含量仅在试验开始后的前8年增加较快,之后在一个相对稳定的范围内波动.各施肥处理在试验开始后的前8年内土壤全氮含量均呈快速积累趋势,以NPKM处理增幅最大.各施肥处理土壤碱解氮含量在试验开始后的前12年增加较慢,平均每年增加0.66～2.25 mg·kg^-1,1994-1998年增加较快,平均每年增加6.45～32.45 mg·kg^-1;1998年之后,各施肥处理土壤碱解氮含量均略有下降,其中,有机无机肥配施处理增加较快,单施化肥处理增加较慢.表明有机肥的施用是红壤性水稻土有机质和氮素营养水平稳定提升的关键措施,是红壤稻田土壤可持续利用的重要保障.     

The nature of three ancient woodland soils in southern England

Abstract. Despite a wealth of published research on the nature of woodland soils, little is known about the nature of soils on sites that have supported woodland for many hundreds of years, namely ancient woodland. The properties and variability of soils in three ancient woods; one in the New Forest, Hampshire and two in Berkshire, were compared with those under recent woods. The acidity of ancient and recent woodland soils was high and remarkably similar. Only where cultivation of soils had preceded woodland establishment was soil acidity lower. The quantity of carbon in the soils studied was inversely related to soil acidity and the ancient woods had accumulated larger quantities of carbon than their recent counterparts. The quantities of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and K⁺ were larger in the ancient woods except where prior cultivation had taken place. Total and organic phosphate contents of the ancient woodland soils were also consistently larger. The nature and pattern of soil variability in ancient woodland soils was quite distinct from that found in recent woods. Overall, the variability of soil acidity, carbon content and organic phosphate was larger in the ancient woodland soils but the pattern of variability differed between the soil properties. No clear association existed between the pattern of soil acidity and individual trees. At the surface of some of the woodland soils, however, carbon distribution appeared to be associated with individual trees. At depth in the ancient woodland soils, the association with the existing vegetation cover was not so clear. It is probable that the ancient woodland soils retained relict features of previous vegetation cover. Organic phosphate distribution was very strongly associated with the present vegetation cover. The pattern of distribution of organic phosphate appeared to be stronger than that of soil acidity and carbon content.     

Initial cultivation of a temperate-region soil immediately accelerates aggregate turnover and CO2 and N2O fluxes

The immediate effects of tillage on protected soil C and N pools and on trace gas emissions from soils at precultivation levels of native C remain largely unknown. We measured the response to cultivation of CO₂ and N₂O emissions and associated environmental factors in a previously uncultivated U.S. Midwest Alfisol with C concentrations that were indistinguishable from those in adjacent late successional forests on the same soil type (3.2%). Within 2 days of initial cultivation in 2002, tillage significantly (P=0.001, n=4) increased CO₂ fluxes from 91 to 196 mg CO₂‐C m^?2 h^?1 and within the first 30 days higher fluxes because of cultivation were responsible for losses of 85 g CO₂‐C m^?2. Additional daily C losses were sustained during a second and third year of cultivation of the same plots at rates of 1.9 and 1.0 g C m^?2 day^?1, respectively. Associated with the CO₂ responses were increased soil temperature, substantially reduced soil aggregate size (mean weight diameter decreased 35% within 60 days), and a reduction in the proportion of intraaggregate, physically protected light fraction organic matter. Nitrous oxide fluxes in cultivated plots increased 7.7‐fold in 2002, 3.1‐fold in 2003, and 6.7‐fold in 2004 and were associated with increased soil NO₃^? concentrations, which approached 15 μg N g^?1. Decreased plant N uptake immediately after tillage, plus increased mineralization rates and fivefold greater nitrifier enzyme activity, likely contributed to increased NO₃^? concentrations. Our results demonstrate that initial cultivation of a soil at precultivation levels of native soil C immediately destabilizes physical and microbial processes related to C and N retention in soils and accelerates trace gas fluxes. Policies designed to promote long‐term C sequestration may thus need to protect soils from even occasional cultivation in order to preserve sequestered C.     

Manure Application and Cannabis Cultivation Influence on Speciation of Lead and Cadmium by Selective Sequential Extraction

The contamination of agricultural soils by heavy metals is a worldwide problem. Degradation of organic matter (OM) from organic amendments used in the remediation of metal-contaminated soils leads to changes in soil chemical properties shortly after their addition, which may affect the soil metal distribution. The effects of four differing organic amendments on chemical forms of Pb and Cd in a contaminated soil were investigated in a pot experiment of control unamended soil and soils amended with dry cow and poultry manures (20 g CM or PM kg^?1 soil), and cow and poultry manure extracts (2 g CME or PME kg^?1 soil) cultured with cannabis sativa. After eight weeks, a sequential extraction scheme was used to fractionate soil Pb and Cd into soluble-exchangeable (Sol-Exch), organic matter associated (AOM), and carbonates associated (ACar) forms. The addition of animal manures and their extracts increased the DTPA-extractable Pb and Cd in soil significantly. Soil Pb and Cd in Sol-Exch fraction were increased by manure applications. Both Pb and Cd in AOM fraction were increased by application of manures and their extracts. This increase was more obvious for Pb in application of cow and poultry manure extracts. The ACar chemical forms of Pb and Cd were also increased by application of manures and their extracts. The increases of Pb and Cd in Acar fraction was noticeable in soils treated with cow manure. Soil cultivation with cannabis sativa increased available, Sol-Exch, and AOM chemical forms of Pb in soil significantly compared to control soil. However, soil Pb and Cd in ACar fraction were decreased significantly by cannabis cultivation. The effect of cannabis cultivation on all of the Cd chemical forms (except on Sol-Exch) was similar to the results of Pb chemical forms. Plant cultivation had no significant effect on Cd in Sol-Exch chemical form.     

Changes in the spatial variation of soil properties following shifting cultivation in a Mexican tropical dry forest

The role of secondary vegetation in restoring soil fertility during shifting cultivation in the tropics is well known. Yet the effect of secondary succession on the spatial patterns of soil properties has received little attention. To determine whether changes in the plant community as a result of shifting cultivation affect the scale of spatial dependence for biologically important soil nutrients, we sampled three dry tropical forest stands in Campeche, Mexico. These stands represented a gradient of cultivation history: one mature forest stand, a forest fallow that had undergone one cultivation-fallow cycle, and a forest fallow that had undergone two cultivation-fallow cycles. We used an analysis of semivariance to quantify the scale and magnitude of spatial dependence for organic matter content (OM), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and aluminum (Al) in each stand. The scale of spatial dependence varied with cultivation history, but the degree of spatial dependence did not differ among stands. In the mature forest P and K were autocorrelated over distances >7.5 m. In the forest fallows 48–88% of the variation in soil P and K was autocorrelated over distances up to 1.1–5.1 m. In contrast, the range of autocorrelation for Al (∼2.5 m) did not differ among stands. We conclude that shifting cultivation changes the range of autocorrelation for biologically important soil nutrients at a scale that may influence plant growth. The finer scaled pattern of soil nutrients in forest fallows is likely to persist with continued shifting cultivation, since fallows are cleared every 3–15 years.     

Nitrogen‐rich microbial products provide new organo‐mineral associations for the stabilization of soil organic matter

Understanding the cycling of C and N in soils is important for maintaining soil fertility while also decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, but much remains unknown about how organic matter (OM) is stabilized in soils. We used nano‐scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to investigate the changes in C and N in a Vertisol and an Alfisol incubated for 365 days with ¹³C and ¹⁵N pulse labeled lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) to discriminate new inputs of OM from the existing soil OM. We found that almost all OM within the free stable microaggregates of the soil was associated with mineral particles, emphasizing the importance of organo‐mineral interactions for the stabilization of C. Of particular importance, it was also found that ¹⁵N‐rich microbial products originating from decomposition often sorbed directly to mineral surfaces not previously associated with OM. Thus, we have shown that N‐rich microbial products preferentially attach to distinct areas of mineral surfaces compared to C‐dominated moieties, demonstrating the ability of soils to store additional OM in newly formed organo‐mineral associations on previously OM‐free mineral surfaces. Furthermore, differences in ¹⁵N enrichment were observed between the Vertisol and Alfisol presumably due to differences in mineralogy (smectite‐dominated compared to kaolinite‐dominated), demonstrating the importance of mineralogy in regulating the sorption of microbial products. Overall, our findings have important implications for the fundamental understanding of OM cycling in soils, including the immobilization and storage of N‐rich compounds derived from microbial decomposition and subsequent N mineralization to sustain plant growth.     

Soil and total ecosystem respiration in agricultural fields: effect of soil and crop type

A study was made of the effect of soil and crop type on the soil and total ecosystem respiration rates in agricultural soils in southern Finland. The main interest was to compare the soil respiration rates in peat and two different mineral soils growing barley, grass and potato. Respiration measurements were conducted during the growing season with (1) a closed-dynamic ecosystem respiration chamber, in which combined plant and soil respiration was measured and (2) a closed-dynamic soil respiration chamber which measured only the soil and root-derived respiration. A semi-empirical model including separate functions for the soil and plant respiration components was used for the total ecosystem respiration (TER), and the resulting soil respiration parameters for different soil and crop types were compared. Both methods showed that the soil respiration in the peat soil was 2–3 times as high as that in the mineral soils, varying from 0.11 to 0.36 mg (CO₂) m^–2 s^–1 in the peat soil and from 0.02 to 0.17 mg (CO₂) m^–2 s^–1 in the mineral soils. The difference between the soil types was mainly attributed to the soil organic C content, which in the uppermost 20 cm of the peat soil was 24 kg m^–2, being about 4 times as high as that in the mineral soils. Depending on the measurement method, the soil respiration in the sandy soil was slightly higher than or similar to that in the clay soil. In each soil type, the soil respiration was highest on the grass plots. Higher soil respiration parameter values (R_s0, describing the soil respiration at a soil temperature of 10°C, and obtained by modelling) were found on the barley than on the potato plots. The difference was explained by the different cultivation history of the plots, as the potato plots had lain fallow during the preceding summer. The total ecosystem respiration followed the seasonal evolution in the leaf area and measured photosynthetic flux rates. The 2–3-fold peat soil respiration term as compared to mineral soil indicates that the cultivated peat soil ecosystem is a strong net CO₂ source.     

Dynamics of phosphorus fractions during fallow with natural vegetation and planted Pueraria phaseoloides in south-western Nigeria

A study was conducted in 1998 and 1999 on a long-term fallow management trial, established in 1989 at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, in the derived savanna of southwestern Nigeria, to quantify P fractions under natural fallow (NF) and a Pueraria cover crop fallow. Plots with previous 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 crop/fallow ratios before reverting to fallow in either 1998 or 1999 were considered. Biomass accumulation under the two fallow types was comparable and increased linearly with fallow age, reaching slightly above 7 t dry matter ha^–1 after 8 months of fallow. Phosphorus accumulation in the fallow vegetation ranged from 2.1 – 9.1 kg ha^–1 for natural fallow (NF) and from 1.5 – 6.6 kg ha^–1 for Pueraria. Magnesium was also higher under NF (9.1 – 21 kg ha^–1) than under Pueraria (4.4 – 13 kg ha^–1), whereas N, Ca, and K contents were higher in Pueraria biomass than under NF at 1 year after fallow. Pueraria fallow tended to lower soil pH compared with NF. However, plots with less frequent cropping (1:3 crop/fallow ratio) did not have significantly different pH irrespective of the fallow vegetation type. Olsen extractable soil P increased as fallow length increased irrespective of the fallow system and previous crop/fallow ratio. For example, under NF (0–5 cm depth, 1:1 crop/fallow ratio in1998) Olsen P increased from 12 mg kg^–1 to 17 mg kg^–1 after 1 year of fallow and under Pueraria, it increased from 8 mg kg^–1 to 15 mg kg^–1. Fallow type and previous crop/fallow ratio had no significant and consistent effects on soil P fractions. However, NaOH- and concentrated HCl- extractable organic P fractions increased with fallow length. In 1998, under NF, NaOH- extractable organic P increased from 12 to 21 mg kg^–1 (1:1 crop/fallow ratio) and from 10 to 19 mg kg^–1 for both 1:2 and 1:3 crop/fallow ratio. HCl- extractable organic P increased from 11 to 30 mg kg^–1 (1:1 crop/fallow ratio), from 13 to 27 mg kg^–1 (1:2 crop/fallow ratio) and from 18 to 35 mg kg^–1 (1:3 crop/fallow ratio). Similar trend was observed under Pueraria fallow. These results suggest that P was reallocated to non-readily available organic P fractions irrespective of fallow type and previous land use. These organic P fractions, which are usually more stable, reflect the overall change in soil organic P levels when the soil was stressed by cultivation and then reverted to fallow. These pools may thus represent an active reservoir (source and sink) of P in shifting cultivation under tropical conditions without inorganic fertilizer application.     

耕作方式对紫色水稻土有机碳和微生物生物量碳的影响

以位于西南大学的农业部紫色土生态环境重点野外科学观测试验站始于1990年的长期定位试验田为对象,研究了冬水田平作(DP)、水旱轮作(SH)、垄作免耕(LM)及垄作翻耕(LF)等4种耕作方式对紫色水稻土有机碳(SOC)和微生物生物量碳(SMBC)的影响。结果表明,4种耕作方式下SOC和SMBC均呈现出在土壤剖面垂直递减趋势,翻耕栽培下其降低较均匀,而免耕栽培下其富集在表层土壤中。同一土层不同耕作方式间SOC和SMBC的差异在表层最大,随着土壤深度的增加,各处理之间的差异逐渐减小。在0—60 cm剖面中,SOC含量依次为:LM(17.6 g/kg)>DP(13.9 g/kg)>LF(12.5 g/kg)>SH(11.3 g/kg),SOC储量也依次为:LM(158.52 Mg C/hm2)>DP(106.74 Mg C/hm2)>LF(93.11 Mg C/hm2)>SH(88.59 Mg C/hm2),而SMBC含量则依次为:LM(259 mg/kg)>SH(213 mg/kg)>LF(160 mg/kg)>DP(144 mg/kg)。与其它3种耕作方式比较,LM处理显著提高SOC含量和储量以及SMBC含量。对土壤微生物商(SMBC/SOC)进行分析发现,耕作方式对SOC和SMBC的影响程度并不一致。SMBC与SOC、全氮、全磷、全硫、碱解氮、有效磷均呈现极显著正相关(P<0.01),与有效硫呈显著正相关(P<0.05);表明SMBC可以作为表征紫色水稻土土壤肥力的敏感因子。     

The above-ground coarse wood productivity of 104 Neotropical forest plots

The net primary production of tropical forests and its partitioning between long‐lived carbon pools (wood) and shorter‐lived pools (leaves, fine roots) are of considerable importance in the global carbon cycle. However, these terms have only been studied at a handful of field sites, and with no consistent calculation methodology. Here we calculate above‐ground coarse wood carbon productivity for 104 forest plots in lowland New World humid tropical forests, using a consistent calculation methodology that incorporates corrections for spatial variations in tree‐size distributions and wood density, and for census interval length. Mean wood density is found to be lower in more productive forests. We estimate that above‐ground coarse wood productivity varies by more than a factor of three (between 1.5 and 5.5 Mg C ha^?1 a^?1) across the Neotropical plots, with a mean value of 3.1 Mg C ha^?1 a^?1. There appear to be no obvious relationships between wood productivity and rainfall, dry season length or sunshine, but there is some hint of increased productivity at lower temperatures. There is, however, also strong evidence for a positive relationship between wood productivity and soil fertility. Fertile soils tend to become more common towards the Andes and at slightly higher than average elevations, so the apparent temperature/productivity relationship is probably not a direct one. Coarse wood productivity accounts for only a fraction of overall tropical forest net primary productivity, but the available data indicate that it is approximately proportional to total above‐ground productivity. We speculate that the large variation in wood productivity is unlikely to directly imply an equivalent variation in gross primary production. Instead a shifting balance in carbon allocation between respiration, wood carbon and fine root production seems the more likely explanation.