Effects of straw carbon input on carbon dynamics in agricultural soils: a meta‐analysis

Straw return has been widely recommended as an environmentally friendly practice to manage carbon (C) sequestration in agricultural ecosystems. However, the overall trend and magnitude of changes in soil C in response to straw return remain uncertain. In this meta‐analysis, we calculated the response ratios of soil organic C (SOC) concentrations, greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, nutrient contents and other important soil properties to straw addition in 176 published field studies. Our results indicated that straw return significantly increased SOC concentration by 12.8 ± 0.4% on average, with a 27.4 ± 1.4% to 56.6 ± 1.8% increase in soil active C fraction. CO₂ emission increased in both upland (27.8 ± 2.0%) and paddy systems (51.0 ± 2.0%), while CH₄ emission increased by 110.7 ± 1.2% only in rice paddies. N₂O emission has declined by 15.2 ± 1.1% in paddy soils but increased by 8.3 ± 2.5% in upland soils. Responses of macro‐aggregates and crop yield to straw return showed positively linear with increasing SOC concentration. Straw‐C input rate and clay content significantly affected the response of SOC. A significant positive relationship was found between annual SOC sequestered and duration, suggesting that soil C saturation would occur after 12 years under straw return. Overall, straw return was an effective means to improve SOC accumulation, soil quality, and crop yield. Straw return‐induced improvement of soil nutrient availability may favor crop growth, which can in turn increase ecosystem C input. Meanwhile, the analysis on net global warming potential (GWP) balance suggested that straw return increased C sink in upland soils but increased C source in paddy soils due to enhanced CH₄ emission. Our meta‐analysis suggested that future agro‐ecosystem models and cropland management should differentiate the effects of straw return on ecosystem C budget in upland and paddy soils.     

Responses of soil carbon sequestration to climate‐smart agriculture practices: A meta‐analysis

Climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) management practices (e.g., conservation tillage, cover crops, and biochar applications) have been widely adopted to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring crop productivity. However, current measurements regarding the influences of CSA management practices on SOC sequestration diverge widely, making it difficult to derive conclusions about individual and combined CSA management effects and bringing large uncertainties in quantifying the potential of the agricultural sector to mitigate climate change. We conducted a meta‐analysis of 3,049 paired measurements from 417 peer‐reviewed articles to examine the effects of three common CSA management practices on SOC sequestration as well as the environmental controlling factors. We found that, on average, biochar applications represented the most effective approach for increasing SOC content (39%), followed by cover crops (6%) and conservation tillage (5%). Further analysis suggested that the effects of CSA management practices were more pronounced in areas with relatively warmer climates or lower nitrogen fertilizer inputs. Our meta‐analysis demonstrated that, through adopting CSA practices, cropland could be an improved carbon sink. We also highlight the importance of considering local environmental factors (e.g., climate and soil conditions and their combination with other management practices) in identifying appropriate CSA practices for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring crop productivity.     

A global meta‐analysis of soil organic carbon response to corn stover removal

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover is a global resource used for livestock, fuel, and bioenergy feedstock, but excessive stover removal can decrease soil organic C (SOC) stocks and deteriorate soil health. Many site‐specific stover removal experiments report accrual rates and SOC stock effects, but a quantitative, global synthesis is needed to provide a scientific base for long‐term energy policy decisions. We used 409 data points from 74 stover harvest experiments conducted around the world for a meta‐analysis and meta‐regression to quantify removal rate, tillage, soil texture, and soil sampling depth effects on SOC. Changes were quantified by: (a) comparing final SOC stock differences after at least 3 years with and without stover removal and (b) calculating SOC accrual rates for both treatments. Stover removal generally reduced final SOC stocks by 8% in the upper 0–15 or 0–30 cm, compared to stover retained, irrespective of soil properties and tillage practices. A more sensitive meta‐regression analysis showed that retention increased SOC stocks within the 30–150 cm depth by another 5%. Compared to baseline values, stover retention increased average SOC stocks temporally at a rate of 0.41 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 (statistically significant at p < 0.01 when averaged across all soil layers). Although SOC sequestration rates were lower with stover removal, with moderate (<50%) removal they can be positive, thus emphasizing the importance of site‐specific management. Our results also showed that tillage effects on SOC stocks were inconsistent due to the high variability in practices used among the experimental sites. Finally, we conclude that research and technological efforts should continue to be given high priority because of the importance in providing science‐based policy recommendations for long‐term global carbon management.     

秸秆还田配施中微量元素对农田土壤有机碳固持的影响

为研究秸秆还田配施中量元素(S)和微量元素(Fe和Zn)对粮田土壤有机碳固持的影响,进行了为期52 d的室内玉米秸秆腐解培养试验. 结果表明:秸秆腐解过程中分别添加S、Fe和Zn元素,均提高了微生物生物量碳(MBC)及土壤CO₂-C矿化速率,52 d腐解培养结束后,CO₂-C的累积矿化量显著提高,但土壤有机碳含量并未显著降低;3种元素中,添加Fe或Zn的处理提高了土壤惰性碳库、惰性碳库比例及土壤有机碳表观平衡,有利于土壤有机碳固持,而添加S的处理却降低了惰性有机碳比例及土壤有机碳表观平衡,不利于有机碳固持. 因此,在施N、P肥基础上,秸秆还田添加S、Fe或Zn均能促进土壤有机碳的矿化进程,但添加Fe或Zn可使更多有机碳固持于土壤中,添加S不利于土壤有机碳的固持.     

Plastic pollution in croplands threatens long‐term food security

Plastic pollution is a global concern given its prevalence in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Studies have been conducted on the distribution and impact of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems, but little is known on terrestrial ecosystems. Plastic mulch has been widely used to increase crop yields worldwide, yet the impact of plastic residues in cropland soils to soil health and crop production in the long term remained unclear. In this paper, using a global meta‐analysis, we found that the use of plastic mulch can indeed increase crop yields on average by 25%–42% in the immediate season due to the increase of soil temperature (+8%) and moisture (+17%). However, the unabated accumulation of film residues in the field negatively impacts its physicochemical properties linked to healthy soil and threatens food production in the long term. It has multiple negative impacts on plant growth including crop yield (at the mean rate of ?3% for every additional 100 kg/ha of film residue), plant height (?2%) and root weight (?5%), and soil properties including soil water evaporation capacity (?2%), soil water infiltration rate (?8%), soil organic matter (?0.8%) and soil available phosphorus (?5%) based on meta‐regression. Using a nationwide field survey of China, the largest user of plastic mulch worldwide, we found that plastic residue accumulation in cropland soils has reached 550,800 tonnes, with an estimated 6%–10% reduction in cotton yield in some polluted sites based on current level of plastic residue content. Immediate actions should be taken to ensure the recovery of plastic film mulch and limit further increase in film residue loading to maintain the sustainability of these croplands.     

Animal manure application and soil organic carbon stocks: a meta‐analysis

The impact of animal manure application on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes is of interest for both agronomic and environmental purposes. There is a specific need to quantify SOC change for use in national greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories. We quantified the response of SOC stocks to manure application from a large worldwide pool of individual studies and determined the impact of explanatory factors such as climate, soil properties, land use and manure characteristics. Our study is based on a meta‐analysis of 42 research articles totaling 49 sites and 130 observations in the world. A dominant effect of cumulative manure‐C input on SOC response was observed as this factor explained at least 53% of the variability in SOC stock differences compared to mineral fertilized or unfertilized reference treatments. However, the effects of other determining factors were not evident from our data set. From the linear regression relating cumulative C inputs and SOC stock difference, a global manure‐C retention coefficient of 12% ± 4 (95% Confidence Interval, CI) could be estimated for an average study duration of 18 years. Following an approach comparable to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we estimated a relative SOC change factor of 1.26 ± 0.14 (95% CI) which was also related to cumulative manure‐C input. Our results offer some scope for the refinement of manure retention coefficients used in crop management guidelines and for the improvement of SOC change factors for national GHG inventories by taking into account manure‐C input. Finally, this study emphasizes the need to further document the long‐term impact of manure characteristics such as animal species, especially pig and poultry, and manure management systems, in particular liquid vs. solid storage.     

关中平原麦玉轮作体系作物秸秆不同还田模式下土壤有机碳和无机碳库变化特征

为探究不同秸秆还田模式对土壤碳库的影响,以陕西关中平原连续11年麦玉秸秆还田定位试验为基础,选择5种还田模式,即秸秆均不还田(CK)、小麦高留茬-玉米秸秆粉碎还田(WH-MC)、小麦玉米秸秆均粉碎还田(WC-MC)、小麦高留茬-玉米秸秆不还田(WH-MN)和小麦秸秆粉碎还田-玉米秸秆不还田(WC-MN),测定不同模式土...     

秸秆施用及蚯蚓活动对土壤活性有机碳的影响

在连续6年稻麦轮作的小区试验中,研究了施用秸秆(表施或混施)和接种蚯蚓对农田土壤有机碳(SOC)和不同活性有机碳的影响.结果表明：施用秸秆6年后,土壤有机碳含量显著增加,且表施秸秆比混施秸秆更有利于土壤有机碳含量增加,在不同的秸秆施用条件下,接种蚯蚓未对土壤有机碳含量产生显著影响.表施秸秆和混施秸秆均能使土壤活性有机碳含量增加或显著增加,混施秸秆较表施秸秆更有利于热水提取态碳(HWEC)、可矿化碳(PMC)、酸提取态碳(AEC)、易氧化态碳(ROC)、颗粒有机碳(POC)和轻组有机碳(LFOC)含量增加,而可溶性有机碳(DOC)和微生物生物量碳(MBC)的变化与秸秆施用方式关系不大.在施用秸秆条件下,接种蚯蚓使不同活性有机碳的响应各异,不同处理中的土壤有机碳活性表现为秸秆混施+蚯蚓>秸秆混施>秸秆表施>秸秆表施+蚯蚓>对照.秸秆的施用方式是影响土壤有机碳与活性有机碳的主要因素,而蚯蚓活动则并非对所有的土壤活性有机碳有显著影响.     

棉花长期连作结合秸秆还田对土壤颗粒有机碳及红外光谱特征的影响

以新疆玛纳斯河流域长期连作棉田为研究对象,采用傅里叶红外光谱技术(FTIR)分析不同连作年限[0(对照)、5、10、15和20年]棉田土壤红外光谱特征,分析连作结合秸秆还田对土壤有机碳结构和稳定性的影响.结果表明: 随连作年限增加,土壤有机质中多糖和芳香族基团相对峰强度下降,脂肪族和醇酚相对峰强度上升,脂肪族-CH/芳香族C=C逐年升高.连作5年土壤颗粒有机碳含量最高,比对照土壤高5.11倍,之后随连作年限增加颗粒有机碳含量逐渐降低;连作10年土壤矿物结合态有机碳含量最高,比对照高1.84倍,连作5年土壤颗粒有机碳与矿物结合态有机碳含量之比(ω(POC)/ω(MOC))最高,之后随连作年限增加开始下降.综上,棉田长期连作结合秸秆还田后土壤有机质结构趋于脂肪化,土壤矿物结合对有机质保护性升高,有机质稳定性升高.     

Enhanced decomposition of stable soil organic carbon and microbial catabolic potentials by long‐term field warming

Quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition under warming is critical to predict carbon–climate feedbacks. According to the substrate regulating principle, SOC decomposition would decrease as labile SOC declines under field warming, but observations of SOC decomposition under warming do not always support this prediction. This discrepancy could result from varying changes in SOC components and soil microbial communities under warming. This study aimed to determine the decomposition of SOC components with different turnover times after subjected to long‐term field warming and/or root exclusion to limit C input, and to test whether SOC decomposition is driven by substrate lability under warming. Taking advantage of a 12‐year field warming experiment in a prairie, we assessed the decomposition of SOC components by incubating soils from control and warmed plots, with and without root exclusion for 3 years. We assayed SOC decomposition from these incubations by combining inverse modeling and microbial functional genes during decomposition with a metagenomic technique (GeoChip). The decomposition of SOC components with turnover times of years and decades, which contributed to 95% of total cumulative CO₂ respiration, was greater in soils from warmed plots. But the decomposition of labile SOC was similar in warmed plots compared to the control. The diversity of C‐degradation microbial genes generally declined with time during the incubation in all treatments, suggesting shifts of microbial functional groups as substrate composition was changing. Compared to the control, soils from warmed plots showed significant increase in the signal intensities of microbial genes involved in degrading complex organic compounds, implying enhanced potential abilities of microbial catabolism. These are likely responsible for accelerated decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates. Overall, the shifted microbial community induced by long‐term warming accelerates the decomposition of SOC components with slow turnover rates and thus amplify the positive feedback to climate change.     

Major limitations to achieving “4 per 1000” increases in soil organic carbon stock in temperate regions: Evidence from long‐term experiments at Rothamsted Research,United Kingdom

We evaluated the “4 per 1000” initiative for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) by analysing rates of SOC increase in treatments in 16 long‐term experiments in southeast United Kingdom. The initiative sets a goal for SOC stock to increase by 4‰ per year in the 0–40 cm soil depth, continued over 20 years. Our experiments, on three soil types, provided 114 treatment comparisons over 7–157 years. Treatments included organic additions (incorporated by inversion ploughing), N fertilizers, introducing pasture leys into continuous arable systems, and converting arable land to woodland. In 65% of cases, SOC increases occurred at >7‰ per year in the 0–23 cm depth, approximately equivalent to 4‰ per year in the 0–40 cm depth. In the two longest running experiments (>150 years), annual farmyard manure (FYM) applications at 35 t fresh material per hectare (equivalent to approx. 3.2 t organic C/ha/year) gave SOC increases of 18‰ and 43‰ per year in the 23 cm depth during the first 20 years. Increases exceeding 7‰ per year continued for 40–60 years. In other experiments, with FYM applied at lower rates or not every year, there were increases of 3‰–8‰ per year over several decades. Other treatments gave increases between zero and 19‰ per year over various periods. We conclude that there are severe limitations to achieving the “4 per 1000” goal in practical agriculture over large areas. The reasons include (1) farmers not having the necessary resources (e.g. insufficient manure); (2) some, though not all, practices favouring SOC already widely adopted; (3) practices uneconomic for farmers—potentially overcome by changes in regulations or subsidies; (4) practices undesirable for global food security. We suggest it is more realistic to promote practices for increasing SOC based on improving soil quality and functioning as small increases can have disproportionately large beneficial impacts, though not necessarily translating into increased crop yield.     

Climate drives global soil carbon sequestration and crop yield changes under conservation agriculture

Conservation agriculture has been shown to have multiple benefits for soils, crop yield and the environment, and consequently, no‐till, the central practice of conservation agriculture, has rapidly expanded. However, studies show that the potential for carbon (C) sequestration in no‐till farming sometimes is not realized, let alone the ability to maintain or improve crop yield. Here we present a global analysis of no‐till‐induced changes of soil C and crop yield based on 260 and 1,970 paired studies; respectively. We show that, relative to local conventional tillage, arid regions can benefit the most from conservation agriculture by achieving a win‐win outcome of enhanced C sequestration and increased crop yield. However, more humid regions are more likely to increase SOC only, while some colder regions have yield losses and soil C loss as likely as soil C gains. In addition to site‐specific characteristics and management, a careful assessment of the regional climate is needed to determine the potential benefits of adopting conservation agriculture.     

Deep soil carbon dynamics are driven more by soil type than by climate: a worldwide meta‐analysis of radiocarbon profiles

The response of soil carbon dynamics to climate and land‐use change will affect both the future climate and the quality of ecosystems. Deep soil carbon (>20 cm) is the primary component of the soil carbon pool, but the dynamics of deep soil carbon remain poorly understood. Therefore, radiocarbon activity (C), which is a function of the age of carbon, may help to understand the rates of soil carbon biodegradation and stabilization. We analyzed the published C contents in 122 profiles of mineral soil that were well distributed in most of the large world biomes, except for the boreal zone. With a multivariate extension of a linear mixed‐effects model whose inference was based on the parallel combination of two algorithms, the expectation–maximization (EM) and the Metropolis–Hasting algorithms, we expressed soil C profiles as a four‐parameter function of depth. The four‐parameter model produced insightful predictions of soil C as dependent on depth, soil type, climate, vegetation, land‐use and date of sampling (). Further analysis with the model showed that the age of topsoil carbon was primarily affected by climate and cultivation. By contrast, the age of deep soil carbon was affected more by soil taxa than by climate and thus illustrated the strong dependence of soil carbon dynamics on other pedologic traits such as clay content and mineralogy.     

不同施肥处理对红壤性水稻土微团聚体有机碳汇的影响

在田间定位试验区 ,研究了不同施肥处理对表层红壤性水稻土微团聚体组成以及土壤有机碳在各级微团聚体中分布和赋存的影响。结果表明 ,红壤性水稻土中 0 .0 2～ 0 .0 5 mm微团聚体所占比例最大 ,达 4 0 % ;其次是 0 .0 0 2～ 0 .0 2 mm和 0 .0 5～0 .1mm的微团聚体 ;>0 .2 mm微团聚体占的比例最小。长期施用无机肥 (NPK)、有机肥 (猪粪 紫云英绿肥 ) (OM)、无机肥与有机肥配施 (NPKM) ,能显著增加 0 .0 0 2～ 0 .0 2 mm微团聚体的含量而降低 <0 .0 0 2 m m微团聚体的含量。土壤有机碳含量与0 .0 0 2～ 0 .0 2 mm微团聚体含量之间呈显著正相关关系 ;而与 <0 .0 0 2 mm微团聚体含量呈显著负相关关系。各级微团聚体有机碳含量从高到低顺序为 :>0 .2 mm,0 .1～ 0 .2 mm,<0 .0 0 2 m m,0 .0 5～ 0 .1m m,0 .0 0 2～ 0 .0 2 mm,0 .0 2～ 0 .0 5 m m。 OM、NPKM处理能显著增加 >0 .0 0 2 mm各级微团聚体有机碳的赋存量 ,新增加的有机碳主要向微团聚体 0 .1～ 0 .0 5 m m,0 .0 5～ 0 .0 2 mm和 0 .0 2～ 0 .0 0 2 mm富集 ,它们是土壤有机碳的主要载体。 3种施肥处理对提高土壤有机碳赋存效果高低顺序为 :NPKM>OM>NPK。     

Higher temperature sensitivity for stable than for labile soil organic carbon – Evidence from incubations of long‐term bare fallow soils

The impact of climate change on the stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) remains a major source of uncertainty in predicting future changes in atmospheric CO₂ levels. One unsettled issue is whether the mineralization response to temperature depends on SOC mineralization rate. Long‐term (>25 years) bare fallow experiments (LTBF) in which the soil is kept free of any vegetation and organic inputs, and their associated archives of soil samples represent a unique research platform to examine this issue as with increasing duration of fallow, the lability of remaining total SOC decreases. We retrieved soils from LTBF experiments situated at Askov (Denmark), Grignon (France), Ultuna (Sweden), and Versailles (France) and sampled at the start of the experiments and after 25, 50, 52, and 79 years of bare fallow, respectively. Soils were incubated at 4, 12, 20, and 35 °C and the evolved CO₂ monitored. The apparent activation energy (E_a) of SOC was then calculated for similar loss of CO₂ at the different temperatures. The E_a was always higher for samples taken at the end of the bare‐fallow period, implying a higher temperature sensitivity of stable C than of labile C. Our results provide strong evidence for a general relationship between temperature sensitivity and SOC stability upon which significant improvements in predictive models could be based.     

放牧对黄土高原退耕草地土壤有机碳储量的影响

放牧是影响草地土壤碳固存的重要因素。本研究选取黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错区西部、中部、东部地区及水蚀区,以各区20年以上退耕封禁地为对照,分析3个放牧强度下(羊粪球密度分别为0～10、10～20、>20 ind·m^-2)退耕草地0～20 cm土层土壤有机碳储量的分布特征,研究放牧及其强度对退耕草地土壤固碳效应的影响。结果表明: 放牧对交错区西部0～20 cm、东部0～10 cm,水蚀区0～5 cm土层土壤有机碳储量有显著影响,对交错区中部各土层均无显著影响;羊粪球密度0～10、＞20 ind·m^-2强度的放牧使交错区西部0～20 cm土层土壤有机碳储量显著降低了34.8%～50.9%,而在其他3个区域,放牧对有机碳储量的影响较退耕封禁地差异不显著。在交错区东部,放牧强度是影响退耕草地土壤有机碳储量的主要因素,而其他3个区域有机碳储量主要受土壤理化性质和(或)枯落物生物量的影响。羊粪球密度10～20 ind·m^-2强度的放牧对各区域退耕草地0～20 cm土层土壤有机碳储量无显著影响。     

Long‐term carbon storage through retention of dissolved aromatic acids by reactive particles in soil

Soils retain large quantities of carbon, thereby slowing its return to the atmosphere. The mechanisms governing organic carbon sequestration in soil remain poorly understood, yet are integral to understanding soil‐climate feedbacks. We evaluated the biochemistry of dissolved and solid organic carbon in potential source and sink horizons across a chronosequence of volcanic soils in Hawai'i. The soils are derived from similar basaltic parent material on gently sloping volcanic shield surfaces, support the same vegetation assemblage, and yet exhibit strong shifts in soil mineralogy and soil carbon content as a function of volcanic substrate age. Solid‐state¹³carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectra indicate that the most persistent mineral‐bound carbon is comprised of partially oxidized aromatic compounds with strong chemical resemblance to dissolved organic matter derived from plant litter. A molecular mixing model indicates that protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and char content decreased whereas oxidized lignin and carboxyl/carbonyl content increased with increasing short‐range order mineral content. When solutions rich in dissolved organic matter were passed through Bw‐horizon mineral cores, aromatic compounds were preferentially sorbed with the greatest retention occurring in horizons containing the greatest amount of short‐range ordered minerals. These minerals are reactive metastable nanocrystals that are most common in volcanic soils, but exist in smaller amounts in nearly all major soil classes. Our results indicate that long‐term carbon storage in short‐range ordered minerals occurs via chemical retention with dissolved aromatic acids derived from plant litter and carried along preferential flow‐paths to deeper B horizons.     

不同施肥措施对我国南方稻田表土有机碳含量及固碳持续时间的影响

基于我国南方38个稻田试验点222个样本的表土有机碳数据,设5种施肥措施类型［无机氮肥(N)、无机氮磷肥配施(NP)、无机氮磷钾肥配施(NPK)、单施有机肥(O)和有机无机肥配施(OF)］,研究了不同施肥措施下我国南方稻田表土有机碳含量的相对年变化量和固碳持续时间.结果表明：5种施肥措施下,稻田表土有机碳含量相对年变化量集中在0～0.4 g·kg^-1·a^-1,两熟制和三熟制的表土有机碳含量相对年均增量分别为0.20和0.26 g·kg^-1·a^-1;有机肥处理(O和OF)比无机肥处理(N、NP和NPK)的表土有机碳含量相对年增量更高,其中,OF处理最高,为0.32 g·kg^-1·a^-1;随着时间的延长,土壤有机碳的累积速率逐渐降低,N、NP、NPK、O和OF处理下表土固碳持续时间分别为22、28、38、57和54年.从土壤固碳角度考虑,有机无机肥配施为我国南方稻田最佳施肥措施.     

Soil carbon sequestration due to post‐Soviet cropland abandonment: estimates from a large‐scale soil organic carbon field inventory

The break‐up of the Soviet Union in 1991 triggered cropland abandonment on a continental scale, which in turn led to carbon accumulation on abandoned land across Eurasia. Previous studies have estimated carbon accumulation rates across Russia based on large‐scale modelling. Studies that assess carbon sequestration on abandoned land based on robust field sampling are rare. We investigated soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks using a randomized sampling design along a climatic gradient from forest steppe to Sub‐Taiga in Western Siberia (Tyumen Province). In total, SOC contents were sampled on 470 plots across different soil and land‐use types. The effect of land use on changes in SOC stock was evaluated, and carbon sequestration rates were calculated for different age stages of abandoned cropland. While land‐use type had an effect on carbon accumulation in the topsoil (0–5 cm), no independent land‐use effects were found for deeper SOC stocks. Topsoil carbon stocks of grasslands and forests were significantly higher than those of soils managed for crops and under abandoned cropland. SOC increased significantly with time since abandonment. The average carbon sequestration rate for soils of abandoned cropland was 0.66 Mg C ha^?1 yr^?1 (1–20 years old, 0–5 cm soil depth), which is at the lower end of published estimates for Russia and Siberia. There was a tendency towards SOC saturation on abandoned land as sequestration rates were much higher for recently abandoned (1–10 years old, 1.04 Mg C ha^?1 yr^?1) compared to earlier abandoned crop fields (11–20 years old, 0.26 Mg C ha^?1 yr^?1). Our study confirms the global significance of abandoned cropland in Russia for carbon sequestration. Our findings also suggest that robust regional surveys based on a large number of samples advance model‐based continent‐wide SOC prediction.     

秸秆还田与全膜双垄集雨沟播耦合对半干旱黄土高原玉米产量和土壤有机碳库的影响

全膜双垄集雨沟播是我国旱作农业上的一项创新技术。该技术因集覆膜垄面集雨沟播、覆盖抑蒸和增加土壤温度为一体,在半干旱黄土高原地区玉米种植中增产效果突出而被大面积推广。但是目前该技术连续使用下土壤肥力的可持续性及其调控途径不清楚。通过将田间实验与土壤有机碳的物理分组技术相结合,研究全膜双垄集雨沟播对土壤有机碳库的影响,来评估将秸秆还田纳入全膜双垄集雨沟播玉米种植体系的可行性。实验地点位于甘肃省榆中县小康营乡(35°54’N,104°05’E;海拔2013 m;多年平均降雨量388 mm)。实验在垄沟种植方式的基础上设置秸秆不还田不覆膜(对照,CK)、秸秆还田(S)、地膜覆盖(M)和秸秆还田+地膜覆盖(S+M)4个处理,重复3次。实验于2009年3月开始2010年10月结束。除了对玉米籽粒产量进行测定之外,分别于每年的播种和收获时对表层15 cm土壤总有机碳、颗粒有机碳(粒径2—0.05 mm)和轻组有机碳(密度<1.8 g/cm3)含量进行了测定。同时在玉米不同生育时期对表层15 cm土壤微生物量碳、"-葡萄糖苷酶活性、碱性磷酸酶活性和脲酶活性动态进行了测定。研究结果表明,与CK处理相比M和S+M处理分别增加玉米产量89%-105%和93%-136%,但是S处理对玉米产量没有影响。综合2a的测定结果,与CK相比较S、M和S+M处理对土壤总有机碳含量没有影响,但是M处理具有降低土壤颗粒有机碳和轻组有机碳含量的趋势,而S或者S+M处理具有明显的增加土壤颗粒有机碳和轻组有机碳含量的趋势。与M处理相比较,S+M处理增加土壤颗粒有机碳和轻组有机碳含量的效果比与CK处理相比较的效果更明显。与CK相比较,S、M和S+M处理都能够不同程度地增加土壤微生物量碳和"-葡萄糖苷酶、碱性磷酸酶和脲酶的活性,尤其以S+M处理的增加效果更明显。相关分析结果显示,不同处理土壤中3种酶活性与微生物量碳含量均呈极显著正相关关系。研究结果说明全膜双垄集雨沟播可以显著增加玉米产量,但是连续使用可能对土壤有机碳库有不利影响;而纳入秸秆还田对于全膜双垄集雨沟播技术引用下土壤有机碳库和微生物活性的维持或者提高具有积极作用。