Using the CENTURY model to assess the impact of land reclamation and management practices in oasis agriculture on the dynamics of soil organic carbon in the arid region of North-western China

China’s croplands have experienced drastic changes in management practices, such as fertilization, tillage, and residue treatments, since the 1980s. There is an ongoing debate about the impact of these changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) and its implications. Here we report results from an extensive study that provided direct evidence of cropland SOC sequestration in China. Based on the soil sampling locations recorded by the Second National Soil Survey of China in 1980, we collected 4,060 soil samples in 2011 from 58 counties that represent the typical cropping systems across China. Our results showed that across the country, the average SOC stock in the topsoil (0–20 cm) increased from 28.6 Mg C ha−1 in 1980 to 32.9 Mg C ha−1 in 2011, representing a net increase of 140 kg C ha−1 year−1. However, the SOC change differed among the major agricultural regions: SOC increased in all major agronomic regions except in Northeast China. The SOC sequestration was largely attributed to increased organic inputs driven by economics and policy: while higher root biomass resulting from enhanced crop productivity by chemical fertilizers predominated before 2000, higher residue inputs following the large-scale implementation of crop straw/stover return policy took over thereafter. The SOC change was negatively related to N inputs in East China, suggesting that the excessive N inputs, plus the shallowness of plow layers, may constrain the future C sequestration in Chinese croplands. Our results indicate that cropland SOC sequestration can be achieved through effectively manipulating economic and policy incentives to farmers.

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Stocks, composition and vulnerability to loss of soil organic carbon predicted using mid-infrared spectroscopy

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr17221 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 56 (5) ◽

pp. 468 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

J. A. Baldock ◽

M. H. Beare ◽

D. Curtin ◽

B. Hawke

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Management Practices ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Agricultural Management ◽

Least Squares Regression ◽

Mid Infrared ◽

13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽

The Impact ◽

Soc Stocks

Developing a routine and cost effective capability for measuring soil organic carbon (SOC) content and composition will allow identification of land management practices with a potential to maintain or enhance SOC stocks. Coupling SOC content data and mid-infrared (MIR) spectra through the application of partial least-squares regression (PLSR) analyses has been used to develop such a prediction capability. The objective of this study was to determine whether MIR/PLSR analyses provide accurate estimates of the content and composition of SOC that can be used to quantify SOC stocks and its potential vulnerability to loss. Soil was collected from a field trial incorporating a range of land use (pasture, arable cropping and bare fallow) and tillage (intensive, minimum and no tillage) treatments over a nine-year period. The SOC content was measured by dry combustion analysis. Particulate organic carbon was separated from other forms of carbon on the basis of particle size (SOC in the >50 µm fraction). Resistant organic carbon was quantified using solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. The MIR/PLSR algorithms were successfully developed to predict the natural logarithms of the contents of SOC and POC in the collected soils. With initial calibration, a single MIR analysis could be used in conjunction with PLSR algorithms to predict the content of SOC and its allocation to component fractions. The MIR/PLSR predicted SOC contents provided reliable estimates of the impact of agricultural management on the 0–25-cm SOC stocks, as well as an indication of the vulnerability of SOC to loss. Development of this capability will facilitate the rapid and cost effective collection of SOC content data for detecting the impact of agricultural management treatments on SOC stocks, composition and potential vulnerability to change.

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Impacts of management practices on soil organic carbon in degraded alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-11-3495-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (13) ◽

pp. 3495-3503 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

X. F. Chang ◽

X. X. Zhu ◽

S. P. Wang ◽

S. J. Cui ◽

C. Y. Luo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Management Practices ◽

Carbon Sink ◽

Research Station ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Century Model ◽

Alpine Meadows

Abstract. Grassland soil organic carbon (SOC) is sensitive to anthropogenic activities. Increased anthropogenic disturbance related to overgrazing has led to widespread alpine grassland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The degraded grasslands are considered to have great potential for carbon sequestration after adoption of improved management practices. Here, we calibrated and employed the Century model to investigate the effects of overgrazing and improved managements on the SOC dynamics in alpine meadows. We calibrated the Century model against plant productivity at the Haibei Research Station. SOC stocks for validation were obtained in 2009–2010 from degraded alpine meadows in two communes. We found that Century model can successfully capture grassland SOC changes. Overall, our simulation suggests that degraded alpine meadow SOC significantly increased with the advent of restoration management from 2011 to 2030. Carbon sequestration rates ranged between 0.04 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in lightly degraded winter grazing grasslands and 2.0 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in moderately degraded summer grazing grasslands. Our modelling work also predicts that improve management in degraded Tibetan grasslands will contribute to an annual carbon sink of 0.022–0.059 Pg C yr−1. These results imply that restoration of degraded grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau has great potential for soil carbon sequestration to mitigate greenhouse gases.

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Monitoring Grassland Management Effects on Soil Organic Carbon—A Matter of Scale

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10122016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2016

Author(s):

Alexandra Crème ◽

Cornelia Rumpel ◽

Sparkle L. Malone ◽

Nicolas P. A. Saby ◽

Emmanuelle Vaudour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Management Practices ◽

Management Practice ◽

Grassland Management ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Continuous Cropping ◽

Spatially Resolved ◽

The Impact ◽

Soc Stocks

Introduction of temporary grasslands into cropping cycles could be a sustainable management practice leading to increased soil organic carbon (SOC) to contribute to climate change adaption and mitigation. To investigate the impact of temporary grassland management practices on SOC storage of croplands, we used a spatially resolved sampling approach combined with geostatistical analyses across an agricultural experiment. The experiment included blocks (0.4- to 3-ha blocks) of continuous grassland, continuous cropping and temporary grasslands with different durations and N-fertilizations on a 23-ha site in western France. We measured changes in SOC storage over this 9-year experiment on loamy soil and investigated physicochemical soil parameters. In the soil profiles (0–90 cm), SOC stocks ranged from 82.7 to 98.5 t ha−1 in 2005 and from 81.3 to 103.9 t ha−1 in 2014. On 0.4-ha blocks, the continuous grassland increased SOC in the soil profile with highest gains in the first 30 cm, while losses were recorded under continuous cropping. Where temporary grasslands were introduced into cropping cycles, SOC stocks were maintained. These observations were only partly confirmed when changing the scale of observation to 3-ha blocks. At the 3-ha scale, most grassland treatments exhibited both gains and losses of SOC, which could be partly related to soil physicochemical properties. Overall, our data suggest that both management practices and soil characteristics determine if carbon will accumulate in SOC pools. For detailed understanding of SOC changes, a combination of measurements at different scales is necessary.

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Impacts of management practices on soil organic carbon in degraded alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-11-417-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 417-440

Author(s):

X. F. Chang ◽

S. P. Wang ◽

X. X. Zhu ◽

S. J. Cui ◽

C. Y. Luo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Management Practices ◽

Carbon Sink ◽

Research Station ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Century Model ◽

Alpine Meadows

Abstract. Grassland soil organic carbon (SOC) is sensitive to anthropogenic activities. Increased anthropogenic disturbance related to overgrazing has led to widespread alpine grassland degradation on the Tibetan Plateau. The degraded grasslands are considered to have great potential for carbon sequestration after adoption of improved management practices. Here, we calibrated and employed the Century model to investigate the effects of overgrazing and improved managements on the SOC dynamics in alpine meadows. We calibrated Century model against plant productivity at Haibei Research Station. SOC stocks for validation were obtained in 2009–2010 from degraded alpine meadows in two communes. We found that Century model can successfully capture grassland SOC changes. Overall, our simulation suggests that degraded alpine meadow SOC significantly increased with the advent of restoration managements from 2011 to 2030. Carbon sequestration rates ranged between 0.04 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in lightly degraded winter grasslands and 2.0 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in moderately degraded summer grasslands. Our modeling work also predicts that improve management in Tibetan degraded grasslands will contribute to an annual carbon sink of 0.022–0.059 Pg C yr−1. These results imply that restoration of degraded grasslands in Tibetan Plateau has great potential for soil carbon sequestration to mitigate greenhouse gases.

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Impacts of land use and topography on soil organic carbon in a Mediterranean landscape (north-western Tunisia)

SOIL ◽

10.5194/soil-5-239-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 239-251 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Donia Jendoubi ◽

Hanspeter Liniger ◽

Chinwe Ifejika Speranza

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Geographic Area ◽

Grazing Land ◽

Topographic Features ◽

Field Crops ◽

The Impact ◽

North Western

Abstract. This study evaluates the impact of land use and topographic features (slope and aspect) on soil organic carbon (SOC) within the Wadi Beja watershed in north-western Tunisia. A soil spectral library was set up to assess the variation in the SOC for 1440 soil samples from four land use types (field crops, permanent crops, forest, and grazing land), three slope categories (flat, moderate, and steep) and two aspects (north- and south-facing). For field crops, only one factor – slope – significantly affected SOC, with SOC content in north-facing areas appearing to be higher in flat areas (0.75 %) than in hilly areas (0.51 %). However, in south-facing areas, SOC content was also higher in flat areas (0.74 %) than in hilly areas (0.50 %). For permanent crops, which were inter-planted with field crops, the slope significantly affected SOC content, which improved to 0.97 % in flat north-facing and 0.96 % in flat south-facing areas, scoring higher than hilly south- and north-facing areas (0.79 %). In the grazing land use system, both of the investigated factors – aspect and slope – significantly affected the SOC content, which was significantly higher in flat areas (north-facing: 0.84 %, south-facing: 0.77 %) than in hilly areas (north-facing: 0.61 %, south-facing: 0.56 %). For the forest, none of the factors had a significant effect on SOC content, which was higher in flat areas (north-facing: 1.15 %, south-facing: 1.14 %) than in steep areas (1.09 % in north-facing areas and 1.07 % in south-facing areas). This study highlights the ability of visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy to quantify C in diverse soils collected over a large diverse geographic area in order to indicate that calibrations are feasible, and therefore, assessing the variation of SOC content under land use and topographic features (slope and aspect) will result in better sustainable land management planning.

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Modeling the effects of farming management practices on soil organic carbon stock under two tillage practices in a semi-arid region, Morocco

Heliyon ◽

10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05889 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. e05889

Author(s):

Ibtissame Lembaid ◽

Rachid Moussadek ◽

Rachid Mrabet ◽

Ahmed Douaik ◽

Ahmed Bouhaouss

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Arid Region ◽

Carbon Stock ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Organic Carbon Stock ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Organic Carbon Stock ◽

Semi Arid

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From the Ground Up: Prairies on Reclaimed Mine Land—Impacts on Soil and Vegetation

Land ◽

10.3390/land9110455 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 455

Author(s):

Rebecca M. Swab ◽

Nicola Lorenz ◽

Nathan R. Lee ◽

Steven W. Culman ◽

Richard P. Dick

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Plant Community ◽

Prairie Restoration ◽

Native Plant ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Prairie Restorations ◽

Mine Lands ◽

The Impact

After strip mining, soils typically suffer from compaction, low nutrient availability, loss of soil organic carbon, and a compromised soil microbial community. Prairie restorations can improve ecosystem services on former agricultural lands, but prairie restorations on mine lands are relatively under-studied. This study investigated the impact of prairie restoration on mine lands, focusing on the plant community and soil properties. In southeast Ohio, 305 ha within a ~2000 ha area of former mine land was converted to native prairie through herbicide and planting between 1999–2016. Soil and vegetation sampling occurred from 2016–2018. Plant community composition shifted with prairie age, with highest native cover in the oldest prairie areas. Prairie plants were more abundant in older prairies. The oldest prairies had significantly more soil fungal biomass and higher soil microbial biomass. However, many soil properties (e.g., soil nutrients, β-glucosoidase activity, and soil organic carbon), as well as plant species diversity and richness trended higher in prairies, but were not significantly different from baseline cool-season grasslands. Overall, restoration with prairie plant communities slowly shifted soil properties, but mining disturbance was still the most significant driver in controlling soil properties. Prairie restoration on reclaimed mine land was effective in establishing a native plant community, with the associated ecosystem benefits.

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