Effects of earthworms on soil aggregate stability and carbon and nitrogen storage in a legume cover crop agroecosystem

Black medic (Medicago lupulina L.) is a self-regenerating cover crop which was tested for its ability to improve soil physical properties. Soil aggregate stability was assessed in plots that included a black medic cover crop in a no-till grain rotation, which was fertilized with two levels of nitrogen (N), for 15 yr. In the wheat phase of the rotation, the medic cover crop increased mean weight diameter by 21% in the reduced N fertilizer treatment but not in the recommended N treatment. Generally, the addition of medic reduced the proportion of small aggregates and increased the proportion of large aggregates. This pattern was stronger in reduced N compared with recommended N fertilizer levels. This study provided evidence for medic to increase aggregate stability under low external N input grain production.

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Soil aggregation and soil aggregate stability regulate organic carbon and nitrogen storage in a red soil of southern China

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110894 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 270 ◽

pp. 110894 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Adnan Mustafa ◽

Xu Minggang ◽

Syed Atizaz Ali Shah ◽

Muhammad Mohsin Abrar ◽

Sun Nan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Southern China ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Red Soil ◽

Soil Aggregation ◽

Nitrogen Storage ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen

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The influence of different cover crop residues quantities on soil structural stability

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-3877 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gheorghe Stegarescu ◽

Endla Reintam ◽

Tõnu Tõnutare

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Structural Stability ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Incubation Experiment ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Substrate Induced Respiration ◽

Soil Structural Stability

Cover crops are widely known for their capacity to improve the soil biological properties and soil structural stability. Nevertheless, the cover crop residues quantity necessary to improve these soil properties is not yet really known. A 30-day incubation experiment was conducted to explore the effect of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) residues (ORR) as a cover crop on the soil aggregate stability of sandy loam soil. The fresh ORR was mixed with the soil at different rates starting from 1.0 to 6.0 g C kg-1 of soil. The experiment consisted of five treatments: bulk soil (I), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 1 g C kg-1 of soil (II), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 2 g C kg-1 of soil (III), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 4 g C kg-1 of soil (IV), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 6 g C kg-1 of soil (V). During 30 days of incubation the soil moisture, soil water stable aggregates, and microbial substrate induced respiration rates were measured. The aggregate stability significantly increased after 30 days only in the treatment with 1 g C kg-1 of soil. In turn, the ORR applied at a rate of 6 g C kg-1 of soil significantly decreased the soil aggregate stability. The higher the ORR addition rate the lower was the soil basal respiration and substrate induced respiration. The general conclusion was that the higher quantity of ORR increased the soil moisture which subsequently created unfavorable conditions for the soil microbial activity and led to soil aggregate stability degradation. However, this conclusion must be validated in a field study where the soil moisture and temperature conditions are much more variable compared to our incubation experiment.

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Soil aggregate stability and aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen in natural restoration grassland and Chinese red pine plantation on the Loess Plateau

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2016.10.004 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 149 ◽

pp. 253-260 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Guang-yu Zhu ◽

Zhou-ping Shangguan ◽

Lei Deng

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Red Pine ◽

Pine Plantation ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Natural Restoration

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Medium-term Effects of Mineral Fertilizer and Organic Amendments on Aggregate and Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Rhizosphere and Bulk Soil

10.21203/rs.3.rs-500528/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wenhai Mi ◽

Taotao Zha ◽

Qiang Gao ◽

Haitao Zhao

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Bulk Soil ◽

Medium Term ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen

Abstract Soil aggregate stability is one of the important physical properties affecting rice (Oryza sativa L.) production and soil sustainability. This study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of different medium-term fertilization regimes on soil aggregate stability and aggregate associated carbon and nitrogen in rhizosphere and bulk soil. This experiment consisted of three treatments including mineral fertilizer alone (NPK), mineral fertilizer plus rice straw (NPK + RS), and controlled-release blended fertilizer plus cattle manure (CRF + CM). The results showed that bulk soil contained higher mean weight diameter (MWD) than in rhizosphere soil at the rice jointing and maturity stages. Compared to the NPK alone, combined application of NPK with organic amendments improved the proportion of > 0.25 mm macroaggregate, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN) concentrations, and MWD in both rhizosphere and bulk soil. In rhizosphere, the proportion of macroaggregate was significantly positively (p < 0.01) correlated with root biomass while had no significant correlations with SOC in all sizes aggregates. By contrast, bulk soil had a significantly (p < 0.01) positive relationship between the proportion of > 2 mm class and organic C associated with smaller particle-size aggregates (0.25–2 mm and < 0.25 mm). During the rice-growing season, the highest MWD value was observed at the jointing stage except for the NPK + RS treatment in bulk soil. Overall, the results suggested that the medium-term application of mineral fertilizer with organic amendments is beneficial to improve soil aggregate stability and C and N accumulation.

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Dynamics of soil aggregate stability as induced by potassium in a soil-plant system

Soil Science & Plant Nutrition ◽

10.1080/00380768.2021.1939151 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Surachet Aramrak ◽

Natthapol Chittamart ◽

Worachart Wisawapipat ◽

Wutthida Rattanapichai ◽

Mutchima Phun-Iam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Plant System

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Dynamics of Soil Organic Carbon and Labile Carbon Fractions in Soil Aggregates Affected by Different Tillage Managements

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1541

Author(s):

Xiaolin Shen ◽

Lili Wang ◽

Qichen Yang ◽

Weiming Xiu ◽

Gang Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Aggregates ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

No Tillage ◽

Labile Carbon ◽

Carbon Fractions ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Positive Effects

Our study aimed to provide a scientific basis for an appropriate tillage management of wheat-maize rotation system, which is beneficial to the sustainable development of agriculture in the fluvo-aquic soil areas in China. Four tillage treatments were investigated after maize harvest, including rotary tillage with straw returning (RT), deep ploughing with straw returning (DP), subsoiling with straw returning (SS), and no tillage with straw mulching (NT). We evaluated soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) in bulk soil and soil aggregates with five particle sizes (>5 mm, 5–2 mm, 2–1 mm, 1–0.25 mm, and <0.25 mm) under different tillage managements. Results showed that compared with RT treatment, NT treatment not only increased soil aggregate stability, but also enhanced SOC, DOC, and POC contents, especially those in large size macroaggregates. DP treatment also showed positive effects on soil aggregate stability and labile carbon fractions (DOC and POXC). Consequently, we suggest that no tillage or deep ploughing, rather than rotary tillage, could be better tillage management considering carbon storage. Meanwhile, we implied that mass fractal dimension (Dm) and POXC could be effective indicators of soil quality, as affected by tillage managements.

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Sludge amendment accelerating reclamation process of reconstructed mining substrates

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-81703-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dan Li ◽

Ningning Yin ◽

Ruiwei Xu ◽

Liping Wang ◽

Zhen Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Structure ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Soil Reclamation ◽

Soil Restoration ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Mining Soil ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Reclamation Process

AbstractWe constructed a mining soil restoration system combining plant, complex substrate and microbe. Sludge was added to reconstructed mine substrates (RMS) to accelerate the reclamation process. The effect of sludge on plant growth, microbial activity, soil aggregate stability, and aggregation-associated soil characteristics was monitored during 10 years of reclamation. Results show that the height and total biomass of ryegrass increases with reclamation time. Sludge amendment increases the aggregate binding agent content and soil aggregate stability. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and light-fraction SOC (LFOC) in the RMS increase by 151% and 247% compared with those of the control, respectively. A similar trend was observed for the glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP). Stable soil aggregate indexes increase until the seventh year. In short, the variables of RMS determined after 3–7 years insignificantly differ from those of the untreated sample in the tenth-year. Furthermore, significant positive correlations between the GRSP and SOC and GRSP and soil structure-related variables were observed in RMS. Biological stimulation of the SOC and GRSP accelerates the recovery of the soil structure and ecosystem function. Consequently, the plant–complex substrate–microbe ecological restoration system can be used as an effective tool in early mining soil reclamation.

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