Initiating conservation agriculture shows reduced soil CO2 emissions and improved soil aggregate stability in the first season in rainfed cropping in India

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is capable of improving soil health and ecosystem functions. Soil carbon sequestration is one of the ecosystem processes that is of importance in sustainable land management involving reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change. In this study, we wanted to determine, during the first year of the process of establishing a CA cropping system in rain-fed areas in Madhya Pradesh state of India, which soil health indicators show measurable signs of improvement. Four field trials were selected, each comprising two neighboring plots. One plot (15×15 m) was managed conventionally under farmer practice and was tilled before sowing seeds, and in the adjacent plot Conservation Agriculture practices were applied. No mineral fertilizers or pesticides were applied in both treatments. Soil health indicators of soil aggregate stability, soil-atmosphere CO2 fluxes, water infiltration, soil moisture, potentially mineralizable nitrogen, soil organic content and bulk density were measured. Results demonstrate that soil CO2 emissions in CA soils decreased and soil aggregates stability improved in the first year. Generally, in CA soils, there were measurable improvements in all soil health indicators but  only some of them were statistically significant.

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Effects of Conservation Agriculture and Temperature Sensitivity on Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics; its Fractions, and Soil Aggregate Stability in RWCS of Sub-tropical India: A Review

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ◽

10.20546/ijcmas.2020.908.073 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 658-675

Author(s):

S. P. Singh ◽

R. K. Naresh ◽

Yogesh Kumar ◽

Robin Kumer

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Temperature Sensitivity ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Conservation Agriculture ◽

Carbon Dynamics ◽

Soil Aggregate ◽

Soil Aggregate Stability ◽

Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics

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Combined application of biochar and N increased temperature sensitivity of soil respiration but still decreased the soil CO2 emissions in moso bamboo plantations

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 730 ◽

pp. 139003

Author(s):

Xiaogai Ge ◽

Yonghui Cao ◽

Benzhi Zhou ◽

Wenfa Xiao ◽

Xiaokun Tian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Respiration ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Temperature Sensitivity ◽

Moso Bamboo ◽

Soil Co2 ◽

Combined Application ◽

Increased Temperature ◽

Soil Co2 Emissions

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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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