Land-Use Effect on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Stock in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest

Total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentration in the soil are an indicator of soil degradation. To understand how land-use may impact these concentrations in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF), we analyzed the effect of four land-uses on TOC stocks (STK.TOC) and TN stocks (STK.TN) in a semi-arid region of Brazil. Soil samples were collected in 12 trenches (three sites × four land-uses—dense caatinga (DC), open caatinga (OC), pasture (PA) and agriculture (AG)), in the 0–10; 10–20 and 20–30 cm layers or as far as the bedrock. The data were compared by the Kruskal–Wallis test (p ≤ 0.05) and similarity investigated by cluster analysis. STK.TOC and STK.TN the surface layer (0–10 cm) showed no significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between the DC; OC and PA land-uses. The similarity in STK.TOC and STK.TN values between DC, OC and PA, indicate that it is possible to explore SDTF to produce biomass and protein by adopting open caatinga and pasture land uses on Neosols with very low TOC stocks. The greatest reduction in STK.TOC and STK.TN in the agriculture land-use may lead to soil degradation and contribute to the addition of CO2 to the atmosphere.

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Effects of soil pH and texture on soil carbon and nitrogen in soil profiles under different land uses in Mun River Basin, Northeast Thailand

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7880 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7880 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Wenxiang Zhou ◽

Guilin Han ◽

Man Liu ◽

Xiaoqiang Li

Keyword(s):

Soil Carbon ◽

River Basin ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Soil Profiles ◽

Land Uses ◽

Agricultural Lands ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Soil Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Forest Lands

Soil carbon and nitrogen are essential factors for agricultural production and climate changes. A total of 106 soil samples from three agricultural lands (including two rice fields and one sugarcane field) and four non-agricultural lands (including two forest lands, one wasteland and one built-up land) in the Mun River Basin were collected to determine soil carbon, nitrogen, soil pH, soil particle sizes and explore the influence of pH and soil texture on soil C and N. The results show that total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TON) contents in topsoil (TOC: 2.78 ~ 18.83 g kg−1; TON: 0.48 ~ 2.05 g kg−1) are much higher than those in deep soil (TOC: 0.35 ~ 6.08 g kg−1; TON: <0.99 g kg−1). In topsoil, their contents of forest lands and croplands (TOC: average 15.37 g kg−1; TON: average 1.29 g kg−1) are higher than those of other land uses (TOC: average 5.28 g kg−1; TON: average 0.38 g kg−1). The pH values range from 4.2 to 6.1 in topsoil, and with increase in soil depth, they tend to increase and then decrease. Soil carbon, nitrogen and the C/N (TC/TN ratio) are negatively correlated with soil pH, demonstrating that relatively low pH benefits the accumulation of organic matter. Most soil samples are considered as sandy loam and silt loam from the percentages of clay, silt and sand. For soil profiles below 50 cm, the TOC and TON average contents of soil samples which contain more clay and silt are higher than those of other soil samples.

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Deforestation and land use strongly effect soil organic carbon and nitrogen stock in Northwest Ethiopia

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2017.02.003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 153 ◽

pp. 89-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Dessie Assefa ◽

Boris Rewald ◽

Hans Sandén ◽

Christoph Rosinger ◽

Abrham Abiyu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Northwest Ethiopia ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Stock

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Effect of Soil Orders and Land Uses on Available Soil Nutrients in Meghalaya, India

International Journal of Plant & Soil Science ◽

10.9734/ijpss/2020/v32i330260 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 62-71

Author(s):

Chandan Goswami ◽

Naorem Janaki Singh ◽

Bijoy Krishna Handique

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Spatial Distribution ◽

Soil Nutrients ◽

Land Management ◽

Mean Value ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Land Uses ◽

Sustainable Land Management ◽

P2o5 Content ◽

Zn Content

Understanding of spatial distribution of available soil nutrients is important for sustainable land management. An attempt has been made to assess the spatial distribution of available soil nutrients under different soil orders and land uses of RiBhoi, Meghalaya, India using geo-statistical techniques. Seven Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classes were selected from LULC map on 1:50,000 scale prepared by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) viz. Abandoned Jhum (AJ), Current Jhum (CJ), Deciduous Forest (DF), Double Crop (DC), Evergreen Forest (EF), Kharif Crop (KC) and Wastelands (WL). Again, three soil orders were identified by National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP) in RiBhoi district of Meghalaya, India viz. Alfisols, Inceptisols and Ultisols. 105 soil samples were collected, 5 replicated soil samples from 21 strata derived from 7 LULC and 3 soil orders. Soil samples were analyzed for available nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P2O5), available potassium (K2O) and available zinc (Zn) using standard procedures. One way ANOVA was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 software. Significance levels were tested at p≤0.05. N content varied from low (215.50 kg/ha) to medium (414.30 kg/ha) with mean value of 291.50 kg/ha. On the other hand, P2O5 content varied from low (19.90 kg/ha) to high (68.30 kg/ha) with mean value of 43.52 kg/ha. Similarly, K2O content varied from low (112.09 kg/ha) to high (567.84 kg/ha) with mean value of 273.68 kg/ha. Again, Zn also varied from low (0.26 ppm) to high (1.46 ppm) with mean value of 0.64 ppm. In Alfisols, N was found to be higher in EF, AJ & CJ than DF, DC, KC and WL. KC has been found to have lower N than all other LULC classes. Higher P2O5 has been found under EF over KC and WL. AJ has been found to have higher K2O than all other LULC classes. K2O has also been found to be higher in CJ over DC, KC and WL. DF and EF have been found to have higher K2O than KC and WL. Zn has been found to be higher in EF over CJ, DC and WL. In Inceptisols, higher amount of N was observed under EF over all other LULC classes. Higher N has also been found under CJ over DF, DC, KC and WL. P2O5 content was found to be higher under DF over all other LULC classes. Higher P2O5 content was also found under AJ, CJ and DC than KC and WL. Higher amount of K2O has been found under AJ over all other LULC. K2O content of soil under DF was also higher than CJ, EF, KC and WL. Zn has been found to be higher under EF over all other LULC classes. Zn content under CJ has also been found to be higher than AJ, DF, KC and WL. In Ultsols, higher amount of N has been found under EF compared to all other LULC classes. Lowest N content was found under KC. P2O5 content was found to be higher under EF, DF and AJ over all other LULC. K2O content has been found to be higher under CJ in comparison to all other LULC classes. K2O content of EF and DF were also found to be higher than AJ, DC, KC and WL. Again, K2O content has been found to be higher under DC compared to AJ, KC and WL. Zn content under EF and AJ was found to be higher than all other LULC classes. CJ, DF, DC, KC and WL have been found to have lower Zn content. It has been observed that P2O5 content is significantly higher in inceptisols irrespective of LULC classes. The study has highlighted the spatial distribution of available soil nutrients as a function of soil orders and LULC. This will be a useful input in sustainable land management programmes.

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Does Pastoral Land-Use Legacy Influence Topsoil Carbon and Nitrogen Accrual Rates in Tallgrass Prairie Restorations?

Land ◽

10.3390/land10070735 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 735

Author(s):

Nicholas Glass ◽

Brenda Molano-Flores ◽

Eduardo Dias de Oliveira ◽

Erika Meraz ◽

Samira Umar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Tallgrass Prairie ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Legacy Effects ◽

Row Crops ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Crop Fields ◽

Row Crop ◽

Prairie Restorations

Restoration can recover degraded ecosystems and ecosystem services. However, effects of restoration on soil nutrient accrual are difficult to predict, partly because prior land use affects rates of soil nutrient recovery. In tallgrass prairie restorations, land-use legacy effects have not yet been quantified. We investigated topsoil carbon and nitrogen accrual within seven land-use histories: (1) row crop agriculture, (2) pasture, (3) pasture converted from row crops, (4) prairie restored from row crop, (5) prairie restored from old pasture, (6) bison prairie restored from pasture and row crops, and (7) remnant prairie. Soil samples were collected in 2008 and again in 2018 at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County, IL. Soil samples were analyzed for bulk density, root chemistry, macro- and micronutrients, and carbon. Restored prairies contained similar soil bulk densities and rates of topsoil carbon accrual compared to each other in 2018. However, restorations from row cropping accrued nitrogen more slowly than restorations from pastures. Additionally, pastures converted from crop fields exhibited fewer legacy effects than restorations converted from crop fields. This research illustrates land-use legacy effects on soil and nutrients during grassland restorations, with implications for potential restoration trajectories and their role in carbon sequestration and ecosystem functioning.

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Effect of land-use practices on species diversity and selected soil property in Somodo Watershed South-Western Ethiopia

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0252305 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. e0252305

Author(s):

Leta Hailu ◽

Gizaw Tesfaye ◽

Kalkidan Fikirie ◽

Yalemtsehay Debebe

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Home Garden ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Land Use Systems ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Land Use Practices

This study was conducted in Somodo Watershed to investigate the land-use practices and its effect on species diversity and selected soil properties. Field observation was carried out to identify existing land-use practices following a transect line. A total of 20 plots (10 × 10) m2 were sampled from plots exhibiting different land-use practices found in the watershed in order to evaluate species richness and diversity. Soil samples were also collected from each plot. The soil samples were analyzed following standard laboratory procedures. The result of the analysis showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in species diversity and richness among different land-use practices. Coffea arabica was dominant in homestead gardens and natural forests while Grevillea robusta showed had maximum richness in plantations and farm forests in the Watershed. Furthermore, home garden agroforestry practice was significantly (p<0.05) affected soil pH compared to other land-use systems (cultivated land, natural forest, and plantation forest. While Organic carbon (OC), Total nitrogen (TN), and Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (C: N) did not show significance difference among land-use systems in the watershed. The study has concluded that different land-use practices had a positive impact on sustaining species diversity, richness, and improve soil properties. Therefore, the study suggests that improving and expanding home garden agroforestry practices in the area are indispensable for environmental protection and soil fertility enhancement.

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Transformation of organic carbon in alluvial soils under different land uses

Žemės ūkio mokslai ◽

10.6001/zemesukiomokslai.v27i1.4213 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alvyra Šlepetienė ◽

Kazimiež Duchovski ◽

Jonas Volungevičius

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Total Organic Carbon ◽

Arable Land ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Plant Residues ◽

Land Uses ◽

Forest Land ◽

Alluvial Deposits

The aim of this study – to evaluate the status of organic carbon (OC) under different land uses of soils formed in alluvial deposits. The soil samples were collected from 0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm depths in three field replicates.Three land uses were investigated: arable land, grassland and forest. The experimental site is situated near Surviliškis, Kėdainiai District (55°26′08.37′′N, 24°02′27.75′′Y) in Central Lowland of Lithuania. A total of 27 soil samples, collected from 0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm depths in three field replicates, were analysed for OC. The samples were prepared for analysis by removing plant residues, grinding and sieving through a 0.25 mm sieve. For all land uses, the highest content of OC was found in the upper 0–10 cm soil layer of the soil, with the highest values found in the forest land use. Fast-growing deciduous trees are an effective means to increase the content of OC in alluvial soil, especially in the 0–10 cm layer. The distribution of OC in the soil layers depended on the land use. Grassland and forest land uses allow OC to be preserved throughout the 0–30 cm layer, with less OC differentiation than in arable land. This could be attributed to the specificities of organic matter accumulation and degradation in different land uses. Not only the amount of labile organic carbon (similar to total organic carbon) was highest (0.392 g kg–1) in forest soil in the 0–10 cm layer, it also had a higher relative share in the total organic carbon (2.9%) than in other land uses – arable land and grassland (2.3–2.4%).

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Temporal variation of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stock and concentration along land use, species and elevation gradient of chilimo dry afromonate forest and adjacent land uses, ethiopia

Natural Resources Conservation and Research ◽

10.24294/nrcr.v1i2.713 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Mehari A. Tesfaye 1 ◽

Andres Bravo Oviedo 2 ◽

Felipe Bravo 3

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Temporal Variation ◽

Mixed Model ◽

Linear Mixed Model ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Elevation Gradient ◽

Native Forest ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Stock ◽

C And N

Forests play a vital role in the natural global carbon cycle by capturing carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and converting it into forest biomass. Forests sequester and stores more carbon than any terrestrial ecosystem and act as sources as well as sinks of CO2. However, the increasing rate of deforestation and the impact of changes in land use require a critical and updated look at what is happening in the tropics. This work emphasized the temporal variation of bulk density, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stock and concentration in four land-use categories: natural forest, tree plantations, crop-land and degraded soil along elevation gradient and soil depth. The study was conducted in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia, where deforestation and human pressure on native forests are exacerbated and erosion has caused extensive soil loss. We hypothesized that, there is temporal variation of C and N concentrations and stocks in native forest along elevation gradient, land use type, species and soil depth. Carbon and N concentrations and stock and bulk densities in mineral soil were analysed as repeated measures in an irregular vertical space ranging from 0–10 cm, 10–30 cm, 30–50 cm and 50–100 cm, using a linear mixed model approach in two-time scale period 2012 - 2017. Double observations in 2012 and 2017, were made from the forest floor were analysed by a general linear mixed model. There is significant variation in organic carbon and nitrogen stock along elevation gradient for forest floor. Results also indicated that soil depth is more important factor than elevation gradient in native forests, though C and N concentrations and stocks diminished near human settlements. Native forest stored on average more nitrogen than bare soil, cropland and plantations, respectively. Conversion of crop and degraded land into plantations ameliorated soil degradation conditions, but species selection did not affect carbon and nitrogen stocks. Thus, appropriate forest management options should be applied in order to increase productivity and carbon sink of Chilimo dryafromontane forest and adjacent land use. Temporal monitoring and reporting of carbon stock and concentration is also important to understand the role of Chilimo dryafromonate forest in climate change mitigation and adaptation agendas.

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Soil organic carbon assessment under different land uses in Cauvery delta zone of Tamil Nadu, India

Journal of Applied and Natural Science ◽

10.31018/jans.v12i4.2372 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 478-483

Author(s):

Surya Prabha A.C. ◽

Velumani R. ◽

Senthivelu M. ◽

Arulmani K. ◽

Pragadeesh S.

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Land Uses ◽

Forest Land ◽

Size Fractions ◽

Soc Stock ◽

Cauvery Delta

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a vital role in soil fertility and is important for its contributions to mitigation and adaptation to climate change. The present study was undertaken to estimate the SOC stock in soils under different land uses of Cauvery Delta zone of Tamil Nadu. Four different land uses were selected for the study viz, Forests, Agriculture, Agro-forestry and Plantations. Soil samples were collected from Madukkur and Kalathur soil series of Cauvery Delta zone for soil carbon analysis. The soil samples were fractionated into three aggregate size classes viz., macro-aggregates (250-2000µm), micro-aggregates (53-250 µm) and silt and clay sized fraction (<53 µm). At 0-30 cm depth, the forest land use stored the maximum SOC stock in the different size fractions viz. macro-sized fraction (73.0 Mg ha-1), a micro-sized fraction (76.0 Mg ha-1) and silt+clay sized fraction (77.0 Mg ha-1) in Madukkur series. Agriculture land use registered the lowest SOC stock. Among the different size fractions, silt+clay sized fraction (< 53 µm) retained the maximum SOC in all the land uses. In Kalathur series also, maximum soil organic carbon stock was recorded in forest land use. The data generated in the study will be beneficial to the user groups viz., farmers in identifying the most suitable land use for enhancing the storage of soil organic carbon thereby improving yields of crops and trees.

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Discrepancies in Karst Soil Organic Carbon in Southwest China for Different Land Use Patterns: A Case Study of Guizhou Province

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16214199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (21) ◽

pp. 4199

Author(s):

Zhenming Zhang ◽

Xianfei Huang ◽

Yunchao Zhou ◽

Jiachun Zhang ◽

Xubo Zhang

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Type ◽

Southwest China ◽

Potassium Dichromate ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Guizhou Province ◽

Land Uses ◽

Karst Areas

The assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) in mountainous karst areas is very challenging, due to the high spatial heterogeneity in SOC content and soil type. To study and assess the SOC storage in mountainous karst areas, a total of 22,786 soil samples were collected from 2,854 soil profiles in Guizhou Province in Southwest China. The SOC content in the soil samples was determined by the oxidation of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7), followed by titration with iron (II) sulfate (FeSO4). The SOC storage was assessed based on different land uses. The results suggested that the average SOC density in the top 1.00 m of soil associated with different land uses decreased in the following order: Croplands (9.58 kg m−2) > garden lands (9.07 kg m−2) > grasslands (8.07 kg m−2) > forestlands (7.35 kg m−2) > uncultivated lands (6.94 kg m−2). The SOC storage values in the 0.00–0.10 m, 0.00–0.20 m, 0.00–0.30 m and 0.00–1.00 m soil layers of Guizhou Province were 0.50, 0.87, 1.11 and 1.58 Pg, respectively. The SOC in the top 0.30 m of soil accounted for 70.25% of the total within the 0.00–1.00 m layer in Guizhou Province. It was concluded that assessing SOC storage in mountainous karst areas was more accurate when using land use rather than soil type. This result can supply a scientific reference for the accurate assessment of the SOC storage in the karst areas of southwestern China, the islands of Java, northern and central Vietnam, Indonesia, Kampot Province in Cambodia and in the general area of what used to be Yugoslavia, along with other karst areas with similar ecological backgrounds.

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Soil quality evaluation under different land use types in Kersa sub-watershed, eastern Ethiopia

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH ◽

10.1186/s40068-021-00224-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yared Mulat ◽

Kibebew Kibret ◽

Bobe Bedadi ◽

Muktar Mohammed

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Quality Indicators ◽

Management Practices ◽

Land Uses ◽

Grazing Land ◽

Data Set ◽

Eastern Ethiopia ◽

Land Use Types ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Background Soil quality, which can be inferred using indicators that interact synergistically, is affected by land use types and agricultural management practices. This study assessed the status of soil quality under three adjacent land uses (cultivated, grazing, and fallow) in Kersa subwatershed (622 ha). Soil samples were collected from the surface soil (0–20 cm depth) of the identified land uses with three replications and the soil quality parameters were analyzed. A minimum data set of soil quality indicators were selected from physical, chemical, and biological parameters using the literature review and expert opinion method. Linear scoring functions were used to give the unitless scores for the selected data sets, which were then integrated into a soil quality index (SQI). Results The results revealed that bulk density, aggregate stability, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), available P, and soil organic carbon (SOC) had a significant difference in SQI among the different land uses. The soil quality indices were 0.69 for grazing land, 0.62 for cultivated land, and 0.59 for the fallow land. The SQI of all the land uses falls in the intermediate soil quality (0.55 < SQI < 0.70) class. Conclusion In almost all the quality indicators assessed, the grazing land was superior to the cultivated and fallow lands. Therefore, implementing management practices that enhance soil quality like organic matter-controlled systems is imperative for sustainable agricultural production in the study area.

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