Assessment of Soil C and N Stocks and Fractions across 11 European Soils under Varying Land Uses

The Kali Kungkuk micro watershed which is located in the upper area of Brantas watershed, had experienced forest conversion to horticulture during the last fourth decades. Since the physiographic of Kali Kungkuk micro watershed is hilly, forest conversion to horticulture may result in soil nutrient stock changes. The research aimed to analyze soil nutrient stock from forest to horticulture land uses (i.e. apple orchard and vegetables) in the Kali Kungkuk micro watershed. The field research was conducted on three different land uses (i.e. vegetable land (PK), apple orchard (PA), and forest (PH)) and four land slope classes (i.e. slope 0-8% (K1), 8-15% (K2), 15-25% (K3), and > 25% (K4)), with three, replicates plots of each. Soil samples were collected at three different depths (0-10, 10-30, and 30- 50 cm) from each plot. The parameters measured included soil texture, bulk density, standing litter mass, canopy cover, basal area, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen. Data analysis was conducted with Linear Mixed Effect Models with a level of 5% and a further analysis of LSD test level of 5% as well as a correlation test between observational parameters. The results showed that differences in land use and slope affected to significant differences in the content of soil organic C and total N. In general, forests had higher soil C and N stocks as compared to other land uses (i.e. apple orchard and vegetables). Furthermore, soil organic C and total N was higher in the low slopes (i.e. 0-8%) and (8-15%) as compared to the high slopes (i.e. 15-25%) and (> 25%). The study found a positive correlation between soil nutrient stocks (i.e. C and N) and clay content. In contrast, soil C and N stock was negatively correlated with soil bulk density. Soil fertility degradation that occurs in the Kali Kungkuk micro watershed (i.e. apple orchard and vegetables) requires serious attention in soil management in order to ensure the sustainability of apple and vegetable production.

Download Full-text

Continental scale climate, land-use and geological controls of soil P cycling and relations with soil C and N

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10893 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wolfgang Wanek ◽

Daniel Wasner ◽

Johann Püspök ◽

Theresa Böckle ◽

Lisa Noll ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Uses ◽

Soil C ◽

Soil P ◽

P Pools ◽

P Cycling ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

P Mineralization ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N

Despite the importance of phosphorus (P) as a nutrient for all life, its availability is highly constrained in terrestrial ecosystems. The availability of P to plants and microbes is regulated by abiotic processes (e.g. P sorption/desorption, precipitation/dissolution) and biological activities (microbial P immobilization/organic P mineralization). Due to the strong geochemical component of the P cycle, it can be expected that soil C, N and P cycling may differ in terms of effects of geology, climate and management. Despite advances in our understanding of physico-chemical controls on P availability, there is still little mechanistic understanding of large scale controls on soil P cycling and its relation to soil C and N cycling, due to a lack of broad scale studies using common methodologies.Here we aimed to investigate soil physicochemical and biological factors that drive soil P cycling and may cause a (de)coupling of C, N and P processes. We therefore sampled mineral topsoils (0-10 cm, n=95) across a continental transect in Europe (Southern Spain to Northern Scandinavia), covering major geological, climatic and land use gradients. The soils derived from different land uses (cropland, grassland, forest/woodland) and bedrock types (silicate, sediment, calcareous). We analyzed a wide range of potentially relevant physico-chemical and biological properties and measured gross rates of soil N and P processes by short term (24 h) incubations of soils with 33P and 15N following isotope pool dilution approaches.(i) Across the whole transect land-use effects on soil P pools and processes exceeded those of geology, reflecting the accumulation of fertilizer P in soils of managed ecosystems. Cropland (and grasslands) had higher values of soil total P and soil inorganic P (Pi), available Pi (Olsen P), and gross Pi mobilization rates by abiotic and biotic processes compared to forests. Soil phosphatase activity did not vary between land-uses. Soils on silicate bedrock had significantly higher total and labile P than calcareous soils.(ii) Climate differentially affected P pools and processes. Soil total P, dissolved organic P, and gross Pi desorption decreased with mean annual temperature (MAT; these properties were not sensitive to mean annual precipitation - MAP), while soil phosphatase activity and gross total Pi mobilization through abiotic and biotic processes increased with MAP but were insensitive to MAT. This clearly points to adverse climatic controls of biotic and abiotic soil P processes.(iii) We found strong interlinkages between soil C, N and P pools (soil organic matter and microbial biomass) and soil enzymes (beta-glucosidase, chitinase, phosphatase) but not in related gross processes (respiration, N and P mineralization). Interestingly the slopes of C-P and N-P relations of pools and enzymes differed systematically between land-uses, indicating that land management causes a partial decoupling of P from C and N cycles, reflecting the P-richness of croplands.

Download Full-text

SOIL C AND N AS INDICATORS OF VINEYARD SOIL QUALITY IN THE RAVNI KOTARI REGION OF CROATIA

10.1130/abs/2020se-345231 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sonia C. Clemens ◽

◽

Mia Brkljaca ◽

Delaina Pearson ◽

C. Brannon Andersen

Keyword(s):

Soil Quality ◽

Soil C ◽

Vineyard Soil ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N

Download Full-text

Spatially Related Sampling Uncertainty in the Assessment of Labile Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in an Irish Forest Plantation

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11052139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 2139

Author(s):

Junliang Zou ◽

Bruce Osborne

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Sampling Effort ◽

Limited Information ◽

Sampling Area ◽

Soil C ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N ◽

Highly Correlated

The importance of labile soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil biogeochemical processes is now well recognized. However, the quantification of labile soil C and N in soils and the assessment of their contribution to ecosystem C and N budgets is often constrained by limited information on spatial variability. To address this, we examined spatial variability in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved total nitrogen (DTN) in a Sitka spruce forest in central Ireland. The results showed moderate variations in the concentrations of DOC and DTN based on the mean, minimum, and maximum, as well as the coefficients of variation. Residual values of DOC and DTN were shown to have moderate spatial autocorrelations, and the nugget sill ratios were 0.09% and 0.10%, respectively. Distribution maps revealed that both DOC and DTN concentrations in the study area decreased from the southeast. The variability of both DOC and DTN increased as the sampling area expanded and could be well parameterized as a power function of the sampling area. The cokriging technique performed better than the ordinary kriging for predictions of DOC and DTN, which are highly correlated. This study provides a statistically based assessment of spatial variations in DOC and DTN and identifies the sampling effort required for their accurate quantification, leading to improved assessments of forest ecosystem C and N budgets.

Download Full-text

Impacts of irrigation on soil C and N stocks in grazed grasslands depends on aridity and irrigation duration

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115109 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 399 ◽

pp. 115109

Author(s):

Paul L. Mudge ◽

Jamie Millar ◽

Jack Pronger ◽

Alesha Roulston ◽

Veronica Penny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil C ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N

Download Full-text

C and N urban soil budget and its spatial differentiation in comparison with natural areas in the Wroclaw region of Poland

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/20184500085 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 00085

Author(s):

Izabela Sówka ◽

Yaroslav Bezyk ◽

Maxim Dorodnikov

Keyword(s):

Urban Soil ◽

Spatial Differentiation ◽

Clay Content ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Microbial Biomass C ◽

Natural Areas ◽

Soil C ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N ◽

Natural Grassland

An assessment of C and N balance in urban soil compared to the natural environment was carried out to evaluate the influence of biological processes along with human-induced forcing. Soil C and N stocks were quantified on the samples (n=18) collected at 5 - 10 cm depth from dominated green areas and arable lands in the city of Wroclaw (Poland) and the relatively natural grassland located ca. 36 km south-west. Higher soil carbon and nitrogen levels (C/N ratio = 11.8) and greater microbial biomass C and N values (MBC = 95.3, MBN = 14.4 mg N kg-1) were measured in natural grassland compared with the citywide lawn sites (C/N ratio = 15.17, MBC = 84.3 mg C kg-1, MBN = 11.9 mg N kg-1), respectively. In contrast to the natural areas, the higher C and N concentration was measured in urban grass dominated soils (C = 2.7 % and N = 0.18 % of dry mass), which can be explained mainly due to the high soil bulk density and water holding capacity (13.8 % clay content). The limited availability of soil C and N content was seen under the arable soil (C = 1.23 %, N = 0.13 %) than in the studied grasslands. In fact, the significantly increased C/N ratios in urban grasslands are largely associated with land conversion and demonstrate that urban soils have the potential to be an important reservoir of C.

Download Full-text

Simulation of protozoa-induced mineralization of bacterial carbon and nitrogen

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss92-020 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 72 (3) ◽

pp. 201-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

P. M. Rutherford ◽

N. G. Juma

Keyword(s):

N Mineralization ◽

Ecological Research ◽

Clay Loam ◽

Glucose Addition ◽

Soil C ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N ◽

Typic Cryoboroll ◽

Bacterial C

Modelling in soil ecological research is a means of linking the dynamics of microbial and faunal populations to soil processes. The objectives of this study were (i) to simulate bacterial-protozoan interactions and flows of C and N in clay loam Orthic Black Chernozemic soil under laboratory condtions; and (ii) to quantify the flux of C and N (inputs and outputs) through various pools using the simulation model. The unique features of this model are: (i) it combines the food chain with specific soil C and N pools, and (ii) it simultaneously traces the flows of C, 14C, N and 15N. It was possible to produce a model that fitted the data observed for the soil. The simulated CO2-C evolved during the first 12 d was due mainly to glucose addition (171 μg C g−1 soil) and cycling of C in the soil (160 μg C g−1 soil). During this interval, bacterial C uptake was 5.5-fold greater than the initial bacterial C pool size. In the first 12 d protozoa directly increased total CO2-C evolution by 11% and increased NH4-N mineralization 3-fold, compared to soil containing only bacteria. Mineralization of C and N was rapid when bacterial numbers were increased as a result of glucose addition. Key words: Acanthamoeba sp., modelling, N mineralization-immobilization, organic matter, Pseudomonas sp., Typic Cryoboroll

Download Full-text

Soil C and N cycling in three semiarid vegetation types: Response to an in situ pulse of plant detritus

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.07.015 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 40 (10) ◽

pp. 2678-2685 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Toby D. Hooker ◽

John M. Stark

Keyword(s):

N Cycling ◽

Vegetation Types ◽

Soil C ◽

Plant Detritus ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N ◽

C And N Cycling

Download Full-text

Patterns of water infiltration and soil degradation over a 120-yr chronosequence from forest to agriculture in western Kenya

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-8-6993-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 6993-7015 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

G. Nyberg ◽

A. Bargués Tobella ◽

J. Kinyangi ◽

U. Ilstedt

Keyword(s):

Bulk Density ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Infiltration Rate ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Native Forest ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Soil C ◽

Soil C And N ◽

C And N

Abstract. Soil degradation is commonly reported in the tropics where forest is converted to agriculture. Much of the native forest in the highlands of western Kenya has been converted to agricultural land in order to feed the growing population, and more land is being cleared. In tropical Africa, this land use change results in progressive soil degradation, as the period of cultivation increases. Sites that were converted to agriculture at different times can be evaluated as a chronosequence; this can aid in our understanding of the processes at work, particularly those in the soil. Both levels and variation of infiltration, soil carbon and other parameters are influenced by management within agricultural systems, but they have rarely been well documented in East Africa. We constructed a chronosequence for an area of western Kenya, using two native forest sites and six fields that had been converted to agriculture for varying lengths of time. We assessed changes in infiltrability (the steady-state infiltration rate), soil C and N, bulk density, δ13C, and the proportion of macro- and microaggregates in soil along a 119 yr chronosequence of conversion from natural forest to agriculture. Infiltration, soil C and N, decreased rapidly after conversion, while bulk density increased. Median infiltration rates fell to about 15 % of the initial values in the forest and C and N values dropped to around 60 %, whilst the bulk density increased by 50 %. Despite high spatial variability in infiltrability, these parameters correlated well with time since conversion and with each other. Our results indicate that landscape planners should include wooded elements in the landscape in sufficient quantity to ensure water infiltration at rates that prevent runoff and erosion. This should be the case for restoring degraded landscapes, as well as for the development of new agricultural areas.

Download Full-text