[en] Straw return as a common and effective management can improve soil carbon (C) sequestration and structure by forming aggregates and aggregate associated C. Quantifying soil aggregation and aggregate associated C is key to predicting soil organic C dynamics using testable models. The relative quantity of C stabilized in soil aggregate is an indicator that can reveal the conversion efficiency of added straw to organic C in aggregate. Straw size is known to alter litter decomposition, but how straw size impacts the dynamics of soil aggregate formation and the relative quantity of C stabilized in soil aggregate after litter addition is not well understood. We conducted an 80-day laboratory incubation with wheat straw addition of two different sizes (1–2 mm and <0.25 mm) to artificial soils of two textures (3 % clay and 7 % clay). The objectives were to examine 1) whether straw size significantly modified litter decomposition and the relative quantity of C stabilized in soil aggregates over time, and 2) what soil physical and biochemical factors determined soil aggregation and the formation of aggregate-associated C over time, such as straw size, soil texture, or enzyme activity. We found that both litter decomposition and the relative quantity of C stabilized in soil aggregates were higher in the treatment with small straw addition than those with large straw addition, but they were not significantly different between two soils with 3 % vs. 7 % clay content. This was due to increased enzyme activities caused by small straw addition, which could enhance dissolved organic C generation and stimulate microbial decomposition. Additionally, the mass proportion of macroaggregate (>2 mm) increased with time while the mass proportion of microaggregate (0.25–2 mm) decreased, suggesting that microaggregate combined to form macroaggregate (>2 mm) in the late stage of incubation (after day 17). Moreover, the relative quantity of C stabilized in microaggregate (<0.053 mm) increased linearly with dissolved organic C, whereas the relative quantity of C stabilized in macroaggregate (>2 mm) increased with the aromaticity of dissolved organic matter as measured by specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm. Together, our findings suggest that straw size remarkably modifies litter decomposition and the relative quantity of C stabilized in soil aggregates by changing the quantity and quality of dissolved organic C at different decomposition stages, whereas small difference in soil clay content has no effects.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy
Author, co-author :
Ji, Xiaofang ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, China ; School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
Jiang, Jiang; Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Restoration in Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Forestry, Nanjing, China
Wang, Yugang; State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China ; Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fukang, China
Colinet, Gilles ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Echanges Eau - Sol - Plantes
Feng, Wenting; School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
Language :
English
Title :
Small straw addition enhances straw decomposition and carbon stabilized in soil aggregates over time
NSCF - National Natural Science Foundation of China [CN]
Funding text :
We are grateful to Dr. Franziska B. Bucka for her advice on how to prepare microbial inoculum and adjust Hoagland’s solution, as well as the duration of incubation. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China ( 42077023 , 42371126 ), the National Key Research and Development Program ( 2021YFE0114500 ), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. BLX202265 and lzujbky-2022-ct01 ), and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP).
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