Aggregate stability; Chemical composition; Conservation tillage; Iron oxides; Organo-mineral complexes; Earth-Surface Processes
Abstract :
[en] Conservation tillage practices, which involve minimal or no soil disturbance and crop residue retention, are known to help preserve soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the mechanisms underlying the minerals-mediated chemical and physical stabilization of SOC remain unclear. Here, a long-term field experiment was initiated in 2012 to investigate the effects of tillage managements on the contents and chemical composition of SOC density fractions, iron oxides transformation and aggregate stability in Mollisols. We utilized three treatments: conventional tillage (CT) without crop residue, reduced tillage (RT) and no tillage (NT) with straw mulching. Compared to CT, RT and NT significantly increased SOC content by 13.6 % and 17.9 % in the 0–20 cm soil layer due to an increase in the aromatic compound contents. Furthermore, NT and RT increased the mean weight diameter by 17.7 % and 10.7 %, respectively, indicating increased aggregate stability compared to CT. Additionally, the contents of amorphous iron oxides (Feo) and complex iron oxides (Fep) increased under NT and RT by 10.6–14.4 % and 12.7–41.1 %, respectively, in bulk soil and silt + clay fractions within macroaggregates (>0.25 mm). The contents of Feo and Fep were strongly positively correlated with aggregate stability (p < 0.001, r2 = 0.64), and promote the physical protection of SOC. Both NT and RT enhanced the aromatic-C content and aromatic-C/aliphatic-C ratio by 13.6 %–24.6 % and 16.5 %–38.9 % in macroaggregates compared with CT. Moreover, the aromatic-C/aliphatic-C ratio increased with increasing Feo plus Fep contents (p < 0.001, r2 = 0.73), which led to an increased in the recalcitrant-C proportion, and this shift was benefit for the accumulation of mineral-associated OC. These results indicate that long-term conservation tillage can augment the accessibility of Fe for binding C, possibly by forming organo-Fe complexes, which subsequently improve soil aggregation, and thus promoted the chemical stability and long-term sequestration of SOC in Mollisols of Northeast China.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy
Author, co-author :
Han, Zixuan ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Wu, Xueping ; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Liang, Aizhen; Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China
Li, Shengping; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Gao, Huizhou; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Song, Xiaojun; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Liu, Xiaotong ; Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration/Beijing for Bamboo & Rattan Science and Technology, Institute of Resources and Environment, International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, Beijing, China
Jia, Angyuan; State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Degré, Aurore ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Echanges Eau - Sol - Plantes
Language :
English
Title :
Conservation tillage enhances the sequestration and iron-mediated stabilization of aggregate-associated organic carbon in Mollisols
This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD1500301, 2023YFD1500302), China and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP No. CAAS-ZDRW202202), China. The authors thank researchers at the station of Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology for their help maintaining the field experiments. The authors would like to thank TopEdit (www.topeditsci.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript. We also thank the editors and reviewers for their constructive comments.This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China ( 2023YFD1500301 , 2023YFD1500302 ) and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP No. CAAS-ZDRW202202 ). The authors thank researchers at the station of Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology for their help maintaining the field experiments. The authors would like to thank TopEdit (www.topeditsci.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript. We also thank the editors and reviewers for their constructive comments.
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