Concurrent changes in soil inorganic and organic carbon during the development of larch, Larix gmelinii, plantations and their effects on soil physicochemical properties

Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) and organic carbon (SOC) levels can change with forest development, however, concurrent changes in soil carbon balance and their functional differences in regulating soil properties are unclear. Here, SIC, SOC, and other physicochemical properties of soil (N, alkali-hydrolyzed N, effective Si, electrical conductivity, pH, and bulk density) in 49 chronosequence plots of larch plantation forests were evaluated, by analyzing the concurrent changes in SIC and SOC storage during growth of plantation and the functional difference of these levels in maintaining soil sustainability. These soils had characteristically high SOC (15.34 kg m^?2) and low SIC storage (83.38 g m^?2 on average). Further, 28 of 30 linear regressions between SIC and SOC storage and larch growth parameters (age, tree size, and biomass density) were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, significant changes were observed in ratios of SIC and SOC with these growth parameters (between 0–40 cm and 40–80 cm, respectively; p < 0.05). These results were more useful for determining the changes in SIC and SOC vertical distribution than changes in storage. Moreover, larch growth generally decreased SIC and increased SOC. Linear correlation and multiple-regression analysis showed that the SIC influences soil acidity, whereas SOC affects soil nitrogen. This clearly indicates that larch growth could result in divergent changes in SIC and SOC levels, particularly in their vertical distribution; further, changes in SIC and SOC may variably affect soil physicochemical properties.     

Short-term changes in C and N distribution in soil particle size fractions induced by agricultural practices in a cultivated volcanic soil from Mexico

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of agricultural practices on the characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC). The study area is located in the Central Volcanic Belt (Michoacán) in Mexico. The soil is an Acrisol, acidic and rich in clays and sesquioxides. Experimental plots were treated with four different agronomic management systems between 2002 and 2003: traditional, improved traditional, organic and fallow. Each treatment was replicated twice. Samples were taken at depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm and were subjected to a physical fractionation process by way of particle size. SOC was fractionated into fulvic acids, humic acids and humin. After two years of cultivation, the SOC content increased significantly with the organic management (2.2 mg g⁻¹ at 0–10 cm and 5.8 mg g⁻¹ at 10–20 cm). The C content of the soil fine particle fraction increased with the traditional and organic managements. The organic C and N contents of the silt + clay particle-size fraction were mainly concentrated as humin, indicating that this SOM should be stable and have a low risk of mineralization. The humin C content only decreased significantly under the traditional and fallow treatments. The N content of the humin fraction decreased significantly under the traditional management system (from 69% to 54%), indicating the low sustainability of this soil management. The C/N ratio of the soil increased significantly under all treatments, but mainly under the traditional and organic treatments (from 12.1 and 12.8 to 13.7 and 14.0, respectively). This indicates a decrease in humus quality. In addition, the C/N of the humin increased significantly (from 13.3 and 12.7 to 19.2 and 16.0, respectively).     

Estimation of soil organic carbon storage and its fractions in a small karst watershed

With few available soil organic carbon (SOC) profiles and the heterogeneity of those that do exist, the estimation of SOC pools in karst areas is highly uncertain. Based on the spatial heterogeneity of SOC content of 23,536 samples in a karst watershed, a modified estimation method was determined for SOC storage that exclusively applies to karst areas. The method is a “soil-type method” based on revised calculation indexes for SOC storage. In the present study, the organic carbon contents of different soil types varied greatly, but generally decreased with increasing soil depth. The organic carbon content decreased nearly linearly to a depth of 0–50 cm and then varied at depths of 50–100 cm. Because of the large spatial variability in the karst area, we were able to determine that influences of the different indexes on the estimation of SOC storage decreased as follows: soil thickness > boulder content > rock fragment content > SOC content > bulk density. Using the modified formula, the SOC content in the Houzhai watershed in Puding was estimated to range from 3.53 to 5.44 kg m^?2, with an average value of 1.24 kg m^?2 to a depth of 20 cm, and from 4.44 to 14.50 kg m^?2, with an average value of 12.12 kg m^?2 to a depth of 100 cm. The total SOC content was estimated at 5.39 × 10⁵ t.     

Dynamics of soil organic carbon following land-use change: insights from stable C-isotope analysis in black soil of Northeast China

Intensive soil tillage is a significant factor in soil organic matter decline in cultivated soils. Both cultivation abandonment and foregoing tillage have been encouraged in the past 30 years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion. However, the dynamic processes of soil organic carbon (SOC) in areas of either continuous cultivation or abandonment remain unclear and inconsistent. Our aims were to assess and model the dynamic processes of SOC under continuous tillage and after cultivation abandonment in the black soil of Northeast China. Soil profiles were collected of cultivated or abandoned land with cultivation history of 0–100 years. An isotope mass balance equation was used to calculate the proportion of SOC derived from corn debris (C₄) and from natural vegetation (C₃) to deduce the dynamic process. Approximately 40% of SOC in the natural surface soil (0–10 cm) was eroded in the first 5 years of cultivation, increasing to about 75% within 40 years, before a slow recovery. C₄ above 30 cm soil depth increased by 4.5%–5% or 0.11–0.12 g·kg^?1 on average per year under continuous cultivation, while it decreased by approximately 0.34% annually in the surface soil after cultivation abandonment. The increase in the percentage of C₄ was fitted to a linear equation with given intercepts in the upper 30 cm of soil in cultivated land. A significant relationship between the change of C₄ and time was found only in the surface soil after abandonment of cultivation. These results demonstrate the loss and accumulation of corn-derived SOC in surface black soil of Northeast China under continuous tillage or cultivation abandonment.     

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon and its influencing factors at different soil depths in a semiarid region of China

Studying spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) is crucial for understanding the largest active carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems. The main objectives ofves of this study were (1) to analyze the spatial pattern of SOC at different depths and (2) to define the soil properties affecting the spatial patterns of SOC at different depths. A total of 910 soil samples were collected at different locations and soil layers in a semiarid zone (3800 km²) of northeastern China. A geostatistical approach was used to predict and map SOC at different depths while the soil properties affecting the spatial patterns of SOC were analyzed by using canonical correspondence analysis. As expected, SOC content decreased gradually with depth and such a SOC decrease depended on soil type, which resulted the main factor affecting horizontal and vertical distributions of SOC content. Slope and bulk density exhibited a negative correlation with SOC content, whereas vegetation index, soil moisture content, elevation, and aspect showed a positive correlation. Sensitivity of SOC to influencing factors differed with increasing soil depth. SOC was significantly correlated with vegetation and bulk density on topsoil, while soil moisture and aspect played an important role in controlling SOC with increasing depth.     

Effects of nitrogen fertilization on soil labile carbon fractions of freshwater marsh soil in Northeast China

During the past 50 years, the amount of agricultural fertilizer used in Northern China increased from about 7.5 kg ha^?1 in the 1950s to approximately 348 kg ha^?1 in the 1990s. Given that little is known about the effects of nitrogen fertilization on soil labile carbon fraction in Northern China, this paper evaluated such effects in terms of microbial biomass and dissolved organic carbon in the Sanjiang Plain located in Northeast China. Soils with different cultivation time and undisturbed marsh with Deyeuxia angustifolia were selected to study the effects of nitrogen fertilization on the soil labile organic fractions microbial C (biomass C, microbial quotient, and basal respiration) and to estimate the contributions of nitrogen input on the dynamics of soil labile carbon. Continuous nitrogen application decreased total organic and dissolved organic carbon concentrations significantly, leading to the lack of carbon source for microbes. Therefore, continuous nitrogen fertilizer application induced negative effects on measured soil microbiological properties. However, a moderate nitrogen application rate (60 kg N ha^?1) stimulated soil microbial activity in the short term (about 2 months), whereas a high nitrogen application rate (150 kg N ha^?1) inhibited measured soil microbiological properties in the same period.     

Soil carbon accumulation after open-cast coal and oil shale mining in Northern Hemisphere: a quantitative review

Meta-analysis and other statistical methods were used to evaluate how changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) content in post-mining soils are related to different factors; the data were obtained from 17 studies covering 93 temperate post-mining sites in the Northern Hemisphere that had been revegetated by forest or grassland either by reclamation or natural succession. Because many studies have failed to report any measures of variance, only part of the data were used for meta-analysis. According to the meta-analysis, the rate of SOC accumulation was unrelated to vegetation type. In a separate analysis that included all available data and in which rates of SOC accumulation at each site were used as individual entries, the rate of SOC accumulation differed depending on the age of the site and vegetation type. Under deciduous forests, the rate reached a maximum after 5–10 years and then decreased. Under coniferous forests, the initial SOC values were lower than under deciduous forests, but slowly increased with age and reached a maximum after 30–40 years. No significant temporal trend was found in grasslands, probably because the data set included only relatively young grassland sites. Based on data from sites younger than 30 years, sites with grasslands and deciduous forests accumulated SOC faster than sites with coniferous forests. The rate of accumulation was negatively correlated with temperature under coniferous forests, but positively correlated with temperature in grasslands. This suggests that carbon sequestration is favored by cold climates in coniferous forests, but by warm climates in grasslands. Deciduous forests were intermediate. Compared to conifers, deciduous trees may support SOC sequestration deeper in the soil profile, which may enhance SOC stability. A large proportion of post-mining sites reach the pre-mining SOC stock within 20 years or less after reclamation.     

Experimental investigation on soil carbon, nitrogen, and their components under grazing and livestock exclusion in steppe and desert steppe grasslands, Northwestern China

Livestock grazing is one of the main causes for the change of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in the arid and semi-arid parts in northern China. This paper examined the SOC, TN, and their components of the local steppe and desert steppe, considering continuous grazing and 4-year livestock exclusion, respectively. In steppe where livestock is excluded, both SOC and TN in the topsoil (0–0.20 m) are found to remain unchanged; however, significant growths are found in microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), particulate organic carbon (POC), and particulate organic nitrogen (PON). On the contrary, both POC and PON progressively decrease at the continuous grazing sites, attributed to the reduction of the mass proportions of soil particulate fraction in the top 0.10 m soil. In the desert steppe where grazing is excluded, the SOC, TN, and their components of the topsoil increase. However, at the continuous grazing sites, POC and PON in the 0.10 m topsoil are reduced, caused by the decrease of C and N content in soil particulate fraction. Besides, microbial quotients were lower in the continuous grazing sites in the two grasslands. It is also found that both MBC and POC are more sensitive to human-induced activities than SOC, and thus could serve as earlier indicators of the soil-fertility variation caused by short-period grazing management.     

Soil organic carbon fractions and microbial community and functions under changes in vegetation: a case of vegetation succession in karst forest

The vegetation community succession influences soil nutrient cycling, and this process is mediated by soil microorganisms in the forest ecosystem. A degraded succession series of karst forests were chosen in which vegetation community changed from deciduous broadleaved trees (FO) toward shrubs (SH), and shrubs–grasses (SHG) in the southwest China. Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), labile organic carbon (LOC), water extractable organic matter (WEOM), microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen (MBC and MBN), bacterial and fungal diversity, as well as soil enzyme activities were tested. The results showed that SOC, LOC, MBC, MBN, and enzyme activities declined with vegetation succession, with the relatively stronger decrease of microbial biomass and functions, whereas WEOM was higher in SHG than in other systems. In addition, soil bacterial and fungal composition in FO was different from both SH and SHG. Despite positive relationship with SOC, LOC, and TN (p < 0.01), MBC, MBN appeared to be more significantly correlated to LOC than to SOC. It suggested that vegetation conversion resulted in significant changes in carbon fractions and bioavailability, furthermore, caused the change in soil microbial community and function in the forest ecosystem.     

The scale effect on the soil spatial heterogeneity of Haloxylon ammodendron (C. A. Mey.) in a sandy desert

Haloxylon ammodendron Bge (C.A. Mey.) is a dominant shrub species in the Gurbantonggut Desert and plays an important role in preventing wind erosion and combating desertification, typically by developing fertile islands in desert ecosystems; however, such islands often depend on the scales. An experiment was conducted to determine the scale dependence for the soil spatial heterogeneity of H. ammodendron in the Gurbantonggut Desert using the soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN). The results showed that the soil EC, SOC and TN were significantly higher at the individual scale than the population scale. Moreover, the coefficients of variation (CV %) of the soil parameters at the individual scale were greater than they were at the population scale, with all except for pH (CV = 4.35 % for individual scale and CV = 2.87 % for population scale) presenting a moderate degree of variability (10 % < CV < 100 %). A geostatistical analysis revealed a strong spatial dependence [C ₀ /(C ₀ + C) < 25 %] within the distance of ranges for the tested parameters at both scales. The kriging interpolation results presented significant accumulation of soil SOC and TN around the shrub center and formed a significant “fertile island” at the individual scale, whereas the soil EC was much lower at the shrub center. At the population scale, patch fragments of the soil chemical properties were observed; however, not all individuals presented significant fertile islands or salt islands, and the soil EC presented a similar distribution as SOC and TN. These differences suggested that different mechanisms controlled the spatial distribution of soil minerals at the two scales and that the spatial heterogeneities are scale-dependent in a desert ecosystem.     

Soil organic carbon within the vadose zone of a floodplain

Past studies have focused on carbon variation in the upper 1 m of the soil profile. However, there is limited information on carbon variation at deeper depths (e.g., 0–4 m) and mathematical functions to extrapolate carbon content at these depths. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the vertical variation in SOC (reached 4 m) of the Tarim River floodplain in northwestern China. The vertical distribution in SOC was described by exponential and power functions based on (1) soil depth, (2) soil depth and silt content, (3) soil depth and SOC at the shallowest and deepest depths, (4) soil depth, silt content, and SOC at the shallowest and deepest depths, and (5) soil depth and SOC at the shallowest depth. We found SOC content decreased with depth from 6.82 g kg^?1 at 0–0.2 m to?<?1.0 g kg^?1 below 3.2–3.4 m averaged across five locations along the floodplain. Both the power and exponential functions provided a good fit to the measured data in the upper 1 m of the soil profile, whereas the power function provided a better fit to the data when extrapolating to a depth of 3–4 m. The power function describing SOC as a function of soil depth, silt content, and SOC at the shallowest and deepest depths best portrayed the distribution in SOC with depth. Considering the cost and labor in measuring soil properties, our results suggest that SOC at the shallowest depth can provide good estimates of the vertical distribution in SOC in a floodplain.     

Organic carbon stocks and erosion in the soils of Guangdong,South China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and erosion in South China at the regional scale in the past decades remains far from being understood. This paper calculated the SOC density, storage and erosion in 14 soil classes in Guangdong Province, South China, based on statistical data from the soil survey and soil erosion survey of Guangdong, which was performed in the 1990s. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationships between soil classes and SOC erosion at the regional scale. The results indicated that the SOC density in the soils of Guangdong varied from 12.7 to 144.9 Mg ha^?1 over the entire profile and from 12.6 to 68.4 Mg ha^?1 in the top 20-cm soil layer. The average area-weighted SOC density in the topsoil (0–20 cm) and the entire profile was 32 ± 3 and 86 ± 4 Mg ha^?1, respectively. The total SOC storage was 1.27 ± 0.06 Pg, with 35.6 % (0.46 ± 0.04 Pg) located in the topsoil. The average area-weighted strength of the SOC erosion in the 1990s was 20.6 ± 0.8 Mg km^?2 year^?1. The results indicated that SOC erosion was strongly related to soil class.     

Prediction of spatial soil organic carbon distribution using Sentinel-2A and field inventory data in Sariska Tiger Reserve

Dynamic and vigorous top soil is the source for healthy flora, fauna, and humans, and soil organic matters are the underpinning for healthy and productive soils. Organic components in the soil play significant role in stimulating soil productivity processes and vegetation development. This article deals with the scientific demand for estimating soil organic carbon (SOC) in forest using geospatial techniques. We assessed distribution of SOC using field and satellite data in Sariska Tiger Reserve located in the Aravalli Hill Range, India. This study utilized the visible and near-infrared reflectance data of Sentinel-2A satellite. Three predictor variables namely Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index, and Renormalized Difference Vegetation Index were derived to examine the relationship between soil and SOC and to identify the biophysical characteristic of soil. Relationship between SOC (ground and predicted) and leaf area index (LAI) measured through satellite data was examined through regression analysis. Coefficient of correlation (R ²) was found to be 0.95 (p value < 0.05) for predicted SOC and satellite measured LAI. Thus, LAI can effectively be used for extracting SOC using remote sensing data. Soil organic carbon stock map generated through Kriging model for Landsat 8 OLI data demonstrated variation in spatial SOC stocks distribution. The model with 89% accuracy has proved to be an effective tool for predicting spatial distribution of SOC stocks in the study area. Thus, optical remote sensing data have immense potential for predicting SOC at larger scale.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in particle-size fractions of urban topsoils

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons’ (PAHs) concentrations in bulk samples are commonly used to assess contamination but PAHs are unevenly distributed among particle-size fractions. Seventeen urban surface soil samples from the city of Xuzhou, China, were collected and then fractionated into five size fractions (2,000–300, 300–150, 150–75, 75–28, and <28 μm). The concentrations of 12 US EPA PAHs were measured using gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry in various fractions, and the bulk soil samples and distribution patterns of PAHs in different particle-size fractions were investigated. The mean concentration of total PAHs in bulk soil samples was 1,879 ng/g. The median concentrations for all individual PAH were higher for the 75–2,000 μm fraction than for the <75 μm fraction. The distribution factors for various PAHs in <28 μm soil fraction were closely correlated (r = ?0.661, p < 0.019) to bulk soil fugacity capacity. The values of PAH isomer indicated that traffic emissions might be the major origin of PAHs in Xuzhou surface soils. Spearman correlation analysis was performed and the result suggested that soil organic carbon might be a factor controlling the concentrations of PAHs in soils.     

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks in a karst polje located in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Karst poljes in the Dinaric Mountains have a complex hydrological regime and high potential for crop production. Little information is available about soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), carbon stocks (SOCS), and nitrogen stocks (TNS) in karst poljes located in the Dinaric area. The objective of this paper was to study the spatial distribution of SOC and TN in topsoil (ranged from 9 to 53 cm depth) and whole profile SOCS and TNS (ranged from 15 to 160 cm depth) in the Livno karst polje depression (Bosnia and Herzegovina) using kriging and co-kriging approaches. We used the following properties as co-variates: distance from hills (DFH), distance from the lake (DFL), sand, silt, and clay content, TN, SOC, SOCS, and TNS. We only used the properties that had a significant correlation with the estimated properties as co-variates. The results showed that soils in the study area had high average SOC (7.92%), TN (0.79%), SOCS (191.05 t ha^?1), and TNS (17.91 t ha^?1) values. Histosols had the highest SOCS and TNS and Arenosols the lowest. The experimental variogram of LogSOC and LogTN was best-fitted by the spherical model, while the exponential model was the most accurate for LogSOCS and LogTNS. The spatial dependence was moderate for all studied soil properties. The incorporation of auxiliary variables increased the precision of the estimations from 35.7% (SOC?×?TN) to 49.2% (TNS?×?SOCS).     

Assessment of soil carbon pool,carbon sequestration and soil CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> flux in unreclaimed and reclaimed coal mine spoils

Surface coal mining inevitably deforests the land, reduces carbon (C) pool and generates different land covers. To re-establish the ecosystem C pool, post-mining lands are often afforested with fast-growing trees. A field study was conducted in the 5-year-old unreclaimed dump and reclaimed coal mine dump to assess the changes in soil CO₂ flux and compared with the reference forest site. Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen stocks were estimated in post-mining land. Soil CO₂ flux was measured using close dynamic chamber method, and the influence of environmental variables on soil CO₂ flux was determined. Woody biomass C and SOC stocks of the reference forest site were threefold higher than that of 5-year-old reclaimed site. The mean soil CO₂ flux was highest in 5-year-old reclaimed dump (2.37 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1) and lowest in unreclaimed dump (0.21 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1). Soil CO₂ flux was highly influenced by environmental variables, where soil temperature positively influenced the soil CO₂ flux, while soil moisture, relative humidity and surface CO₂ concentration negatively influenced the soil CO₂ flux. Change in soil CO₂ flux under different land cover depends on plant and soil characteristics and environmental variables. The study concluded that assessment of soil CO₂ flux in post-mining land is important to estimate the potential of afforestation to combat increased emission of soil CO₂ at regional and global scale.     

Effects of long-term irrigation with treated wastewater. Part II: Role of organic carbon on Cu,Pb and Cr behaviour

The long-term impact of irrigation on a Mediterranean sandy soil irrigated with treated wastewater (TWW) since 1980 was evaluated. The main soil properties (CEC, pH, size distribution, exchangeable cations and chloride, hydraulic conductivity) as well as the organic matter and Cu, Cr and Pb speciation in an irrigated soil and a non-irrigated control soil at various soil depths were monitored and compared during a 2 year experiment. In this second part, we focused on Cu, Cr and Pb behaviour in relation with soil organic carbon (SOC). Soil samples were collected every 3 months during 2 years at the depths 0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm and were analysed for exchangeable and total metals, organic carbon content, metal sequential extraction and humic substances – Humic Acids (HA), Fulvic Acids (FA) and Non-Humified Fraction (NHF). Long-term irrigation with a domestic treated wastewater (TWW) may be considered safe with regard to trace metal accumulation in soil. Irrigation lowered the HA and NHF fractions of SOC and made the FA fraction more mobile. Cu bound preferentially to the SOC fraction, Cr was found mainly in the reducible fraction and Pb was bound to all fractions indiscriminately. Cu exhibited a high affinity for the HA fraction, while Pb and Cr had a high affinity for the FA fraction, which indicates a greater mobility of the organically-bound Pb and Cr than of the organically-bound Cu. Evaluation of the potential metal mobility has to take into account not only the usual speciation between labile, reducible and oxidisable fractions, but also the nature of the SOC responsible for the oxidisable fraction.     

Pasture degradation effects on soil quality indicators at different hillslope positions in a semiarid region of western Iran

A study was made to determine the influence of pasture degradation on soil quality indicators that included physical, chemical, biological and micromorphological attributes, along the hillslope positions in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, western Iran. Soil samples from different slope positions were collected from 0 to 30 cm depth for physical and chemical properties and from 0 to 15 cm depth for biological properties at two adjacent sites in the two ecosystems: natural pasture and cultivated land. Soil quality indicators including bulk density, mean weight diameter, soil organic carbon (SOC), particulate organic material (POM) in aggregate fractions, total nitrogen, available potassium, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, soil microbial respiration (SMR) and microbial biomass C and N were determined. The results showed that SOC decreased cultivation from 1.09 to 0.77 % following pasture degradation. The POM decreased by about 19.35 % in cultivated soils when compared to natural pasture; also, SMR and microbial biomass C and N decreased significantly following pasture degradation. Furthermore, aggregate stability and pore spaces decreased, and bulk density increased in the cultivated soils. Overall, our results showed that long-term cultivation following pasture degradation led to a decline in soil quality in all selected slope positions at the site studied in the semiarid region.     

Local-scale spatial variability of soil organic carbon and its stock in the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the key components for assessing soil quality. Meanwhile, the changes in the stocks SOC may have large potential impact on global climate. It is increasingly important to estimate the SOC stock precisely and to investigate its variability. In this study, Yangjuangou watershed was selected to investigate the SOC distribution under different land uses. We found that SOC concentration decreased with increasing soil depth under all land uses and was significantly different across the vertical soil profile (P < 0.01). However, considering effect of land use on SOC, it is only significant (P < 0.01) in the topsoil (0-5 cm) layer. This indicated that land use has a large effect on the stocks of SOC in the surface soil. The stratification ratio of SOC > 1.2 may mean that soil quality is improving. The order of the SOC density (0-30 cm) under different land uses is forestland > orchard land > grassland > immature forestland > terraced cropland. The SOC stock is found to be as large as 2.67 × 10³ t (0-30 cm) in this watershed. Considering time effect of restoration, the slope cropland just abandoned is more efficient for SOC accumulation than trees planted in the semi-arid hilly loess area.     

Phosphorus dynamics and corn growth under applications of corn stalks biochar in a clay soil

Biochar prepared from corn stalks is used as a source of phosphorus in this study. The hypotheses were to investigate effects of biochar applications in clay soil on availability, changes of phosphorus pools and maximum adsorption of phosphorus as well as corn growth. The soil was placed in plastic pots with each contains 3 kg of this soil. Biochar was added at levels of 0 (control), 6.5 (B₁), 19 (B₂), and 38 (B₃) g pot^?1. In this experiment, the pot was planted with corn (Zea mays). The results of this study revealed that the biochar application enhanced available phosphorus (Olsen-P) from 11.51 to 17.10 mg kg^?1. Adding biochar significantly increased the amount of NH₄Cl-P, NaHCO₃-P_o, and NaOH I-P_o fractions (p?≤?0.05), but it significantly decreased HCl-P_i fraction (p?≤?0.05). Addition of biochar at the highest level increased the fresh and dry matter productions by up to about 75 and 48.7%, respectively, compared to the control. The phosphorus uptake by corn plants significantly increased with increasing levels of biochar. The removal efficiency (% sorption) and maximum adsorption (b) of phosphorus increased with increasing level of biochar addition compared to control. Consequently, it is recommended to add biochar produced from corn stalks to the soil in order to substitute phosphate fertilizers.