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Soil carbon fractions in response to straw mulching in the Loess Plateau of China

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Abstract

Straw mulching has been used to conserve soil water and sustain dryland crop yields, but the impact of the quantity and time of mulching on soil C fractions are not well documented. We studied the effects of various amounts and times of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw mulching on soil C fractions at 0–10- and 10–20-cm depths from 2009 to 2017 in the Loess Plateau of China. Treatments were no mulching (CK), straw mulching at 9.0 (HSM) and 4.5 Mg ha−1 (LSM) in the winter wheat growing season, and straw mulching at 9.0 Mg ha−1 in the summer fallow period (FSM). Soil C fractions were soil organic C (SOC), particulate organic C (POC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and potential C mineralization (PCM). All C fractions at 0–10 and 10–20 cm were 8–27% greater with HSM and LSM than FSM and CK. Both SOC and POC at 0–10 cm increased at 0.32 and 0.27 Mg ha−1 year−1 with HSM and at 0.40 and 0.30 Mg C ha−1 year−1 with LSM, respectively, from 2009 to 2017. Winter wheat grain yield was lower with HSM and LSM, but total aboveground biomass was greater with HSM than other treatments. All C fractions at most depths were correlated with the estimated wheat root residue returned to the soil and PCM at 0–10 and 0–20 cm was correlated with wheat grain yield. Wheat straw mulching during the growing season increased soil C sequestration and microbial biomass and activity compared with mulching during the fallow period or no mulching, regardless of mulching rate, due to increased C input, although it reduced wheat grain yield. Continuous application of straw mulching over time can increase soil C sequestration by increasing nonlabile C fractions while decreasing labile fractions. Straw mulching at higher rate and mulching during the summer fallow period had no additional benefits in soil C sequestration.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31570440, 31270484) and the International Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Project of Shaanxi Province, China (Grant No. 2015KW-026).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710127, China

    Jun Wang & Fazhu Zhao

  2. College of Urban and Environmental Science, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710127, China

    Jun Wang, Xin Fu & Fazhu Zhao

  3. USDA-ARS, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT, 59270, USA

    Upendra M. Sainju

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  1. Jun Wang
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  2. Xin Fu
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  3. Upendra M. Sainju
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  4. Fazhu Zhao
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Correspondence to Jun Wang.

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Wang, J., Fu, X., Sainju, U.M. et al. Soil carbon fractions in response to straw mulching in the Loess Plateau of China. Biol Fertil Soils 54, 423–436 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1271-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1271-z

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