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Effects of land use on characteristics of water-extracted organic matter in soils of arid and semi-arid regions

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Abstract

The effects of land-use type on water-extracted organic matter (WEOM) concentration and composition and their spectral characteristics were investigated. Soil samples were collected across the Loess Plateau, which included 19 cropland samples (CL), 14 abandoned samples (AL), 10 grassland samples (GL), 5 forest samples (FR), and 4 orchard samples (Orch). The average WEOC concentration varied from 289.0 to 362.2 mg kg−1 among different land-use types, and there was no significant difference in WEOC content in topsoils (P ≤ 0.05). The amounts of four components identified by the EEM-PARAFAC method were in the order of C1 > C3 > C2 > C4 in all soils. The two humic acid–like components (C1 and C3) were the dominant fractions of WEOM in topsoils in the Loess Plateau area, irrespective of land-use types. The study showed that the EEM fluorescence spectroscopy can be successfully used to characterize WEOM fractions in soils. Our results showed that land-use type has no effects on WEOC concentration in topsoils. Humic acid–like substances dominated in the measured WEOM fractions, while the humic acid–like substances (C1) in Orch soils are the highest and fulvic acid–like and protein-like substances exist a relatively high content in GL soils.

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Funding

The study was financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Project No. 41601324); the scientific research and service platform fund of Henan Province (2016151); the funding from scientific and technological innovation team of water ecological security for Water Source Region of Mid-line of South-to-North Diversion Project of Henan Province (17454); and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2452018142 and 2452015283).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People’s Republic of China

    Yulin Zhang, Xiao Wang, Xudong Wang & Ming Li

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Security for Water Source Region of Mid-line of South-to-North Diversion Project, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Li

  3. Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Xianyang, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Li

Authors
  1. Yulin Zhang
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  2. Xiao Wang
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  3. Xudong Wang
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  4. Ming Li
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Correspondence to Ming Li.

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Zhang, Y., Wang, X., Wang, X. et al. Effects of land use on characteristics of water-extracted organic matter in soils of arid and semi-arid regions. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 26052–26059 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05858-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05858-9

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