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Belowground carbon allocation and dynamics under rice cultivation depends on soil organic matter content

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Abstract

Background and aims

The cycling of photosynthate carbon (C) released in the rhizosphere has significant implications for C sequestration, microbial activities, and nutrient availability in the soil. It is known that the soil organic matter (SOM) content affects the nutrient status, root growth, rhizodeposition, and microbial composition and activity; however, the effects of SOM and consequently of soil fertility on the belowground allocation and dynamics of photosynthetic C remain unknown.

Methods

To examine the effects of SOM on the allocation and dynamics of photosynthetically fixed C, rice plants grown on soils with low (0.5 %), moderate (1.4 %), or high (3.4 %) C content were labeled with 13CO2 and harvested six times in one month.

Results

The highest 13C amount was released from the roots into the soil with high SOC content, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for CO2 losses. Microbial 13C increased with 13C in SOM, when soil C content was low or moderate, but decreased when C content was high. At 30 d after labeling, rice plants allocated 2560 kg C ha−1, 3030, kg C ha−1, and 4580 kg C ha−1 in the soil with low, moderate, and high SOC content, respectively, accounting for a rhizodeposition of approximately 13 %, 15 %, and 30 %, respectively. Most of the root-derived C in low SOM soil was mineralized quickly. In contrast, high and moderate SOM content led to higher incorporation of rhizodeposits into SOM and higher belowground C protection against microbial decomposition.

Conclusions

We concluded that SOM content and consequently, soil fertility play a crucial role in the amount of photosynthates allocated by the plant into the soil and C stabilization. A high SOM level is maintained by the high C input and has longer stability.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41522107; 41501321), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB15020401), the Recruitment Program of High-end Foreign Experts of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs awarded to Y. K. (GDW20144300204), the Open Foundation of Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region (ISA2015101), and the State Scholarship Fund of China Scholarship Council (CSC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan, 410125, China

    Zhenke Zhu, Tida Ge, Mouliang Xiao, Hongzhao Yuan, Tingting Wang, Shoulong Liu, Cornelius Talade Atere, Jinshui Wu & Yakov Kuzyakov

  2. Changsha Research Station for Agricultural and Environmental Monitoring, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan, 410125, China

    Zhenke Zhu, Tida Ge, Mouliang Xiao & Jinshui Wu

  3. Department of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Department of Agricultural Soil Science, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Yakov Kuzyakov

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  1. Zhenke Zhu
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Correspondence to Tida Ge or Jinshui Wu.

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Zhu, Z., Ge, T., Xiao, M. et al. Belowground carbon allocation and dynamics under rice cultivation depends on soil organic matter content. Plant Soil 410, 247–258 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-3005-z

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