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Dynamics of maize straw residue 13C incorporation into aggregates of a Mollisol as affected by long-term fertilization

Journal of Soils and Sediments volume 19, pages 1151–1160 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Soil aggregates play a crucial role in the sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC). Returning crop residues to soil is known to strongly influence soil C stocks, but the specific contribution of crop residues to soil aggregates influenced by long-term fertilization remains largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of long-term fertilization on the distribution of 13C-labeled maize straw residue in different aggregate size fractions and their retention in soils over a 1-year incubation.

Materials and methods

The dynamic variation and the distribution of maize straw-derived 13C in soil aggregates were monitored using a 13C stable isotope mass-balance approach. The following three fertilization treatments were selected: (1) without fertilization (CK), (2) mineral fertilizer (NPK), and (3) cow manure with mineral fertilizer (NPKM). Soil samples were collected from the surface layer (0–20 cm) of a long-term field experiment of Mollisols (Luvic Phaeozem) in 2015 at Gongzhuling, Jilin Province, China, which was established in 1980. Soils were incubated for 360 days at 25 °C, with or without 13C-labeled maize straw and destructively collected on the days of 45, 90, 135, 180, and 360. Soil aggregates were separated into two fractions (macroaggregates, > 250 μm; microaggregate, < 250 μm) by wet sieving.

Results and discussion

The NPK treatment retained the most of maize straw 13C in macroaggregates (28.49%), but more maize straw 13C was incorporated in microaggregates for NPKM soil (4.02%) than NPK and CK on day 45. The highest amount of maize straw 13C was incorporated in macroaggregate on the days of 90, 135, and 180, and in microaggregate on the days of 135, 45, and 135 for CK, NPK, and NPKM, respectively. Organic manure-amended soil tended to sequester more maize straw 13C in the microaggregate fractions as compared with the NPK and CK treatments throughout the incubation. The maize straw 13C remaining in both of macro- and microaggregates followed the order of NPKM > NPK > CK for all soil aggregates after the 360-day incubation.

Conclusions

Our results illustrated that long-term application of manure with mineral fertilizer helps to stabilize or increase the retention of exogenous C in the soil aggregates.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Timothy Berry for the constructive revisions of the manuscript.

Funding

This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41671293, 31330011), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0200304) and the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41601307, 41701330).

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Author notes

  1. Ming Li and Yang Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, No. 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110866, Liaoning, China

    Ming Li, Yang Wang, Fan Ding, Yingde Xu, Xueli Ding & Jingkuan Wang

  2. Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Gongzhuling, 136100, Jilin, China

    Ping Zhu

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  1. Ming Li
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  2. Yang Wang
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Correspondence to Xueli Ding or Jingkuan Wang.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Li, M., Wang, Y., Ding, F. et al. Dynamics of maize straw residue 13C incorporation into aggregates of a Mollisol as affected by long-term fertilization. J Soils Sediments 19, 1151–1160 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-018-2166-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-018-2166-1

Keywords

  • 13C-labeled plant residue
  • Aggregate size fraction
  • Carbon sequestration
  • Fertilization