Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Assessment of soil aggregation properties after conversion from rice to greenhouse organic cultivation on SOC controlling mechanism

  • Soils, Sec 1 • Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Nutrient Cycling • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Organic manure is beneficial for macro-aggregate formation and soil organic carbon (SOC), but how SOC change in aggregate fractions in time-series is still uncertain. Moreover, greenhouse systems converted from cereal fields quickly faced soil degradation. Thus, the role of organic manure here should be discussed. The main objectives of this study were to determine the change of SOC fractions in bulk soil and aggregation level affected by long-term organic manure application.

Materials and methods

Using 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we investigated the SOC and its fraction changes within bulk soil and aggregate fractions under 1-year, 9-year, and 14-year organic greenhouse vegetable cultivation, and we also analysed the soil properties of rice-wheat rotation (RWR) fields as the control. Soil aggregate samples were wet sieved into large macro-aggregates (> 2 mm), small macro-aggregates (2–0.25 mm), micro-aggregates (0.053–0.25 mm), and silt and clay particles (<0.053 mm).

Results and discussion

The proportion of large macro-aggregates increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) from 1.68 to 7.76% during the 14-year organic cultivation period. Similar trends could also be found in SOC and its fractions. Specifically, the O-alkyl C increased fastest by 14.5 g kg−1 over these years, but its proportion decreased. The change in aggregate associated C was concentrated on large macro-aggregates and micro-aggregates. Pearson’s correlation suggested that there was a non-significant relation between SOC and soil aggregation, while the soil aggregate associated C had a significantly positive relationship with SOC and its fraction amounts. However, the proportion of O-alkyl C was less; the aggregation associated C was higher.

Conclusions

This study has shown the different effects of SOC fractions on soil aggregation and aggregate associated C in organic greenhouse vegetable fields. The stable C fractions might show contribution in soil aggregate associated C than active C fractions. It might improve our knowledge about how organic manure may influence soil aggregation by increasing SOC after a long-term greenhouse vegetable plantation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

BD:

bulk density

AN:

available nitrogen

AP:

available phosphorus

AK:

available potassium

TN:

total nitrogen

TP:

total phosphorus

TK:

total potassium.

RWR:

rice-wheat rotation plots

OGV1:

one-year-old organic greenhouse vegetable plots

OGV9:

nine-year-old organic greenhouse vegetable plots

OGV14:

fourteen-year-old organic greenhouse vegetable plots

References

  • Abid M, Lal R (2008) Tillage and drainage impact on soil quality: I. aggregate stability, carbon and nitrogen pools. Soil Tillage Res 100:89–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baldock JA, Oades JM, Waters AG, Peng X, Vassallo AM, Wilson MA (1992) Aspects of the chemical structure of soil organic materials as revealed by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy. Biogeochemistry 16:1–42

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bashir K, Ali S, Ijaz SS, Ahmad I (2016) Effect of organic amendments on distribution, stability and carbon concentration of soil aggregates. Pak J Agric Sci 53:955–961

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanco-Canqui H, Lal R (2004) Mechanisms of carbon sequestration in soil aggregates. Crit Rev Plant Sci 23:481–504

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brar B, Singh K, Dheri G (2013) Carbon sequestration and soil carbon pools in a rice–wheat cropping system: effect of long-term use of inorganic fertilizers and organic manure. Soil Tillage Res 128:30–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronick CJ, Lal R (2005) Manuring and rotation effects on soil organic carbon concentration for different aggregate size fractions on two soils in northeastern Ohio, USA. Soil Tillage Res 81:239–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai A, Xu H, Shao X, Zhu P, Zhang W, Xu M, Murphy DV (2016) Carbon and nitrogen mineralization in relation to soil particle-size fractions after 32 years of chemical and manure application in a continuous maize cropping system. PLoS One 11:e0152521

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhary S, Dheri GS, Brar BS (2017) Long-term effects of NPK fertilizers and organic manures on carbon stabilization and management index under rice-wheat cropping system. Soil Tillage Res 166:59–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Huang B, Hu W, Weindorf DC, Liu X, Yang L (2014) Accumulation and ecological effects of soil heavy metals in conventional and organic greenhouse vegetable production systems in Nanjing, China. Environ Earth Sci 71:3605–3616

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui H, Ou Y, Wang L, Wu H, Yan B, Li Y (2019) Distribution and release of phosphorus fractions associated with soil aggregate structure in restored wetlands. Chemosphere 223:319–329

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dorji T, Field DJ, Odeh IOA (2019): Soil Aggregate Stability and Aggregate-Associated Organic Carbon under different Land Use/Land Cover Types. Soil Use Manage 0

  • E SZ, Li XG, Chen ZM, Li XH, Song JR, Guggenberger G (2012) Long-term fertilization and manuring effects on physically separated soil organic-matter pools under continuous wheat cropping at a rainfed semiarid site in China. J Plant Nutr Soil Sc 175:689–697

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erhagen B, Öquist M, Sparrman T, Haei M, Ilstedt U, Hedenström M, Schleucher J, Nilsson MB (2013) Temperature response of litter and soil organic matter decomposition is determined by chemical composition of organic material. Glob Chang Biol 19:3858–3871

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Franco N, Martínez-Mena M, Goberna M, Albaladejo J (2015) Changes in soil aggregation and microbial community structure control carbon sequestration after afforestation of semiarid shrublands. Soil Biol Biochem 87:110–121

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh A, Bhattacharyya R, Agarwal BK, Mahapatra P, Shahi DK, Singh G, Agnihorti R, Sawlani R, Sharma C (2019a) Long-term fertilization effects on C-13 natural abundance, soil aggregation, and deep soil organic carbon sequestration in an Alfisol. Land Degrad Dev 30:391–405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh B, Meena V, Alam N, Dogra P, Bhattacharyya R, Sharma N, Mishra P (2016) Impact of conservation practices on soil aggregation and the carbon management index after seven years of maize–wheat cropping system in the Indian Himalayas. Agric Ecosyst Environ 216:247–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh BN, Meena VS, Singh RJ, Alam N, Patra S, Bhattacharyya R, Sharma N, Dadhwal K, Mishra P (2019b) Effects of fertilization on soil aggregation, carbon distribution and carbon management index of maize-wheat rotation in the north-western Indian Himalayas. Ecol Indic 105:415–424

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Githinji L (2014) Effect of biochar application rate on soil physical and hydraulic properties of a sandy loam. Arch Agron Soil Sci 60:457–470

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo Z, Zhang Z, Zhou H, Rahman M, Wang D, Guo X, Li L, Peng X (2018) Long-term animal manure application promoted biological binding agents but not soil aggregation in a vertisol. Soil Tillage Res 180:232–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo ZC, Zhang JB, Fan J, Yang XY, Yi YL, Han XR, Wang DZ, Zhu P, Peng XH (2019a) Does animal manure application improve soil aggregation? Insights from nine long-term fertilization experiments. Sci Total Environ 660:1029–1037

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo ZC, Zhang ZB, Zhou H, Wang DZ, Peng XH (2019b) The effect of 34-year continuous fertilization on the SOC physical fractions and its chemical composition in a vertisol. Sci Rep-Uk 9

  • Haghighi F, Gorji M, Shorafa M (2010) A study of the effects of land use changes on soil physical properties and organic matter. Land Degrad Dev 21:496–502

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez T, Hernandez M, Garcia C (2017) The effects on soil aggregation and carbon fixation of different organic amendments for restoring degraded soil in semiarid areas. Eur J Soil Sci 68:941–950

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu T, Sørensen P, Olesen JE (2018): Soil organic carbon change in arable farming under organic and conventional management

  • Huang R, Lan M, Liu J, Gao M (2017) Soil aggregate and organic carbon distribution at dry land soil and paddy soil: the role of different straws returning. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 24:27942–27952

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang S, Rui WY, Peng XX, Huang QR, Zhang WJ (2010) Organic carbon fractions affected by long-term fertilization in a subtropical paddy soil. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 86:153–160

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IUSS-WRB (2014): http://www.iuss.org/

  • Jensen JL, Schjønning P, Watts CW, Christensen BT, Peltre C, Munkholm LJ (2019) Relating soil C and organic matter fractions to soil structural stability. Geoderma 337:834–843

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang H, Han X, Zou W, Hao X, Zhang B (2018) Seasonal and long-term changes in soil physical properties and organic carbon fractions as affected by manure application rates in the mollisol region of Northeast China. Agric Ecosyst Environ 268:133–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang M, Wang X, Liusui Y, Sun X, Zhao C, Liu H (2015) Diversity and abundance of soil animals as influenced by long-term fertilization in grey desert soil, China. Sustainability-Basel 7:10837–10853

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kemper W, Rosenau R (1986): Aggregate stability and size distribution

  • Li D, Chen L, Xu J, Ma L, Olk DC, Zhao B, Zhang J, Xin X (2018a) Chemical nature of soil organic carbon under different long-term fertilization regimes is coupled with changes in the bacterial community composition in a Calcaric Fluvisol. Biol Fertil Soils 54:999–1012

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Wen Y, Li X, Li Y, Yang X, Lin Z, Song Z, Cooper JM, Zhao B (2018b) Soil labile organic carbon fractions and soil organic carbon stocks as affected by long-term organic and mineral fertilization regimes in the North China plain. Soil Tillage Res 175:281–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lima DL, Santos SM, Scherer HW, Schneider RJ, Duarte AC, Santos EB, Esteves VI (2009) Effects of organic and inorganic amendments on soil organic matter properties. Geoderma 150:38–45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu R (2000) Analytical methods of agricultural chemistry in soil. China Agricultural Scientech Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahieu N, Randall E, Powlson D (1999) Statistical analysis of published carbon-13 CPMAS NMR spectra of soil organic matter. Soil Sci Soc Am J 63:307–319

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mangalassery S, Kalaivanan D, Philip PS (2019) Effect of inorganic fertilisers and organic amendments on soil aggregation and biochemical characteristics in a weathered tropical soil. Soil Tillage Res 187:144–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mao J, Olk DC, Fang X, He Z, Schmidt-Rohr K (2008) Influence of animal manure application on the chemical structures of soil organic matter as investigated by advanced solid-state NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. Geoderma 146:353–362

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mathers NJ, Jalota RK, Dalal RC, Boyd SE (2007) 13C-NMR analysis of decomposing litter and fine roots in the semi-arid mulga lands of southern Queensland. Soil Biol Biochem 39:993–1006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mi WH, Wu YF, Zhao HT, Wu LH, Liu YL (2018) Effects of combined organic manure and mineral fertilization on soil aggregation and aggregate-associated organic carbon in two agricultural soils. J Plant Nutr 41:2256–2265

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mikha MM, Hergert GW, Benjamin JG, Jabro JD, Nielsen RA (2015) Long-term manure impacts on soil aggregates and aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen. Soil Sci Soc Am J 79:626–636

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mizuta K, Taguchi S, Sato S (2015) Soil aggregate formation and stability induced by starch and cellulose. Soil Biol Biochem 87:90–96

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naveed M, Moldrup P, Arthur E, Wildenschild D, Eden M, Lamandé M, Vogel H, Jonge LWD (2013) Revealing soil structure and functional macroporosity along a clay gradient using X-ray computed tomography. Soil Sci Soc Am J 77:403–411

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naveed M, Moldrup P, Vogel H-J, Lamandé M, Wildenschild D, Tuller M, de Jonge LW (2014) Impact of long-term fertilization practice on soil structure evolution. Geoderma 217-218:181–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Padbhushan R, Das A, Rakshit R, Sharma RP, Kohli A, Kumar R (2016) Long-term organic amendment application improves influence on soil aggregation, aggregate associated carbon and carbon pools under scented rice-potato-onion cropping system after the 9th crop cycle. Commun Soil Sci Plan 47:2445–2457

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Papadopoulos A, Bird N, Whitmore A, Mooney S (2009) Investigating the effects of organic and conventional management on soil aggregate stability using X-ray computed tomography. Eur J Soil Sci 60:360–368

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Plaza-Bonilla D, Alvaro-Fuentes J, Cantero-Martinez C (2013) Soil aggregate stability as affected by fertilization type under semiarid no-tillage conditions. Soil Sci Soc Am J 77:284–292

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Preston CM, Nault JR, Trofymow J (2009) Chemical changes during 6 years of decomposition of 11 litters in some Canadian forest sites. Part 2. 13 C abundance, solid-state 13 C NMR spectroscopy and the meaning of “lignin”. Ecosystems 12:1078–1102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pritchett K, Kennedy AC, Cogger CG (2011) Management effects on soil quality in organic vegetable systems in western Washington. Soil Sci Soc Am J 75:605–615

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pulido-Moncada M, Lozano Z, Delgado M, Dumon M, Van Ranst E, Lobo D, Gabriels D, Cornelis WM (2018) Using soil organic matter fractions as indicators of soil physical quality. Soil Use Manag 34:187–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regelink IC, Stoof CR, Rousseva S, Weng L, Lair GJ, Kram P, Nikolaidis NP, Kercheva M, Banwart S, Comans RN (2015) Linkages between aggregate formation, porosity and soil chemical properties. Geoderma 247:24–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigo-Comino J, Davis J, Keesstra SD, Cerdà A (2018) Updated measurements in vineyards improves accuracy of soil erosion rates. Agron J 110:411–417

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarker TC, Incerti G, Spaccini R, Piccolo A, Mazzoleni S, Bonanomi G (2018) Linking organic matter chemistry with soil aggregate stability: insight from 13C NMR spectroscopy. Soil Biol Biochem 117:175–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shrestha BM, Singh BR, Forte C, Certini G, de Varennes A (2015) Long-term effects of tillage, nutrient application and crop rotation on soil organic matter quality assessed by NMR spectroscopy. Soil Use Manag 31:358–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skjemstad J, Clarke P, Taylor J, Oades J, Newman R (1994) The removal of magnetic materials from surface soils - a solid state 13C CP/MAS NMR study. Soil Res 32:1215–1229

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Somasundaram J, Reeves S, Wang W, Heenan M, Dalal R (2017) Impact of 47 years of no tillage and stubble retention on soil aggregation and carbon distribution in a vertisol. Land Degrad Dev 28:1589–1602

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sui YY, Jiao XG, Liu XB, Zhang XY, Ding GW (2012) Water-stable aggregates and their organic carbon distribution after five years of chemical fertilizer and manure treatments on eroded farmland of Chinese mollisols. Can J Soil Sci 92:551–557

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trakooyingcharoen P, Gilkes RJ, Sangkhasila K (2012) Effects of land use on some physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics of Thai oxisols. Scienceasia 38:82–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Udom B, Nuga B, Adesodun J (2016) Water-stable aggregates and aggregate-associated organic carbon and nitrogen after three annual applications of poultry manure and spent mushroom wastes. Appl Soil Ecol 101:5–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang H, Guan D, Zhang R, Chen Y, Hu Y, Xiao L (2014) Soil aggregates and organic carbon affected by the land use change from rice paddy to vegetable field. Ecol Eng 70:206–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Jia Z, Liang L, Yang B, Ding R, Nie J, Wang J (2015) Maize straw effects on soil aggregation and other properties in arid land. Soil Tillage Res 153:131–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Hu N, Ge T, Kuzyakov Y, Wang Z-L, Li Z, Tang Z, Chen Y, Wu C, Lou Y (2017) Soil aggregation regulates distributions of carbon, microbial community and enzyme activities after 23-year manure amendment. Appl Soil Ecol 111:65–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Wang Z, Ma LJ, Ali Khattak W, Hu W, Meng YL, Zhou ZG (2018) Combined effects of nitrogen fertilizer and straw application on aggregate distribution and aggregate-associated organic carbon stability in an alkaline sandy loam soil. Eur J Soil Sci 69:1105–1116

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weyers SL, Johnson JM, Archer DW, Gesch RW, Forcella F (2018) Manure and residue inputs maintained soil organic carbon in upper Midwest conservation production systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 82:878–888

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams DM, Blanco-Canqui H, Francis CA, Galusha TD (2017) Organic farming and soil physical properties: an assessment after 40 years. Agron J 109:600–609

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf B, Snyder G (2003) Sustainable soils: the place of organic matter in sustaining soils and their productivity. CRC Press

  • Xie JY, Xu MG, Qiangjiu CR, Yang Y, Zhang SL, Sun BH, Yang XY (2015) Soil aggregation and aggregate associated organic carbon and total nitrogen under long-term contrasting soil management regimes in loess soil. J Integr Agric 14:2405–2416

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu L, Wang M, Shi X, Yu Q, Shi Y, Xu S, Sun W (2018) Effect of long-term organic fertilization on the soil pore characteristics of greenhouse vegetable fields converted from rice-wheat rotation fields. Sci Total Environ 631:1243–1250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu L, Wang M, Tian Y, Shi X, Shi Y, Yu Q, Xu S, Li X, Xie X (2019) Changes in soil macropores: superposition of the roles of organic nutrient amendments and the greenhouse pattern in vegetable plantations. Soil Use Manag

  • Zhang JC, Zhang L, Wang P, Huang QW, Yu GH, Li DC, Shen QR, Ran W (2013) The role of non-crystalline Fe in the increase of SOC after long-term organic manure application to the red soil of southern China. Eur J Soil Sci 64:797–804

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Zhu A, Yang W, Zhang J (2017) Accumulation of organic components and its association with macroaggregation in a sandy loam soil following conservation tillage. Plant Soil 416:1–15

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao H, Shar AG, Li S, Chen Y, Shi J, Zhang X, Tian X (2018) Effect of straw return mode on soil aggregation and aggregate carbon content in an annual maize-wheat double cropping system. Soil Tillage Res 175:178–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng W, Morris EK, Lehmann A, Rillig MC (2016) Interplay of soil water repellency, soil aggregation and organic carbon. A Meta-Analys Geoderma 283:39–47

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou H, Fang H, Mooney SJ, Peng X (2016) Effects of long-term inorganic and organic fertilizations on the soil micro and macro structures of rice paddies. Geoderma 266:66–74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zikeli S, Deil L, Möller K (2017) The challenge of imbalanced nutrient flows in organic farming systems: a study of organic greenhouses in southern Germany. Agric Ecosyst Environ 244:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zou C, Li Y, Huang W, Zhao G, Pu G, Su J, Coyne MS, Chen Y, Wang L, Hu X (2018) Rotation and manure amendment increase soil macro-aggregates and associated carbon and nitrogen stocks in flue-cured tobacco production. Geoderma 325:49–58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1800201), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41571209 and 41401240), and the Technology Project of Hongta Tobacco Group Company Limited (S-6019001).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meiyan Wang.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Zucong Cai

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Xu, L., Wang, M., Xie, X. et al. Assessment of soil aggregation properties after conversion from rice to greenhouse organic cultivation on SOC controlling mechanism. J Soils Sediments 20, 1920–1930 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02589-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02589-0

Keywords

Navigation