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Carbon mineralization and microbial activity in agricultural topsoil and subsoil as regulated by root nitrogen and recalcitrant carbon concentrations

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Abstract

Aims

Mechanisms of subsoil carbon sequestration from deep-rooted plants are elusive, but may contribute to climate change mitigation. This study addressed the role of root chemistry on carbon mineralization and microbiology in a temperate agricultural subsoil (60 and 300 cm depth) compared to topsoil (20 cm depth).

Methods

Roots from different plant species were chemically characterized and root-induced CO2 production was measured in controlled soil incubations (20 weeks). Total carbon losses, β-glucosidase activity, carbon substrate utilization, and bacterial gene copy numbers were determined. After 20 weeks, resultant carbon mineralization responses to mineral nitrogen (N) were tested.

Results

Root-induced carbon losses were significantly lower in subsoils (32–41%) than in topsoil (58%). Carbon losses varied according to root chemistry and were mainly linked to root N concentration for subsoils and to lignin and hemicellulose concentration for topsoil. Increases in β-glucosidase activity and bacterial numbers in subsoils were also linked to root N concentration. Added mineral N preferentially stimulated CO2 production from roots with low concentrations of N, lignin and hemicellulose.

Conclusions

The results were compatible with a concept of N availability and chemically recalcitrant root compounds interacting to control subsoil carbon decomposition. Implications for carbon sequestration from deep-rooted plants are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the technical staff at Foulumgaard Experimental Station for assistance in soil sampling, Bo Vangsø Iversen for assistance in profile description, Charlotte Kjærgaard for guidance on redox measurements, Tanka Kandel for guidance on soil respiration measurements, Leanne Peixoto for comments on DNA analyses, and Kristian Thorup Kristensen for providing cylinders with plant samples. Further, the skilled laboratory assistance of Bodil Stensgaard, Margit Paulsen, and Mette Sahl Haferbier is highly acknowledged. We finally thank Bent T. Christensen and anonymous journal reviewers for helpful suggestions to the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the Deep Frontier project funded by the Villum Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830, Tjele, Denmark

    Zhi Liang, Lars Elsgaard & Jørgen Eivind Olesen

  2. Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    Mette Haubjerg Nicolaisen & Annemette Lyhne-Kjærbye

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  1. Zhi Liang
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  2. Lars Elsgaard
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  3. Mette Haubjerg Nicolaisen
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  4. Annemette Lyhne-Kjærbye
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Correspondence to Zhi Liang.

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Liang, Z., Elsgaard, L., Nicolaisen, M.H. et al. Carbon mineralization and microbial activity in agricultural topsoil and subsoil as regulated by root nitrogen and recalcitrant carbon concentrations. Plant Soil 433, 65–82 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-018-3826-z

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