Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Temporal dynamics of iron-rich, tropical soil organic carbon pools after land-use change from forest to sugarcane

  • SOILS, SEC 1 • SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DYNAMICS & NUTRIENT CYCLING • RESEARCH ARTICLE
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background, aim, and scope

Land-use change can significantly influence carbon (C) storage and fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil–plant systems can act as sinks or sources of atmospheric CO2 depending on formation and decomposition rates of soil organic matter. Therefore, changes in tropical soil C pools could have significant impacts on the global C cycle. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of long-term sugarcane cultivation on soil aggregation and organic matter, and to quantify temporal dynamics of soil organic matter in cultivated sugarcane plantation soils previously under a tropical natural secondary forest.

Materials and methods

The soil in the study area was an Ultisol rich in Fe oxides. Soil samples were taken from sugarcane land converted from natural secondary forest 35 years (SC35) and 56 years (SC56) previously. Soil from an adjacent, continuous natural secondary forest (CNSF) was also taken for comparison. Soils were taken from four depths to 1 m, and fractionated by size (>250 μm, 53–250 μm, and <53 μm) and density (>53 μm). Each soil fraction was analyzed for organic C concentration and the 13C isotopic signature δ13C.

Results and discussion

Compared with CNSF, SC35 and SC56 soils were characterized by higher proportions of microaggregate (53–250 μm) and silt&clay (<53 μm) fractions. Soil δ13C values indicated that sugarcane (a C4 plant) cultivation resulted in sequestration of new C (sugarcane derived), but significant loss of old C (native forest derived) in the soil organic matter fractions. Isotopic analysis indicated that sugarcane-derived biomass contributed more than 33% and 25% of the total organic C in the SC35 and SC56 soils, respectively. After 56 years of sugarcane cultivation, organic C concentrations in the total soil and in each fraction were significantly lower than in the CNSF soil, with a reduction of greater than 60%. Although organic C concentration in the SC35 soil was lower than in the CNSF soil, the difference was not statistically significant. Sugarcane cultivation caused a loss of organic C in the upper soil layers through both enhanced microbial decomposition and downward translocation in the soil profile.

Conclusions

When converting native forest land to sugarcane cultivation, soil organic C reduction will continue for a very long period (e.g., over several decades) before a new equilibrium is established. Despite large losses of total organic C, particularly in the SC56 soil, decades of continuous sugarcane cultivation resulted in only a relatively small though significant reduction in the macroaggregate fraction. This implies that Fe oxides rather than organic matter are the dominant binding agents for macroaggregate formation in this Fe-rich soil. Subsequently, the persistence of Fe oxide-bound macroaggregates may have prevented soil organic matter from rapid decomposition when native forest soil was cultivated.

Recommendations and perspectives

Soil clay minerals (e.g., Fe oxides) can play a significant role in maintaining stability of soil aggregates and soil organic matter. When assessing the effects of cultivation of tropical native forest soil on C loss, it is important to consider the clay mineral type, a deeper soil profile, and to take a longer term approach.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alegre JC, Cassel DK (1986) Effect of land clearing methods and post clearing management on aggregate stability and organic carbon concentration of a soil in the humid tropics. Soil Sci 142:289–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balesdent J, Mariotti A, Guillet B (1987) Natural 13C abundance as a tracer for studies of soil organic matter dynamics. Soil Biol Biochem 19:25–30

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Batjes NH, Sombroek WG (1997) Possibilities for carbon sequestration in tropical and subtropical soils. Global Change Biol 3:161–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blumfield TJ, Xu ZH, Prasolova NV, Mathers NJ (2006) Effect of overlying windrowed harvest residues on soil carbon and nitrogen in hoop pine plantations of subtropical Australia. J Soils Sediments 6:243–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen BT (1992) Physical fractionation of soil and organic matter in primary particles and density separates. Adv Soil Sci 20:2–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson EA, Ackerman IL (1993) Changes in soil carbon inventories following cultivation of previously untilled soils. Biogeochem 20:161–193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Del Galdo I, Six J, Peressotti A, Cotrufo MF (2003) Assessing the impact of land-use change on soil C sequestration in agricultural soils by means of organic matter fractionation and stable C isotopes. Global Change Biol 9:1204–1213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehleringer JR, Buchmann N, Flanagan LB (2000) Carbon isotope ratios in belowground carbon cycle processes. Ecol Appl 10:412–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott ET (1986) Aggregate structure and carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in native and cultivated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 50:627–633

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo LB, Gifford RM (2002) Soil carbon sequestration and land-use change: a meta analysis. Global Change Biol 8:345–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houghton RA, Skole DL, Lefkowitz DS (1991) Changes in the landscape of Latin America between 1850 and 1985 II. Net release of CO2 to the atmosphere. For Ecol Manage 38:173–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2001) Third Assessment Report. Climate Change 2001. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Jobbágy EG, Jackson RB (2000) The vertical distribution of soil organic carbon and its relation to climate and vegetation. Ecol Appl 10:423–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jolivet C, Arrouays D, Lévèque J, Andreux F, Chenu C (2003) Organic carbon dynamics in soil particle-size separates of sandy Spodosols when forest is cleared for maize cropping. Euro J Soil Sci 54:257–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krull EG, Bray SS (2005) Assessment of vegetation change and landscape variability by using stable carbon isotopes of soil organic matter. Aust J Bot 53:651–661

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu R (1999) Methods of soil and agrochemical analysis. Chinese Agricultural Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Ludwig B, John B, Ellerbrock R, Kaiser M, Flessa H (2003) Stabilization of carbon from maize in a sandy soil in a long-term experiment. Euro J Soil Sci 54:117–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mann LK (1986) Changes in soil carbon storage after cultivation. Soil Sci 142:279–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matson PA, Parton WJ, Power AG, Swift MJ (1997) Agricultural intensification and ecosystem properties. Science 277:504–509

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson DW, Sommers LE (1982) Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. In: Page AL, Miller RH, Keeny DR (eds) Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: Chemical and microbiological properties, 2nd Edition. Agronomy Series No. 9 (Part 2). American Society of Agronomy, Madison, pp. 539–579

    Google Scholar 

  • Oates JM, Waters AG (1991) Aggregate hierarchy in soils. Aust J Soil Res 29:815–828

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osher LJ, Matson PA, Amundson R (2003) Effect of land use change on soil carbon in Hawaii. Biogeochem 65:213–232

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paul EA, Paustian K, Elliott ET, Cole CV (1997) Soil organic matter in temperate ecosystems. CRC, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul KI, Polglase PJ, Nyakuengama JG, Khanna PK (2002) Change in soil carbon following afforestation. For Ecol Manage 168:241–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Post WH, Kwon KC (2000) Soil carbon sequestration and land-use change: processes and potential. Global Change Biol 6:317–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purakayastha TJ, Chhonkar PK, Bhadraray S, Patra AK, Verma V, Khan MA (2007) Long-term effects of different land use and soil management on various organic carbon fractions in an Inceptisol of subtropical India. Aust J Soil Res 45:33–40

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson FA, Thorburn PJ (2007) Decomposition of sugarcane harvest residue in different climatic zones. Aust J Soil Res 45:1–11

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schlesinger WH (1990) Evidence from chronosequence studies for a low carbon-storage potential of soils. Nature 348:232–234

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schlesinger WH (1997) Biogeochemistry: an analysis of global change. Academic, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Six J, Elliott ET, Paustian K, Doran JW (1998) Aggregation and soil organic matter accumulation in cultivated and native grassland soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:1367–1377

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Six J, Elliott ET, Paustian K (2000) Soil macroaggregate turnover and microaggregate formation: a mechanism for C sequestration under no-tillage agriculture. Soil Biol Biochem 32:2099–2103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Breemen E, Feijtel TCJ (1990) Soil processes and properties involved in the production of greenhouse gases, with special relevance to soil taxonomic system. In: Bouwman AF (ed) Soils and the greenhouse effect. Wiley, Chichester, pp 195–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Veldkamp E (1994) Organic carbon turnover in three tropical soils under pasture after deforestation. Soil Sci Soc Am J 58:175–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Xie H, Zhu P, Li X (2003) Cannotation and modern analysis method for active soil organic matter (carbon). Chin J Ecol 22(6):109–112 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams A, Xing B-S, Veneman P (2005) Effect of cultivation on soil organic matter and aggregate stability. Pedosphere 15:255–262

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu ZH, Chen CR (2006) Fingerprinting global climate change and forest management within rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling processes. Environ Sci Pollut Res 13:293–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu QF, Jiang PK, Xu ZH (2008a) Soil microbial functional diversity under intensively managed bamboo plantations in southern China. J Soils Sediments 8:177–183

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Z, Ward S, Chen C, Blumfield T, Prasolova N, Liu J (2008b) Soil carbon and nutrient pools, microbial properties and gross nitrogen transformations in adjacent natural forest and hoop pine plantations of subtropical Australia. J Soils Sediments 8(2):99–105

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge that this study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 40461010) and the Foundation of Rubber Research Institute and Agricultural Ministry Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Cultivation Physiology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (no. KLOF 0508).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agriculture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Wangang Deng, Weidong Wu & Hailong Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Tropic Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Wangang Deng & Weidong Wu

  3. Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, New Zealand

    Hailong Wang & Mark O. Kimberley

  4. Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Danzhou, 571737, China

    Wei Luo

Authors
  1. Wangang Deng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Weidong Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hailong Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wei Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mark O. Kimberley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Weidong Wu.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Chengron Chen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Deng, W., Wu, W., Wang, H. et al. Temporal dynamics of iron-rich, tropical soil organic carbon pools after land-use change from forest to sugarcane. J Soils Sediments 9, 112–120 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-008-0053-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-008-0053-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation