Organic matter controls of soil water retention in an alpine grassland and its significance for hydrological processes

Yang, Fei; Zhang, Gan‐Lin; Yang, Jin-Ling; Li, Decheng; Zhao, Yu-Guo; Liu, Feng; Yang, Ruinan; Yang, Fan

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.10.054

Cited by 162 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Furthermore, the chemical composition of the organic matter influenced the water content during the experimental period. Several authors have shown the crucial role of organic matter along with texture, in water sorption and consequently in the soil moisture content (Rawls et al ., ; Yang et al ., ). However, our results also suggest that the chemical composition of the organic matter applied to the soil also strongly influences soil moisture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Biology Changes as a Consequence of Organic Amendments Subjected to a Severe Drought

et al. 2017

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Effect of severe drought events in combination with organic amendments (municipal solid waste, MSW, sheep manure, SM, and cow manure, CM) on soil dehydrogenase, urease, β‐glucosidase and phosphatase activities and microbial community by analyzing phospholipid fatty acids was studied under controlled laboratory conditions for one year. Two levels of irrigation were used: (1) watered soils, where the soils were maintained at 60% of their water holding capacity through the experiment, and (2) non‐watered soils, without irrigation through the experiment. The severe drought conditions negatively affected the soil enzymatic activities and total bacterial and fungal PLFA concentrations. The application of organic amendments to the soil subjected to severe drought increased soil water retention and encouraged the growth and activity of soil microbial populations. However, the chemical composition of the organic matter applied to the soil also strongly influenced soil moisture. In non‐watered soils and compared with the unamended soil, the dehydrogenase activity was 71 · 3%, 60 · 9% and 38 · 6% higher in the soil with SM, CM and MSW, respectively. Urease activity was 60 · 6%, 51 · 5% and 37% higher in the soil with SM, CM and MSW, respectively. β‐glucosidase and phosphatase activities had a similar trend. Water retention was higher when the organic wastes applied to the soils had a higher content of humic acids than fulvic acid contents. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Biology Changes as a Consequence of Organic Amendments Subjected to a Severe Drought

et al. 2017

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“…Studies have shown that in many parts of the world, soil water-holding capacity controls yield and its volatility (Yang et al, 2014;Williams et al, 2016), and increasing soil water-holding capacity by the addition of organic matter (OM) was suggested as a means to buffer yields against future variable weather conditions. Studies have shown that in many parts of the world, soil water-holding capacity controls yield and its volatility (Yang et al, 2014;Williams et al, 2016), and increasing soil water-holding capacity by the addition of organic matter (OM) was suggested as a means to buffer yields against future variable weather conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limited effect of organic matter on soil available water capacity

Minasny

McBratney

2017

European J Soil Science

361

231

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Summary Soil water‐holding capacity is an important component of the water and energy balances of the terrestrial biosphere. It controls the rate of evapotranspiration, and is a key to crop production. It is widely accepted that the available water capacity in soil can be improved by increasing organic matter content. However, the increase in amount of water that is available to plants with an increase in organic matter is still uncertain and may be overestimated. To clarify this issue, we carried out a meta‐analysis from 60 published studies and analysed large databases (more than 50 000 measurements globally) to seek relations between organic carbon (OC) and water content at saturation, field capacity, wilting point and available water capacity. We show that the increase in organic carbon in soil has a small effect on soil water content. A 1% mass increase in soil OC (or 10 g C kg−1 soil mineral), on average, increases water content at saturation, field capacity, wilting point and available water capacity by: 2.95, 1.61, 0.17 and 1.16 mm H2O 100 mm soil−1, respectively. The increase is larger in sandy soils, followed by loams and is least in clays. Overall the increase in available water capacity is very small; 75% of the studies reported had values between 0.7 and 2 mm 100 mm−1 with an increase of 10 g C kg−1 soil. Compared with reported annual rates of carbon sequestration after the adoption of conservation agricultural systems, the effect on soil available water is negligible. Thus, arguments for sequestering carbon to increase water storage are questionable. Conversely, global warming may cause losses in soil carbon, but the effects on soil water storage and its consequent impact on hydrological cycling might be less than thought previously. Highlights We investigated how available water capacity can be increased with a 1% increase in soil organic carbon. We analysed data from 60 published studies and global databases with more than 50 000 measurements. The increase in organic carbon in soil has a small effect on soil water retention. A 1% mass increase in soil OC on average increased available water capacity by 1.16%, volumetrically.

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“…In the soil physical dimension, SOM content is negatively correlated with bulk soil density [28,29] and positively correlated both with water infiltration [29] and water retention [30,31], as well as pore volume and soil aeration [32]. In the soil chemical dimension, organic forms of nutrients dominate over inorganic forms [33] and SOM is associated with lower P-fixation [34] and reduced Al-toxicity [35] due to the organic complexation of free Al.…”

Section: Relevance Of Soil Organic Mattermentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Farming Practices for Sustainable Soil Use in the Humid Tropics and Rainforest Ecosystem Health

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Unsustainable farming practices such as shifting cultivation and slash-and-burn agriculture in the humid tropics threaten the preservation of the rainforest and the health of the local and global environment. In weathered soils prone to cohesion in humid tropic due to low Fe and carbon content and the enormous amounts of P that can be adsorbed, sustainable soil use is heavily dependent on the availability and efficient use of nutrients. This paper reviews the literature in the field and provides some insights about sustainable soil use in the humid tropics, mainly for the Brazilian Amazonia region. Careful management of organic matter and physical and chemical indicators is necessary to enhance root growth and nutrient uptake. To improve the rootability of the arable layer, a combination of gypsum with continuous mulching to increase the labile organic matter fraction responsible for the formation of a short-lived structure important for root growth is recommended, rather than tillage. Unlike mulching, mechanical disturbance via ploughing of Amazonian soils causes very rapid and permanent soil organic matter losses and often results in permanent recompaction and land degradation or anthropic savannization; thus, it should be avoided. Unlike in other regions, like southeast Brazil, saturating the soil solely with inorganic potassium and nitrogen soluble fertilizers is not recommended. Nutrient retention in the root zone can be enhanced if nutrients are added in a slow-release form and if biologically mediated processes are used for nutrient release, as occurs in green manure. Therefore, an alternative that favors using local resources to increase the supply of nutrients and offset processes that impair the efficiency of nutrient use must be pursued.

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Organic matter controls of soil water retention in an alpine grassland and its significance for hydrological processes

Cited by 162 publications

References 39 publications

Soil Biology Changes as a Consequence of Organic Amendments Subjected to a Severe Drought

Soil Biology Changes as a Consequence of Organic Amendments Subjected to a Severe Drought

Limited effect of organic matter on soil available water capacity

Improving Farming Practices for Sustainable Soil Use in the Humid Tropics and Rainforest Ecosystem Health

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