Shifts in soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics for afforestation in central China

Plant restoration leads to divergent sequestration of soil carbon and nitrogen in different fractions in an arid desert region

“…Less disturbed activity was conducive to the formation of soil aggregates (Li et al, ; Wang, Li, Pan, & Wang, ), which in turn enhanced the protection of soil organic matter against decomposition and thereby reduced soil OC and N losses (Christensen, ; Jenkinson, ). This phenomenon is consistent with other studies conducted in semiarid rangelands, farmlands, and the conversion of land use from cropland to woodland via shrubland (Dou, Xu, Shu, Zhang, & Cheng, ; Mishra, Ussiri, & Lal, ; Nosetto et al, ). Increased accumulations of soil OC and N after plant restoration were mainly attributable to increases in organic matter inputs to soils (Ding et al, ; Li et al, ; Yang et al, ).…”

“…Interestingly, soil OC and N concentrations in the restored soils increased with decreasing particle size (Figures and ). This result is inconsistent with evidence suggesting that the incorporation of new OC and N is more rapid in the coarse fraction than in the fine fraction of soil organic matter (Beniston, DuPont, Glover, Lal, & Dungait, ; Dou et al, ; Schwendenmann & Pendall, ). The discrepancy in soil OC and N concentrations associated with particle size fractions was partially due to conversion of plant species from shrubs to herbs in our study region, unlike those converting from cropland to woodland and shrublands in other studies.…”

Soil C and N dynamics and hydrological processes in a maize-wheat rotation field subjected to different tillage and straw management practices

“…Thus, local stakeholders are interested in developing sustainable land management practices that focus on other ecosystem services than just maximizing crop yield (Li et al, 2017b). Following government-mandated land reorganization, popular agricultural management practices have been converted to more sustainable practices (e.g., reduced or no tillage, crop residue management and rational application of fertilizer) to shift towards protection, conservation, and the improvement of soil and water resources (Dou et al, 2016). To date, only a few studies have quantitatively assessed C and N cycling and water processes in a summer maize-winter wheat rotation system involving different tillage and straw management practices in this region.…”

The transport of aggregates associated with soil organic carbon under the rain‐induced overland flow on the Chinese Loess Plateau

“…While further investigating the reasons for OC enrichment in aggregates, we found that the transport of aggregates of different sizes was not the direct reason for the high ERocs of the corresponding aggregate size classes (Figures 5 and 6). Among the different SOC fractions associated with aggregates, POC occupies the largest proportion of total SOC in loessial soils Dou et al, 2016). Palis et al (1990) reported that the breakdown of soil aggregates caused by raindrop peeling could produce a high proportion of fine particles with high OC concentrations.…”

“…Palis et al (1990) reported that the breakdown of soil aggregates caused by raindrop peeling could produce a high proportion of fine particles with high OC concentrations. Among the different SOC fractions associated with aggregates, POC occupies the largest proportion of total SOC in loessial soils Dou et al, 2016). The iPOC concentration is significantly greater than those of intraaggregate mineral-associated organic carbon (iMOC) and free POC and MOC in soil (Li et al, 2004;Yin et al, 2015).…”