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Agronomy
Special Issues
Soil Carbon Pools, Turnover, and Distribution Patterns in Agroecosystems
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Soil Carbon Pools, Turnover, and Distribution Patterns in Agroecosystems

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agroecology Innovation: Achieving System Resilience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 7651

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kazem Zamanian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz University of Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
Interests: soil science; soil carbon; land-use change; agropedogenesis; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xiaoning Zhao

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
School of Geographical Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Interests: soil carbon cycle and simulation; agricultural sustainability; soil and water conservation; land evaluation; environmental pollution and remediation; digital soil mapping; remote sensing and application; fragile ecosystem environmental evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Soils have a huge carbon reservoir and are seen as a potential solution to mitigate the drawbacks of climate change by sequestering atmospheric CO2. Soil carbon turnover is dynamic, and rapidly changing paradigms due to intensive agricultural practices make carbon management challenging. Carbon losses have a major impact on soil health through effects on fertility, aggregate stability, and microbial activity. Without healthier soils, we cannot address the climate crisis, produce enough food and adapt to a changing climate. Despite decades of research on soil carbon, there are still significant questions surrounding our ability to understand and predict the spatio-temporal patterns of soil carbon from farm to regional and global scales, such as “what controls carbon turnover rates?”, and “how does carbon turnover rate change with changing climate, land use, soil management practices, and other drivers?”. With the goal of promoting a detailed understanding of the complex physical, chemical and biological processes involved in carbon regulation, this issue welcomes contributions to explore much that is still unknown about soil carbon. Contributions are welcome but not limited to the following topics:

  • Soil carbon chemistry and its turnover in different land-use systems and soil types at different spatial and temporal scales
  • Processes, driving factors, and management practices that control the trade-offs of soil organic and inorganic carbon
  • Contribution and consequences of carbon losses from inorganic carbon and the relationship to climate change drivers
  • Experimental and modeling advancements to quantify soil carbon pools, changing patterns, and sequestration potential and the impacts on the environment
  • Soil conservation practices that accelerate carbon sequestration in agroecosystems in different environments and soil types
  • Quantifying the impact of coupling the carbon cycle with nitrogen and phosphorus cycles on carbon dynamics and sequestration

Dr. Kazem Zamanian
Prof. Dr. Xiaoning Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • carbon sequestration
  • carbon footprint
  • climate change
  • organic and inorganic carbon
  • CaCO3
  • liming
  • carbon modeling
  • digital soil mapping
  • soil functions
  • soil health

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4922 KiB  
Article
Particle Size Distribution and Depth to Bedrock of Chinese Cultivated Soils: Implications for Soil Classification and Management
by Xiaoning Zhao, Wei He, Lihua Xue, Feng Chen, Pingping Jia, Yi Hu and Kazem Zamanian
Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1248; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13051248 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1194
Abstract
Although a number of studies have provided information on soil texture, soil classification, and depth to bedrock throughout China, few studies have combined this information, which is the basis for agricultural field management. A total of 81% of China’s cultivated lands are distributed [...] Read more.
Although a number of studies have provided information on soil texture, soil classification, and depth to bedrock throughout China, few studies have combined this information, which is the basis for agricultural field management. A total of 81% of China’s cultivated lands are distributed among the Middle–Lower Yangtze Plain (18.2%), arid and semiarid North China Plain (18.2%), Northeast Plain (17%), Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (16.1%), and Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau (11.6%). The Huang-Huai-Hai Plain has the highest density of agricultural land (58.5%) and the greatest depth to bedrock of cultivated land (243–402 m). The lowest cultivated depth to bedrock (4–84 m) is concentrated in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding regions. The main cultivated soil types are Anthrosols, Fluvisols, Cambisols, Phaeozems, Luvisols, Kastanozems, Leptosols, and Acrisols, under the main topsoil texture classes of loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silt loam, sandy loam, and clay. The Fluvisols had the largest depth to bedrock (156 m) on the Middle–Lower Yangtze Plain and Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, with the highest silt soil distributions but comparable lower sand contents. The Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau had the highest clay soil content. The cultivation under Kastanozems and Leptosols on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and in arid and semiarid North China and under Phaeozems on the Northeast Plain should be restricted and managed very cautiously facing erosion risk. The higher percentages of Anthrosols are on the Middle–Lower Yangtze Plain (37%), in Southern China (32%), and on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau (26%). The same cultivation aim (i.e., more crop 0production) has produced a similar range of properties over time among the soils developed on agricultural fields, which are classified as Anthrosols. However, various soil types can still be found in agroecosystems because of the variations in climate and topography. Our results highlight that the agriculture-based soil climate and topography shape the interaction of the soil development and not only the pedogenic history of the soil development under variations in the soil depth to bedrock but also the cultivation of distinct pedogenic features. This study provides cultivated soil information on the depth to bedrock, soil classification, and soil texture in China, as well as instructions for field strategies for sustainable agricultural development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Pools, Turnover, and Distribution Patterns in Agroecosystems)
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17 pages, 3542 KiB  
Article
Microbial Properties Depending on Fertilization Regime in Agricultural Soils with Different Texture and Climate Conditions: A Meta-Analysis
by Ding Yuan, Yi Hu, Shengnan Jia, Wenwen Li, Kazem Zamanian, Jiangang Han, Fan Huang and Xiaoning Zhao
Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030764 - 06 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1432
Abstract
Over-fertilization has a significant impact on soil microbial properties and its ecological environment. However, the effects of long-term fertilization on microbial properties on a large scale are still vague. This meta-analysis collected 6211 data points from 109 long-term experimental sites in China to [...] Read more.
Over-fertilization has a significant impact on soil microbial properties and its ecological environment. However, the effects of long-term fertilization on microbial properties on a large scale are still vague. This meta-analysis collected 6211 data points from 109 long-term experimental sites in China to evaluate the effects of fertilizer type and fertilization duration, as well as soil and climate conditions, on the effect sizes on various microbial properties and indices. The organic fertilizers combined with straw (NPKS) and manure (NPKM) had the highest effect sizes, while the chemical fertilizers N (sole N fertilizer) and NPK (NPK fertilizer) had the lowest. When compared with the control, NPKM treatment had the highest effect size, while N treatment had the lowest effect size on MBN (111% vs. 19%), PLFA (110% vs. −7%), fungi (88% vs. 43%), Actinomycetes (97% vs. 44%), urease (77% vs. 25%), catalase (15% vs. −11%), and phosphatase (58% vs. 4%). NPKM treatment had the highest while NPK treatment had the lowest effect size on bacteria (123% vs. 33%). NPKS treatment had the highest while N treatment had the lowest effect sizes on MBC (77% vs. 8%) and invertase (59% vs. 0.2%). NPKS treatment had the highest while NPK treatment had the lowest effect size on the Shannon index (5% vs. 1%). The effect sizes of NPKM treatment were the highest predominantly in arid regions because of the naturally low organic carbon in soils of these regions. The effect sizes on various microbial properties were also highly dependent on soil texture. In coarse-textured soils the effect sizes on MBC and MBN peaked sooner compared with those of clayey or silty soils, although various enzymes were most active in silty soils during the first 10 years of fertilization. Effect sizes on microbial properties were generally higher under NPKM and NPKS treatments than under NPK or N treatments, with considerable effects due to climate conditions. The optimal field fertilizer regime could be determined based on the effects of fertilizer type on soil microorganisms under various climate conditions and soil textures. This will contribute to the microbial biodiversity and soil health of agricultural land. Such controls should be used for adaptation of fertilization strategies to global changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Pools, Turnover, and Distribution Patterns in Agroecosystems)
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12 pages, 3875 KiB  
Article
Study of the Effects of Different Agronomic Practices on Inorganic Carbon in the Plough Layer of Dryland Field: A Meta-Analysis
by Xin Niu, Yanni Yu, Jingyi Dong, Yuanzhang Ma, Lingyan Wang, Wei Dai and Yaning Luan
Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 736; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030736 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1421
Abstract
Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is an essential component of the soil carbon pool and plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle and climate change. However, few studies have examined the effects of different agronomic practices on the SIC content. This paper [...] Read more.
Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is an essential component of the soil carbon pool and plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle and climate change. However, few studies have examined the effects of different agronomic practices on the SIC content. This paper aims to study the effects of different agronomic practices on the SIC content in the 0- to 40-cm soil layer of dryland fields; the innovations are intended to explore the relative importance and synergistic effects of different agronomic practices on the SIC content of the plough layer of dryland fields. We screened out 136 peer-reviewed articles worldwide from 1990–2022, with a total of 2612 valid data pairs, using meta-analysis to assess the effects of different agronomic practices on the SIC content of the plough layer of dryland fields. Compared to conventional tillage (CT), both no-tillage (NT) and plastic film mulching (PM) were able to increase the SIC content in the 0- to 40-cm soil layer of dryland fields. NT increased the SIC content by 15.07 ± 3.48%, while PM gradually increased SIC accumulation as the soil layer deepened, with the greatest increase in SIC content in the 30- to 40-cm soil layer at 11.61 ± 5.89%. When organic manure application (M) and straw return mulching (SM) were applied, the SIC content in the 0- to 40-cm soil layer of dryland fields showed a non-significant reduction trend, with the largest changes in SIC content in the 0- to 10-cm soil layer, at 5.23 ± 2% and 4.69 ± 3.53% reductions, respectively. No-tillage straw return (NTS) significantly increased the SIC content in the 0- to 40-cm soil layer of dryland fields by 77.34 ± 5.6%, which was significantly higher than the independent effects of NT and SM, showing a more substantial synergistic effect. Different agronomic practices have different effects on the SIC content of dryland fields in the 0- to 40-cm soil layer, with NTS > NT > PM > SM > M. Among practices, NTS, NT and PM can increase the SIC content of the plough layer of dryland fields; in particular, NTS can increase the SIC content of 0- to 40-cm in dryland fields to the greatest extent through a synergistic effect. At the same time, SM and M showed an insignificant reduction effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Pools, Turnover, and Distribution Patterns in Agroecosystems)
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23 pages, 5345 KiB  
Article
Soil Chemical Properties Depending on Fertilization and Management in China: A Meta-Analysis
by Shengnan Jia, Ding Yuan, Wenwen Li, Wei He, Sajjad Raza, Yakov Kuzyakov, Kazem Zamanian and Xiaoning Zhao
Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2501; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102501 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3035
Abstract
The long-term overuse of fertilizers negatively affects soil chemical properties and health, causing unsustainable agricultural development. Although many studies have focused on the effects of long-term fertilization on soil properties, few comparative and comprehensive studies have been conducted on fertilization management over the [...] Read more.
The long-term overuse of fertilizers negatively affects soil chemical properties and health, causing unsustainable agricultural development. Although many studies have focused on the effects of long-term fertilization on soil properties, few comparative and comprehensive studies have been conducted on fertilization management over the past 35 years in China. This meta-analysis (2058 data) evaluated the effects of the fertilizer, climate, crop types, cultivation duration and soil texture on the soil chemical properties of Chinese croplands. NPKM (NPK fertilizers + manure) led to the highest increase in pH (−0.1), soil organic carbon (SOC) (+67%), total nitrogen (TN) (+63%), alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen (AN) (+70%), total phosphorus (TP) (+149%) and available potassium (AK) (+281%) compared to the unfertilized control, while the sole nitrogen fertilizer (N) led to the lowest increase. The SOC (+115%) and TN (+84%) showed the highest increase under the influence of NPKM in an arid region. The increase in the chemical properties was higher in unflooded crops, with the maximum increase in the wheat–maize rotation, compared to rice, under NPKM. The SOC and TN increased faster under the influence of organic fertilizers (manure or straw) compared to mineral fertilization. Fertilizers produced faster effects on the change in the SOC and TN in sandy loam compared to the control. Fertilizers showed the highest and lowest effects on change in pH, organic C to total N ratio (C/N), TP and TK in clay loam with the cultivation duration. NPKM greatly increased the C/N compared to NPK in an arid region by 1.74 times and in wheat by 1.86 times. Reaching the same SOC increase, the lowest TN increase was observed in wheat, and the lowest increase in TP and AK was observed in rice, compared to the other crops. These results suggest that organic fertilizers (manure or straw) play important roles in improving soil fertility and in acidification. NPKM greatly increased the potential for soil C sequestration in wheat and in the arid region. The small increases in TP and TK can increase the SOC in rice and in the humid region. Therefore, considering the crop types and climatic conditions, reduced fertilization and the combination of mineral fertilizers with manure may be the best ways to avoid agricultural soil deterioration and increase soil carbon sequestration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Pools, Turnover, and Distribution Patterns in Agroecosystems)
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