Effects of litter decomposition with different qualities on soil organic carbon content and its stability in grassland on the Loess Plateau

doi:10.11686/cyxb2022349

Abstract

Abstract:

Plant litter is the most important source of soil organic carbon （SOC）， and the quality of litter may affect the amount and stability of newly formed SOC. In this study， we evaluated the effects of decomposition of litters of different quality （AS： Artemisia sacrorum stem， SR： Stipa bungeana root， SL： S. bungeana leaf， SAL： Sophora alopecuroides leaf）， which were selected from the typical grassland of the Loess Plateau in the middle of Gansu Province， on SOC and its stability. According to their chemical composition， litters were divided into high-quality litters （higher soluble components content and lower lignin content） and low-quality litters （lower soluble components content and higher lignin content）. The litters were co-incubated with soil to study the decomposition process and determine how it affected SOC content and stability. Compared with low-quality litters （AS and SR）， high-quality litters （SAL and SL） had a relatively higher decomposition rate due to their higher content of labile components and lower carbon/nitrogen （C/N）. After decomposition for 2 years， the SOC content had increased in each treatment. The increases in SOC and the formation efficiency of new carbon （C） were significantly higher in the high-quality litter treatments than in the low-quality litter treatments. These results indicated that， compared with low-quality litters， high-quality litters made a greater contribution to SOC sequestration after decomposition. The amounts of all soil aggregate components did not vary significantly among treatments. After decomposition for 2 years， the SOC content in <0.053 mm soil aggregates was significantly increased in all the treatments. The SOC content and efficiency of new C formation in <0.053 mm soil aggregates were significantly higher in the high-quality litter treatments than in the low-quality litter treatments. Overall， these results show that， compared with low-quality litter， high-quality litter more readily forms stable mineral-associated organic matter after decomposition.

Key words: litter, chemical composition, soil aggregates, soil organic carbon, soil organic carbon stability

Xin GUO, Huan LUO, Xue-mei XU, Ai-xia MA, Zhen-yan SHANG, Tian-hu HAN, De-cao NIU, Hai-yan WEN, Xu-dong LI. Effects of litter decomposition with different qualities on soil organic carbon content and its stability in grassland on the Loess Plateau[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2023, 32(5): 83-93.

Figures/Tables 9

References 36

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凋落物 Litter	可溶物 Soluble component （%）	半纤维素 Hemicellulose （%）	纤维素 Cellulose （%）	木质素 Lignin （%）	有机碳 Soil organic carbon （%）	全氮 Total nitrogen （%）	碳氮比Carbon/nitrogen （C/N）
AS	25.57±1.64c	17.76±0.32c	37.70±1.13a	17.16±0.37a	48.99±0.09a	0.70±0.01c	70.05±1.12a
SR	20.56±1.34d	25.53±0.98b	33.51±0.67a	15.26±0.14b	40.47±0.22d	0.71±0.01c	55.05±1.48b
SL	30.99±0.77b	33.06±0.29a	29.67±0.74b	3.28±0.27d	45.86±0.08b	1.22±0.01b	37.37±0.22c
SAL	66.40±0.99a	10.37±0.31d	17.23±0.78c	4.44±0.22c	43.56±0.38c	3.93±0.01a	11.08±0.05d

凋落物 Litter	可溶物 Soluble component （%）	半纤维素 Hemicellulose （%）	纤维素 Cellulose （%）	木质素 Lignin （%）	有机碳 Soil organic carbon （%）	全氮 Total nitrogen （%）	碳氮比Carbon/nitrogen （C/N）
AS	25.57±1.64c	17.76±0.32c	37.70±1.13a	17.16±0.37a	48.99±0.09a	0.70±0.01c	70.05±1.12a
SR	20.56±1.34d	25.53±0.98b	33.51±0.67a	15.26±0.14b	40.47±0.22d	0.71±0.01c	55.05±1.48b
SL	30.99±0.77b	33.06±0.29a	29.67±0.74b	3.28±0.27d	45.86±0.08b	1.22±0.01b	37.37±0.22c
SAL	66.40±0.99a	10.37±0.31d	17.23±0.78c	4.44±0.22c	43.56±0.38c	3.93±0.01a	11.08±0.05d

凋落物 Litter	分解时间 Decomposition time （d）	Olson 拟合方程 Olson fitting equation	分解系数 Decomposition coefficient （k）	凋落物 Litter	分解时间 Decomposition time （d）	Olson 拟合方程 Olson fitting equation	分解系数 Decomposition coefficient （k）
AS	60	y=4.0804e^-0.0701^t	0.0701	SL	60	y=4.3742e^-0.1003^t	0.1003
	365	y=4.0804e^-0.0151^t	0.0151		365	y=4.3742e^-0.0295^t	0.0295
	730	y=4.0804e^-0.0270^t	0.0270		730	y=4.3742e^-0.0442^t	0.0442
SR	60	y=4.9423e^-0.0955^t	0.0955	SAL	60	y=4.5816e^-0.1104^t	0.1104
	365	y=4.9423e^-0.0207^t	0.0207		365	y=4.5816e^-0.0356^t	0.0356
	730	y=4.9423e^-0.0249^t	0.0249		730	y=4.5816e^-0.0697^t	0.0697

凋落物 Litter	分解时间 Decomposition time （d）	Olson 拟合方程 Olson fitting equation	分解系数 Decomposition coefficient （k）	凋落物 Litter	分解时间 Decomposition time （d）	Olson 拟合方程 Olson fitting equation	分解系数 Decomposition coefficient （k）
AS	60	y=4.0804e^-0.0701^t	0.0701	SL	60	y=4.3742e^-0.1003^t	0.1003
	365	y=4.0804e^-0.0151^t	0.0151		365	y=4.3742e^-0.0295^t	0.0295
	730	y=4.0804e^-0.0270^t	0.0270		730	y=4.3742e^-0.0442^t	0.0442
SR	60	y=4.9423e^-0.0955^t	0.0955	SAL	60	y=4.5816e^-0.1104^t	0.1104
	365	y=4.9423e^-0.0207^t	0.0207		365	y=4.5816e^-0.0356^t	0.0356
	730	y=4.9423e^-0.0249^t	0.0249		730	y=4.5816e^-0.0697^t	0.0697

凋落物 Litter	分解时间 Decomposition time （d）	0.25~2.00 mm		0.053~0.250 mm		<0.053 mm
凋落物 Litter	分解时间 Decomposition time （d）	团聚体质量 Mass fraction of aggregation （g）	SOC （g·kg^-1）	团聚体质量 Mass fraction of aggregation （g）	SOC （g·kg^-1）	团聚体质量 Mass fraction of aggregation （g）	SOC （g·kg^-1）
AS	730	13.04±0.32a	5.59±0.05c	21.43±0.26a	5.51±0.11b	14.73±0.21a	6.36±0.27b
SR	730	13.08±0.06a	6.07±0.15b	22.10±0.09a	5.26±0.12c	14.82±0.13a	6.42±0.09b
SL	730	12.64±0.04a	6.05±0.09b	21.65±0.68a	5.03±0.13c	14.70±0.22a	6.72±0.02a
SAL	730	13.43±0.10a	6.40±0.08a	21.18±0.19a	6.12±0.11a	15.30±0.22a	7.01±0.14a
CK	730	13.79±0.13a	5.27±0.10c	21.09±0.30a	5.17±0.02c	15.12±0.12a	5.22±0.09c