Effects of smooth vetch covering on carbon accumulation from different sources in soil aggregates

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.202501.017

Abstract

Abstract: The stability of soil organic carbon pool is determined by the accumulations of microbial- and plant-drived carbon. To explore the accumulation characteristics of organic carbon from different sources and their relative contributions in soil aggregates covered by green manure, we conducted a field experiment in citrus orchards with clean tillage treatment as the control, to analyze the effects of smooth vetch covering on the accumulation and relative contribution of microbial- and plant-drived carbon in large macroaggregates (2-8 mm), small macroaggregates (0.25-2 mm) and microaggregates (<0.25 mm), as well as the driving factors behind. The results showed that: 1) Smooth vetch covering increased fungal and microbial necromass carbon and their contributions to total organic carbon in soil aggregates. The increase in microaggregates of fungal and microbial necromass carbon was the most prominent, which reached to 76.7% and 70.2%, respectively. Smooth vetch covering increased the ratio of fungal to bacterial necromass carbon, which ranged from 4.58 to 4.66 across soil aggregates, indicating that fungal necromass carbon led to the accumulation of microbial necromass carbon. 2) Smooth vetch covering decreased the total lignin phenol content and its contribution to total organic carbon in large macroaggregates, but significantly increased the content in microaggregates, with no significant contributions to total organic carbon. 3) Soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon were two important factors which influenced microbial necromass carbon. The contribution of microbial necromass carbon to total organic carbon was increased with increasing leucine aminopeptidase and exchangeable calcium contents. In addition, the content of complex Fe oxide played a vital role in increasing the contribution of total lignin phenol to total organic carbon in soil aggregates. In summary, under smooth vetch covering, fungal-derived carbon dominated the accumulation of microbial necromass carbon in soil aggregates. Plant-derived carbon in large macroaggregates may be converted into microbial source carbon and stored in soil. Microbial-derived carbon would dominate the change of organic carbon in soil aggregates.

Key words: smooth vetch covering, soil aggregate, microbial necromass carbon, plant necromass carbon, soil organic carbon

ZHANG Meng, CHENG Ruimei, SHEN Yafei, CHEN Tian, LI Jing, ZENG Lixiong, LEI Lei, XIAO Wenfa. Effects of smooth vetch covering on carbon accumulation from different sources in soil aggregates[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2025, 36(1): 141-151.

References

[1] 曹卫东, 高嵩涓. 到2025年中国绿肥发展策略. 中国农业资源与区划, 2023, 44(12): 1-9
[2] Özbolat O, Sánchez-Navarro V, Zornoza R, et al. Long-term adoption of reduced tillage and green manure improves soil physicochemical properties and increases the abundance of beneficial bacteria in a Mediterranean rainfed almond orchard. Geoderma, 2023, 429: 116218
[3] 王国璀, 胡发龙, 李含婷, 等. 绿肥提高农田土壤有机碳固存机制的研究进展. 植物营养与肥料学报, 2024, 30(6): 1185-1198
[4] Almagro M, Ruiz-Navarro A, Díaz-Pereira E, et al. Plant residue chemical quality modulates the soil microbial response related to decomposition and soil organic carbon and nitrogen stabilization in a rainfed Mediterranean agroecosystem. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2021, 156: 108198
[5] Li Y, Zhang W, Li J, et al. Complementation between microbial necromass and plant debris governs the long-term build-up of the soil organic carbon pool in conservation agriculture. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2023, 178: 108963
[6] Zhang DB, Yao PW, Zhao N, et al. Building up the soil carbon pool via the cultivation of green manure crops in the Loess Plateau of China. Geoderma, 2019, 337: 425-433
[7] 杨阳, 王宝荣, 窦艳星, 等. 植物源和微生物源土壤有机碳转化与稳定研究进展. 应用生态学报, 2024, 35(1): 111-123
[8] 潘根兴, 丁元君, 陈硕桐, 等. 从土壤腐殖质分组到分子有机质组学认识土壤有机质本质. 地球科学进展, 2019, 34(5): 451-470
[9] 汪景宽, 徐英德, 丁凡, 等. 植物残体向土壤有机质转化过程及其稳定机制的研究进展. 土壤学报, 2019, 56(3): 528-540
[10] Liang C, Schimel JP, Jastrow JD. The importance of anabolism in microbial control over soil carbon storage. Nature Microbiology, 2017, 2: 17105
[11] Wang BR, An SS, Liang C, et al. Microbial necromass as the source of soil organic carbon in global ecosystems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2021, 162: 108422
[12] Joergensen RG. Amino sugars as specific indices for fungal and bacterial residues in soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 2018, 54: 559-568
[13] Bai YF, Cotrufo MF. Grassland soil carbon sequestration: Current understanding, challenges, and solutions. Science, 2022, 377: 603-608
[14] Yang Y, Dou YX, Wang BR, et al. Increasing contribution of microbial residues to soil organic carbon in grassland restoration chronosequence. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2022, 170: 108688
[15] Ma T, Zhu SS, Wang ZH, et al. Divergent accumulation of microbial necromass and plant lignin components in grassland soils. Nature Communications, 2018, 9: 3480
[16] Jex CN, Pate GH, Blyth AJ, et al. Lignin biogeoche-mistry: From modern processes to quaternary archives. Quaternary Science Reviews, 2014, 87: 46-59
[17] 丁婷婷, 段廷玉. 果园绿肥对果树-土壤-微生物系统影响研究进展. 果树学报, 2021, 38(12): 2196-2208
[18] 祝玲月, 王晓玥, 陈晏, 等. 微生物关键种影响植物残体还田条件下木质素酚浓度: 基于30年长期有机培肥试验. 土壤, 2024, 56(1): 56-63
[19] Zeng XM, Feng J, Yu DL, et al. Local temperature increases reduce soil microbial residues and carbon stocks. Global Change Biology, 2022, 28: 6433-6445
[20] Six J, Paustian K, Elliott ET, et al. Soil structure and organic matter. I. Distribution of aggregate-size classes and aggregate-associated carbon. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 2000, 64: 681-689
[21] Zheng JY, Zhao JS, Shi ZH, et al. Soil aggregates are key factors that regulate erosion-related carbon loss in citrus orchards of southern China: Bare land vs. grass-covered land. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2021, 309: 107254
[22] Mugi-Ngenga E, Bastiaans L, Zingore S, et al. The role of nitrogen fixation and crop N dynamics on performance and legacy effects of maize-grain legumes intercrops on smallholder farms in Tanzania. European Journal of Agronomy, 2022, 141: 126617
[23] Bach EM, Hofmockel KS. Soil aggregate isolation me-thod affects measures of intra-aggregate extracellular enzyme activity. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2014, 69: 54-62
[24] Nie M, Pendall E, Bell C, et al. Soil aggregate size distribution mediates microbial climate change feedbacks. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2014, 68: 357-365
[25] Zhang XD, Amelung W. Gas chromatographic determination of muramic acid, glucosamine, mannosamine, and galactosamine in soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 1996, 28: 1201-1206
[26] Otto A, Shunthirasingham C, Simpson MJ. A comparison of plant and microbial biomarkers in grassland soils from the Prairie Ecozone of Canada. Organic Geochemistry, 2005, 36: 425-448
[27] Engelking B, Flessa H, Joergensen RG. Shifts in amino sugar and ergosterol contents after addition of sucrose and cellulose to soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2007, 39: 2111-2118
[28] Liang C, Amelung W, Lehmann J, et al. Quantitative assessment of microbial necromass contribution to soil organic matter. Global Change Biology, 2019, 25: 3578-3590
[29] Jia SX, Liu XF, Lin WS, et al. Tree roots exert greater influence on soil microbial necromass carbon than above-ground litter in subtropical natural and plantation forests. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2022, 173: 108811
[30] Wang QC, Yang LM, Song G, et al. The accumulation of microbial residues and plant lignin phenols are more influenced by fertilization in young than mature subtropical forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 2022, 509: 120074
[31] Muhammad I, Wang J, Sainju UM, et al. Cover cropping enhances soil microbial biomass and affects microbial community structure: A meta-analysis. Geoderma, 2021, 381: 114696
[32] Zhang Q, Li XY, Liu JJ, et al. The contribution of microbial necromass carbon to soil organic carbon in soil aggregates. Applied Soil Ecology, 2023, 190: 104985
[33] Zhang XX, Gregory AS, Whalley WR, et al. Relationship between soil carbon sequestration and the ability of soil aggregates to transport dissolved oxygen. Geoderma, 2021, 403: 115370
[34] Bailey VL, Smith JL, Bolton H. Fungal-to-bacterial ratios in soils investigated for enhanced C sequestration. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2002, 34: 997-1007
[35] Vidal A, Klöffel T, Guigue J, et al. Visualizing the transfer of organic matter from decaying plant residues to soil mineral surfaces controlled by microorganisms. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2021, 160: 108347
[36] Zhang CZ, Xue WF, Xue JR, et al. Leveraging functional traits of cover crops to coordinate crop productivity and soil health. Journal of Applied Ecology, 2022, 59: 2627-2641
[37] Zheng TT, Miltner A, Liang C, et al. Turnover of bacterial biomass to soil organic matter via fungal biomass and its metabolic implications. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2023, 180: 108995
[38] 王丽, 李军, 李娟, 等. 轮耕与施肥对渭北旱作玉米田土壤团聚体和有机碳含量的影响. 应用生态学报, 2014, 25(3): 759-768
[39] 周学雅, 陈志杰, 耿世聪, 等. 氮沉降对长白山森林土壤团聚体内碳、氮含量的影响. 应用生态学报, 2019, 30(5): 1543-1552
[40] 刘亚龙, 王萍, 汪景宽. 土壤团聚体的形成和稳定机制: 研究进展与展望. 土壤学报, 2023, 60(3): 627-643
[41] 苏兴雷, 渠晨晨, 康杰, 等. 微生物驱动土壤矿物结合态有机碳的形成. 科学通报, 2024, 69(22): 3327-3338
[42] Schneider T, Keiblinger KM, Schmid E, et al. Who is who in litter decomposition? Metaproteomics reveals major microbial players and their biogeochemical functions. The ISME Journal, 2012, 6: 1749-1762
[43] Wang XH, Yin LM, Dijkstra FA, et al. Rhizosphere priming is tightly associated with root-driven aggregate turnover. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2020, 149: 107964
[44] Shabtai IA, Wilhelm RC, Schweizer SA, et al. Calcium promotes persistent soil organic matter by altering microbial transformation of plant litter. Nature Communications, 2023, 14: 6609
[45] Che T, Xu YZ, Li YJ, et al. Mixed planting reduces the shaping ability of legume cover crop on soil microbial community structure. Applied Soil Ecology, 2022, 178: 104581
[46] Li LD, Wilson CB, He HB, et al. Physical, biochemical, and microbial controls on amino sugar accumulation in soils under long-term cover cropping and no-tillage farming. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2019, 135: 369-378
[47] Eusterhues K, Rennert T, Knicker H, et al. Fractionation of organic matter due to reaction with ferrihydrite: Coprecipitation versus adsorption. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011, 45: 527-533
[48] Virk AL, Lin BJ, Kan ZR, et al. Simultaneous effects of legume cultivation on carbon and nitrogen accumulation in soil. Advances in Agronomy, 2022, 171: 75-110