Soil Carbon Management Index under Different Land Use Systems and Soil Types of Sanjiang Plain in Northeast China

• Published in: Agronomy (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 10; p. 2533
• Main Authors: Zhang, Man, Han, Jiale, Jiao, Jian, Han, Jianqiao, Zhao, Xiaoli, Hu, Kexin, Kang, Yanhong, Jaffar, Muhammad Tauseef, Qin, Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-10-2023
• Subjects: Aggregates; Agricultural production; Analysis; Arid zones; Carbon; Carbon content; carbon management index; Chemical properties; China; Ecosystems; Forest soils; Global positioning systems; GPS; Grasslands; Heterogeneity; India; Land use; land-use systems; Meadows; Nitrates; Nitrogen; Organic carbon; Organic soils; Potassium; Soil aggregates; Soil chemistry; Soil degradation; Soil erosion; Soil investigations; soil organic carbon; Soil properties; Soil structure; Soil types; Soils; Wetlands; China; India; Heilongjiang China
• ISSN: 2073-4395; 2073-4395
• DOI: 10.3390/agronomy13102533

Land-use systems (LUSs) and soil types (STs) are strongly related to factors that influence soil degradation and carbon (C) loss. However, the way in which land use and soil type affects the soil organic C (SOC) pools, and soil aggregation in the Sanjiang Plain, has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate soil physic–ochemical properties, soil aggregates, and C management index (CMI) in three different LUSs (grassland, dryland, and paddy field) under two STs (meadow soil and albic soil) of the Sanjiang Plain in northeast China. A total of 60 composite soil samples were collected for laboratory analyses. The results were as follows: soil properties were affected by LUS and ST, especially soil chemical properties; ST had no significant effect on soil aggregates but significantly affected its SOC content, while LUS had a significant effect on soil aggregates (p < 0.01), except for small macro-aggregates (2–0.25 mm); the mean weight diameter (MWD) and SOC in meadow soil was significantly different under different land uses, with grassland being the highest and dryland the lowest. However, there was no significant difference in albic soil. The heterogeneity of grassland, dryland, and paddy field showed that different LUSs had particular effects on SOC and its active components because LUS had significant effects on C pool index (CPI) and CMI, but ST and its interaction had no significant effects on CPI and CMI. Overall, the results showed that LUS was an important factor affecting CMI in the Sanjiang Plain, rather than ST, and the paddy field CMI was optimal in the Sanjiang Plain.