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Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a central role for both the C cycle and soil functions. Plants provide the input and heterotrophic (micro)organisms are essential for the turnover. Microbial metabolism links matter and energy fluxes and generates the highest energy turnover dynamics in SOM because the organisms need both energy and matter for maintenance and growth. In this perspectives paper, we evaluate the knowledge on thermodynamic approaches potentially applicable to study the turnover of organic matter in the soil system. Thermodynamics is essential for understanding organic matter turnover in soil as turnover and storage are controlled by the energy supply to, and consumption by, microbes. Instead of just comparing the heat of combustion of compounds without considering microbial anabolism, we need to apply conventional thermodynamic state variables that can be either estimated using established thermodynamic equations, or measured empirically in soil. In particular, we can follow and quantify overall changes of enthalpies by calorimetry. Here, we suggest to apply a thermodynamic concept with the related experimental approaches of calo(respiro)metry and turnover mass balances including biomass formation. This enables us to better interpret and understand the highly variable carbon use efficiency (CUE) in a multi-substrate system such as soil and to relate this to energy use efficiency (EUE). Combining the experimental measurements of the thermodynamic state variables with mass turnover data allow prediction of whether compounds can be metabolized with energy delivery to microorganisms, or be thermodynamically stabilized under the respective redox and electron acceptor conditions. Energy balancing shows how much energy is actually used and retained in the soil, how much is emitted as heat, and how much may be stabilized due to endergonic turnover reactions. Thermodynamic stabilization should therefore be considered as basic stabilization process for organic compounds in soil. • Energy fluxes are essential to sustain active microbes contributing to soil organic matter (SOM). • Dynamic energy and matter fluxes in soil are tightly coupled. • Thermodynamics can describe microbial SOM formation and transformation. • Thermodynamic state variables allow balancing and interpreting of soil processes. • Gibbs energy gain for microbes is dominated by the electron acceptors half-reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alder-based shifting cultivation, particularly, has been identified for its unique ecological and socio-economic role. It is a distinctive agricultural practice in Nagaland, India, with significant implications for climate change. This study explores the interactions between alder-based shifting cultivation and climate change dynamics. The paper examines how integrating alders into the shifting cultivation system influences carbon sequestration and soil enrichment in this bio-diversity-rich but environmentally vulnerable region. The paper comprehensively analyses the carbon balance within this managed ecosystem. The findings emphasise alder trees' role in enhancing nitrogen levels in the soil and promoting carbon storage in the biomass and soil organic matter. This paper advocates that agroforestry systems can be effective strategies for climate-resilient development in Nagaland if adequately managed. The study concludes that recognising and reinforcing the role of indigenous practices is crucial in shaping effective and inclusive climate change responses in the region. The other hilly parts of the country can set this as a model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The minimum disturbance of soil is gaining popularity in different parts of the world because of definite advantages over conventional tillage (CT) especially with respect to rice cultivation. Conventionally, rice is transplanted in puddled soil in which soil is completely broken down and destroyed in presence of standing water to create an impervious layer below the surface so as to hold the rainwater for the rice. Such practice noticeably hampers the growth of the succeeding winter crop grown under conventionally tilled soil because of alteration of soil physical characteristics. Taking into consideration, a field experiment was conducted from 2016 to 2019 to assess the alterations in soil properties resulting from various tillage systems in the cultivation of rice followed by Indian mustard, either through transplanting or direct seeding, after the cultivation of Sesbania aculeata. The experiment was conducted with 20 treatment combinations comprising of five tillage practices combining minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) viz., T1: CT (S: Sesbania)-CT (TR: Transplanted rice)-CT (IM: Indian mustard), T2: MT (S)-CT (TR)-MT (IM), T3: MT (S)-CT (DSR: Direct seeded rice)-CT (IM), T4: MT (S)-MT (DSR)-MT + rice residue @1.5 tha−1 (IM), T5: MT (S)-MT (DSR)-MT (IM) and four weed management practices viz., W1: recommended herbicides (S and IM: pendimethalin 0.75 kg ha−1 pre-emergence; rice: pretilachlor 0.75 kg ha−1 pre-emergence) W2: IWM: integrated weed management (W1 + manual weeding), W3: manual weeding/hoeing, W4: weedy check, laid out in a split-plot design with tillage practices in the main plots and weed management practices in the sub-plots with three replications. Weed management is excluded from the results and discussion section of the paper due to no treatment effect on soil properties. The soil properties studied under the investigation were microbial population, microbial biomass carbon, soil enzymes such as dehydrogenase, phosphomonoesterase and fluorescein di-acetate, soil available NPK, soil organic carbon, bulk density, water holding capacity, total porosity, water stable aggregates, and mean weight diameter of aggregates were significantly changed under direct seeded rice based system as compared to puddled rice based system. Findings of the experiment suggested that by minimizing soil disturbance and residue retention in winter crop not only improved soil properties but also system productivity in terms of average rice equivalent yield (18.60%) of rice-Indian mustard cropping sequence over conventional tillage system. Minimum tillage in Sesbania-direct seeded rice-Indian mustard with rice residue retention improved macro water stable aggregates (> 0.25 mm sized aggregates) (62.08%) and mean weight diameter of aggregates (1.34 mm) at 0–30 cm soil depth as compared to conventional tillage system (60.04% and 1.27 mm, respectively). The same treatment improved total porosity and water holding capacity of 0–15 cm of soil depth by 47.42% and 45.87%, respectively as compared to conventional tillage after three years of investigation. Regression analysis shows that one unit reduction in bulk density increased total porosity of soil by 1.47 units; whereas a unit improvement in total porosity improved water holding capacity of soil by 1.25 units. Other soil properties viz., soil organic carbon (16.75% in 0–15 cm depth and 25.86% in 15–30 cm depth), available nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (1.04%, 5.40% and 1.54%, respectively); bacterial and fungal population, microbial biomass carbon (49.90%), and activity of dehydrogenase, phosphomonoesterase and fluorescein di-acetate (25.39%, 17.02% and 48.94%, respectively) were also improved under the same treatment over conventional tillage system. A significant (P ≤ 0.01) positive correlation of soil macro-aggregates, water holding capacity, soil microbial biomass carbon with soil organic carbon as well as phosphomonoesterase, dehydrogenase and fluorescein di-acetate activities with soil microbial carbon was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately a third of all annual greenhouse gas emissions globally are directly or indirectly associated with the food system, and over a half of these are linked to livestock production. In temperate oceanic regions, such as the UK, most meat and dairy is produced in extensive systems based on pasture. There is much interest in the extent to which such grassland may be able to sequester and store more carbon to partially or completely mitigate other greenhouse gas emissions in the system. However, answering this question is difficult due to context-specificity and a complex and sometimes inconsistent evidence base. This paper describes a project that set out to summarize the natural science evidence base relevant to grassland management, grazing livestock and soil carbon storage potential in as policy-neutral terms as possible. It is based on expert appraisal of a systematically assembled evidence base, followed by a wide stakeholders engagement. A series of evidence statements (in the appendix of this paper) are listed and categorized according to the nature of the underlying information, and an annotated bibliography is provided in the electronic supplementary material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This data paper presents observations on soil organic carbon (SOC) gravimetric and volumetric contents (SOCg, in g kg−1, and SOCv, in g dm−3, respectively) for 98 profiles at least 30 cm deep (1 m deep for 59 of them), in rural areas of the Martinique island, in relation to soil types and land uses and management. The paper also presents particle size distribution down to 30 cm, and near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectra for the main soil types. This dataset allows evaluating the effects of land use, soil type and texture on SOC content and stock, at regional scale. It also allows inferring SOCg, SOCv and particle size distribution from NIR spectra. Such information is useful for studying and managing soils in the Martinique island and in other tropical volcanic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term carbon (C) sequestration has not just become a buzzword but is something of a siren's call to scientific communicators and media outlets. Carbon sequestration is the removal of C from the atmosphere and the storage, for example, in soil. It has the potential to partially compensate for anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and is, therefore, an important piece in the global climate change mitigation puzzle. However, the term C sequestration is often used misleadingly and, while likely unintentional, can lead to the perpetuation of biased conclusions and exaggerated expectations about its contribution to climate change mitigation efforts. Soils have considerable potential to take up C but many are also in a state of continuous loss. In such soils, measures to build up soil C may only lead to a reduction in C losses (C loss mitigation) rather than result in real C sequestration and negative emissions. In an examination of 100 recent peer‐reviewed papers on topics surrounding soil C, only 4% were found to have used the term C sequestration correctly. Furthermore, 13% of the papers equated C sequestration with C stocks. The review, further, revealed that measures leading to C sequestration will not always result in climate change mitigation when non‐CO2 greenhouse gases and leakage are taken into consideration. This paper highlights potential pitfalls when using the term C sequestration incorrectly and calls for accurate usage of this term going forward. Revised and new terms are suggested to distinguish clearly between C sequestration in soils, SOC loss mitigation, negative emissions, climate change mitigation, SOC storage, and SOC accrual to avoid miscommunication among scientists and stakeholder groups in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The present paper aimed to study the effects of exogenous straw carbon addition on the organic carbon composition and rice growth characteristics of calcareous paddy soil in karst area, providing reference basis for exploring the changes in carbon composition of alcareous paddy soil in karst areas. 【Method】The rice pot experiment was carried out in the greenhouse of Yanshan Campus of Guilin University of Technology in March 2023, and the experiment period was 120 d. A total of 19 treatments were set up in the pot experiment. In the treatment that only added straw carbon, 0.5%, 1.0% and 3.0% （dry soil mass ratio） crushed straw, straw compost and straw biochar were added, respectively. In the treatment of adding straw carbon and calcium carbonate, the carbon content of the three kinds of straw was 1.0%, and on this basis, 0, 10.0% and 20.0% （dry soil mass ratio） calcium carbonate were added, respectively. At the same time, the control （CK） treatment without adding any substances was set up. The growth characteristics of rice and the changes of soil organic carbon components microbial biomass carbon （MBC), dissolved organic carbon （DOC), granular organic carbon （POC） and their influencing factors were analyzed.【Result】The type and amount of straw carbon had an impact on the content of organic carbon components in the soil. Adding 0.5% straw compost resulted in the highest MBC content in soil （235.73 mg/kg), while adding 1.0% straw compost resulted in the highest DOC content in soil （221.50 mg/kg). The soil treated with 3.0% straw biochar had the highest POC content （36.20 mg/kg). The content of calcium carbonate in soil also affected the composition of soil organic carbon. When the content of calcium carbonate was 20.0%, the soil MBC contents in the treatments adding three straw carbons were the highest. The soil with 10.0% calcium carbonate+1.0% straw compost had the highest DOC content （195.60 mg/kg). The effects of adding three kinds of straw carbon on the growth of rice were as follows: straw biochar ＞ straw compost ＞ broken straw. Among them, the rice with 0.5% straw biochar added had the best growth, with an average plant height of 102 cm and root length of 50 cm. Addition 3.0% crushed straw had the strongest inhibitory effect on rice growth. With the increase of calcium carbonate addition, the rice plant height treated by straw compost increased first and then decreased, and the addition of 10.0% calcium carbonate had a stronger effect on plant height. The correlation analysis results showed that the amount of straw biochar was significantly negatively correlated with soil DOC content （P ＜ 0.05, the same below), and extremely significantly positively correlated with soil POC content （P ＜ 0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between calcium carbonate addition and soil DOC content.【Conclusion】Exogenous straw carbon has a positive excitation effect on the active organic carbon components in calcareous paddy soil, which can greatly increase the contents of MBC, DOC and POC in soil, and the addition of straw carbon and calcium carbonate has a synergistic effect on the increase of soil active carbon components. Adding low amount of straw carbon can promote rice growth, and straw biochar has the most obvious promoting effect. Adding straw compost and straw biochar to soils with 10.0% and 20.0% calcium carbonate concentrations can promote rice growth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this paper, the differences in carbon sequestration microbial communities in different wetland types and their main influencing factors were investigated. It was found that the alpha diversity of cbbM carbon-sequestering microorganisms was consistent with the change trend in the total carbon content. Acidithiobacillus was used as a biomarker in lakeside wetlands, and Thiothrix and Thiodictyon were used as biomarkers in marsh wetlands. The diversity of cbbM carbon-fixing microorganisms was primarily influenced by the total nitrogen content, while the community structure was significantly affected by the soil total carbon content. The increase in soil temperature and humidity was conducive to the carbon-sequestering process of Thiomicrospira, Thiomonas, Polaromonas and Acidithiobacillus. The changes in wetland types seriously affected the characteristics of cbbM carbon sequestration in microbial communities, and a warm and humid climate may be conducive to wetland carbon sequestration. Carbon-sequestering microorganisms play an important role in the carbon cycle of wetland ecosystems. However, the response mechanism of carbon-sequestering microbial communities to wetland type changes and their relationship with soil carbon remain unclear. To explore these differences and identify the main influencing factors, this study selected marsh wetlands, river wetlands and lakeside wetlands around Qinghai Lake as research subjects. High-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze the functional gene cbbM of carbon-sequestering microorganisms. The results revealed that the alpha diversity of cbbM carbon-sequestering microorganisms mirrored the trend in total carbon content, with the highest diversity observed in marsh wetlands and the lowest in lakeside wetlands. The dominant bacterial phylum was Proteobacteria, with prevalent genera including Thiothrix, Acidithiobacillus, and Thiodictyon. Acidithiobacillus served as a biomarker in lakeside wetlands, while two other genera were indicative of marsh wetlands. The hierarchical partitioning analysis indicated that the diversity of cbbM carbon-fixing microorganisms was primarily influenced by the total nitrogen content, while the community structure was significantly affected by the soil total carbon content. Moreover, an increased soil temperature and humidity were found to favor the carbon fixation processes of Thiomicrospira, Thiomonas, Polaromonas, and Acidithiobacillus. In summary, changes in wetland types seriously affected the characteristics of cbbM carbon sequestration in microbial communities, and a warm and humid climate may be conducive to wetland carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic carbon performs essential functions in soils, which act as sources or sinks of atmospheric organic carbon. Agricultural management affects the carbon cycle in the soil, with effects on climate change. One of the crops most vulnerable to climate change is coffee. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, with a predominance of management under a conventional system, with sloping terrain and the absence of conservationist practices. The absence of conservationist practices increases in soil loss rates due to water management and carbon emissions, as well as a reduction in coffee production. This paper intended to estimate soil and organic carbon losses by RUSLE in coffee farms in southern Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. Data were obtained from fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and cartographic products. The results indicated, exclusively for coffee crops, soil and carbon losses between 7 and 32 Mg ha−1 year−1 and 87 and 460kg ha−1 year−1, respectively. However, the highest soil losses occurred on sloping terrains with eucalyptus plantations located downhill, and the lowest losses occurred on flat land with native forests. Organic carbon losses were linked directly to soil losses, as a result from the land practices, slope and agricultural management adopted. These results can be used for the planning and priority definition of areas needing conservationist practices, such as green manuring, planting in contour and maintaining of vegetation between coffee rows, which are already used in some sites of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidants (AOX) in soils originate mainly from secondary plant metabolites and are pivotal in many redox processes in environment, maintaining soil quality. Still, little is known about the influence of land uses on their accumulation in soil. The aim of the paper was to determine the content of these redox-active compounds in the extracts of A horizons of abandoned fallows, arable and woodland soils. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of soils under various uses and vegetation was evaluated in different soil extracts using Folin-Ciocâlteu method. The contribution of humic acids to TAC was determined and antioxidant profiles estimated using the chromatographic GC–MS method. Forest soils exhibited the highest TAC (15.5 mg g−1) and AOX contents (4.34 mg g−1), which were positively correlated with soil organic carbon content. It was estimated that humic acids contribute to over 50% of TAC in soils. The main phenolics in woodland A horizons were isovanillic and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HA), while esculetin and p-HA predominated in the abandoned fallows due to the prevalence of herbaceous vegetation. Cultivated soils were the most abundant in p-HA (56.42%). In the studied topsoils, there were considerable amounts of aliphatic organic matter, which role in redox processes should be further evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the application and advantages of remote sensing, machine learning, and mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR) as a popular proximal sensing spectroscopy tool in the estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC). It underscores the practical implications and benefits of the integrated approach combining machine learning, remote sensing, and proximal sensing for SOC estimation and prediction across a range of applications, including comprehensive soil health mapping and carbon credit assessment. These advanced technologies offer a promising pathway, reducing costs and resource utilization while improving the precision of SOC estimation. We conducted a comparative analysis between MIR-predicted SOC values and laboratory-measured SOC values using 36 soil samples. The results demonstrate a strong fit (R² = 0.83), underscoring the potential of this integrated approach. While acknowledging that our analysis is based on a limited sample size, these initial findings offer promise and serve as a foundation for future research. We will be providing updates when we obtain more data. Furthermore, this paper explores the potential for commercialising these technologies in Australia, with the aim of helping farmers harness the advantages of carbon markets. Based on our study's findings, coupled with insights from the existing literature, we suggest that adopting this integrated SOC measurement approach could significantly benefit local economies, enhance farmers' ability to monitor changes in soil health, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. These outcomes align with global climate change mitigation efforts. Furthermore, our study's approach, supported by other research, offers a potential template for regions worldwide seeking similar solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research papers assessing the content of soil organic carbon with the help of Vis-NIR spectroscopy approaches are systematically analyzed and subject to meta-analysis. This meta-analysis included 134 studies published in 1986–2022 with a total sample of 709 values of quantitative metrics. The papers have been searched for in databases of scientific periodicals (RSCI, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar) by the key word combination "Vis-NIR spectroscopy AND soil organic carbon". The meta-analysis using the nonparametric one-sided Kruskal–Wallis variance analysis in conjunction with nonparametric pairwise method shows the presence of a statistically significant difference between the median values of the accepted quantitative metrics of the predictive power of the models, namely, coefficient of determination (R2cv/val), root mean square error (RMSE), and the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD). The best performance of the preprocessing method for spectral curves is demonstrated and the estimates of soil organic carbon content obtained by laboratory and field spectroscopies are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Correction to 'Cover crops do not increase soil organic carbon stocks as much as has been claimed: What is the way forward?'" by Chaplot and Smith discusses an error in their previous paper regarding the impact of cover crops on soil organic carbon stocks. They maintain their central conclusion that current studies do not provide sufficient reliable data to determine the impact of cover crops on soil organic carbon stocks. They also provide suggestions for future experiments in this area. The article includes a table listing research papers on the impact of cover crops on organic carbon stocks, with details about the authors, publication year, and additional notes about each paper. The authors acknowledge an error in the table and apologize for it. [Extracted from the article]

With the global climate problem becoming increasingly severe, governments have adopted policies to encourage enterprises to invest in low-carbon technologies. However, the opacity of the carbon emission reduction process leads to incomplete consumer trust in low-carbon products as well as higher supply chain transaction costs. Based on this, this paper constructs Stackelberg game models with and without blockchain under different power structures and compares the impact of these models on low-carbon emission reduction decisions. The results show that: (1) blockchain does not necessarily improve enterprise profits and can only help enterprises maintain optimal profits within a certain range when the carbon emission cost is low; (2) when consumers' environmental awareness is high, the blockchain can incentivize manufacturers to enhance carbon emission reduction, and it has an obvious promotional effect on retailers' profits; and (3) the profit gap between enterprises in the supply chain is larger under different power structures, and the implementation of blockchain can coordinate profit distribution and narrow the gap between enterprises. Compared with the manufacturer-dominated model, the emission reduction in products is maximized under the retailer-dominated model. Our study provides theoretical support for the government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions as well as for the optimization of enterprises' decision-making supported by blockchain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining sector has been the central attention of the business and public policy sustainable development scheme for several years. Reclamation territories are with potential carbon sequestration capacity in degraded mining areas and can be an impeccable option for achieving sustainable development goal-13. This paper made an investigation about the presence of heavy metals in reclaimed area possibilities to improve reclaimed soils with biochar with idea to enhance ecosystem carbon pool and atmospheric CO2 sequestration capacity to offset CO2 emission and soil organic carbon losses. The results show that the carbon content in biochar is 46.6 % and would be classified in class 2 according to the International Biochar Initiative. H/C and O/C atomic ratios could be useful for restoration of degraded poor mine soils through enhanced carbon sequestration. O/C ratio is 0.085 mol mol–1 and half-life of biochar is 2795.65 years, which confirm the biochar stability. For each kilogram of biochar incorporated into the soil, 144 g of carbon were sequestrated 52,8 % CO2 emission reduction. Hence, the biochar developed in this study can be used in carbon-deficient soils with the added benefit of long-term carbon storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grazing lands provide numerous ecosystem services, including the capacity to store large amounts of soil carbon (C); however, our understanding of the factors affecting soil C responses to management is inadequate. Methods: In this paper, we synthesized information about the impacts of grazing land management on soil C within the southeastern region of the United States. Results: Most studies (68%) demonstrated that proper management increased soil C stocks with an average C accumulation rate of 1.4 Mg C ha−1 year−1. The remaining (32%) studies showed no effect of management on soil C. None of the studies reported negative impacts of management on soil C. The largest increase in soil C (8 Mg C ha−1 year−1) was associated with the conversion of cropland to pastureland while overseeding legumes into grass pastures resulted in the lowest C sequestration rates (0.2 Mg C ha−1 year−1). Conclusions: Considering the rates of soil C accretion and the extensive area occupied by grazing lands, data in this synthesis confirm that the adoption of improved management practices can increase soil C sequestration in the southeastern United States. In addition, because most improved management practices can also have co‐benefits, they may be favorable for forage and livestock production and other ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar incorporation into soil has shown potential, in enhancing nitrogen fertilizer (N-fertilizer) efficacy and soil organic carbon content (SOC). This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by investigating the effects of biochar addition over a seven-year period (2014–2020) on inorganic N, SOC, and pH in Haplic Luvisol. The research involved a rain-fed field experiment, with a crop rotation comprising spring barley, maize, spring wheat, and pea. Biochar, applied at the rates of 0, 10, and 20 t ha−1 in 2014, was reapplied to specific plots in 2018. Biochar was also combined with N-fertilizer at three level (N0, N1, and N2). Results showed a significant interactive influence of biochar and N-fertilizer combination on NO3− and NH4+ contents. Intriguingly, the addition of 10 t biochar ha−1 consistently decreased soil inorganic N levels across most of the examined months. Increasing biochar application rates led to a significant rise in pH, establishing a clear, negative correlation between soil pH and inorganic N content. Biochar significantly increased SOC compared to the control, particularly after the reapplication in 2018. However, this effect showed a diminishing trend over time. The study suggests that incorporating biochar treatments may enhance N-fertilizer effectiveness. However, the long-term implications of biochar application with N-fertilizer on N mineralization are specific to individual soil and biochar combinations. Except the application of 20 t ha−1 biochar at N2 in 2019, biochar did not affect the crop yields. Studied soil properties, including those influenced by biochar had nuanced impact on different aspects of crop yield. Article Highlights: Biochar obtained from mixed paper fiber sludge and the grain husks resulted in a significant increase of SOC over 7 years. Biochar aging resulted in a decrease in pH one year after its application in 2015 and 2019. The combination of N-fertilizer with biochar caused an improvement in soil inorganic N content in 2014 and reapplication in 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon storage is a well-identified climate change mitigation solution. Quantification of the soil carbon storage in cropland for agricultural policy and offset carbon markets using in situ sampling would be excessively costly, especially at the intrafield scale. For this reason, comprehensive monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of soil carbon and its explanatory variables at a large scale need to rely on hybrid approaches that combine remote sensing and modelling tools to provide the carbon budget components with their associated uncertainties at intrafield scale. Here, we present AgriCarbon-EO v1.0.1: an end-to-end processing chain that enables the estimation of carbon budget components for major and cover crops at intrafield resolution (10 m) and regional extents (e.g. 10 000 km 2) by assimilating remote sensing data (e.g. Sentinel-2 and Landsat8) in a physically based radiative transfer (PROSAIL) and agronomic models (SAFYE-CO2). The data assimilation in AgriCarbon-EO is based on a novel Bayesian approach that combines normalized importance sampling and look-up table generation. This approach propagates the uncertainties across the processing chain from the reflectances to the output variables. After a presentation of the chain, we demonstrate the accuracy of the estimates of AgriCarbon-EO through an application over winter wheat in the southwest of France during the cropping seasons from 2017 to 2019. We validate the outputs with flux tower data for net ecosystem exchange, biomass destructive samples, and combined harvester yield maps. Our results show that the scalability and uncertainty estimates proposed by the approach do not hinder the accuracy of the estimates (net ecosystem exchange, NEE: RMSE =1.68 –2.38 gC m -2 , R2=0.87 –0.77; biomass: RMSE =11.34 g m -2 , R2=0.94). We also show the added value of intrafield simulations for the carbon components through scenario testing of pixel and field simulations (biomass: bias =-47 g m -2 , - 39 % variability). Our overall analysis shows satisfying accuracy, but it also points out the need to represent more soil processes and include synthetic aperture radar data that would enable a larger coverage of AgriCarbon-EO. The paper's findings confirm the suitability of the choices made in building AgriCarbon-EO as a hybrid solution for an MRV scheme to diagnose agro-ecosystem carbon fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study of soil organic carbon characteristics and its relationship with soil environment and vegetation types is of great significance to the evaluation of soil carbon sink provided by inland salt marshes. This paper reports the characteristics of soil organic carbon fractions in 0–50 cm soil layers at four vegetation communities of the Qinwangchuan salt marsh. Results: (1) The soil organic carbon content of Phragmites australis community (9.60 ± 0.32 g/kg) was found to be higher than that of Salicornia europae (7.75 ± 0.18 g/kg) and Tamarix ramosissima (4.96 ± 0.18 g/kg) and Suaeda corniculata community (4.55 ± 0.11 g/kg). (2) The soil dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic carbon and soil microbial biomass carbon in 0–50 cm soil layer of Phragmites australis community were higher, which were 0.46 ± 0.01 g/kg, 2.81 ± 0.06 g/kg and 0.31 ± 0.01 g/kg, respectively. (3) Soil organic carbon was positively correlated with dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon, and negatively correlated with easily oxidized organic carbon. (4) Above-ground biomass has a strong direct positive effect on soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and pH have a strong direct positive effect on microbial biomass carbon content, pH and average density have a strong direct negative effect on easily oxidized organic carbon, and particulate organic carbon. Conclusions: The interaction between plant community characteristics and soil factors is an important driving factor for soil organic carbon accumulation in inland salt marshes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the quest for a sustainable farming system around the world, organic farming has emerged as the most promising alternative system that can offer solutions to the growing sustainability issues associated with the current input-intensive agriculture system. Organic farming is also becoming increasingly important due to a significant rise in the demand for organic food across the world. Realizing the importance of organic agriculture in the current Indian agricultural scenario, the Government of India has taken several initiatives to promote organic farming across the country. As a result, there has been a considerable increase in different dimensions of organic farming especially in India over the last decade. However, studies have found that organic farming practices in India are more suited to a few specific regions (such as rain-fed zones, low-productivity areas, hills, and arid zones) as compared to the other parts of the country. In this backdrop, this paper attempts to evaluate the state-wise progress of organic farming in India. To measure the inter-state variation in the performance of organic farming, a composite index has been constructed by taking into account four different performance dimensions viz. area covered under organic cultivation, volume of organic production, volume of organic export, and number of producers practicing organic farming. The result suggests a wide disparity in performances in respect of organic farming among the states in India. Interestingly, the states that have performed well in organic farming are found to have a higher level of organic carbon stock in their soil. This shows the influence of agroclimatic conditions on the organic cultivation practices as popularly postulated in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The accumulation of microbial necromass carbon has gained increasing attention due to its slow decomposition. However, it remains unclear what induces the accumulation of microbial necromass carbon via reiterated community turnover on large spatial scales. This study explores the characteristics of soil necromass carbon accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems. Location: Global. Time Period: Contemporary (1999–2022). Major Taxa Studied: Soil microorganisms. Methods: A dataset was compiled using 993 observations from 82 peer‐reviewed papers on the effects of coefficients of microbial necromass accumulation (hereafter NAC) in equilibrium. Linear mixed‐effect models and structural equation models were used to ascertain the controlling factors of the NAC. Results: The average NAC was higher in croplands (28.2) and forests (26.8) than in grasslands (21.1). Edaphic factors seemingly affected the NAC, which was lower in soils with high pH and clay content on a global scale. Biotic factors, particularly those related to living microorganism abundance and microbial biomass nitrogen content, were the pivotal drivers of NAC and accounted for approximately 43.6% of its geographic variability. More organic carbon was likely to be preserved in soil with a higher NAC, regardless of ecosystem type. Conclusions: Novel findings regarding the overriding controls for the living microorganism abundance and microbial biomass nitrogen that drive the NAC highlight an urgent need for viable strategies to manipulate microbial attributes for enhancing carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses the effect of soil amendment by de-inking paper sludge (DPS) incorporation on organic matter and clay loam. Increase of soil carbon content with the addition of DPS; Formation of clusters of wood fibers by DPS encrusted with mineral particles; Proportion of residual carbon attributed to DPS.

Topographic variables derived from digital elevation models (DEM) are the most commonly used predictor in soil organic carbon (SOC) prediction. The predictability of these variates for the spatial heterogenity of SOC is influenced by the size of DEM resolution. This paper aimed to investigate the resolution effect of the topography at multiple DEM resolutions and select the most important predictors and the optimal resolution for SOC prediction in a large-scale and morphologically complex area. The study area, covering 15 600 km2, was located in a mountainous province in China. A total of 3901 soil samples and three machine learning algorithms including random forest, gradient boosted regression tree, and artificial neural network were used to construct the SOC predictive models at resolutions of 30, 90, 150, 210, 270, 330, and 390 m. Topographic factors were derived from the DEM with an original resolution of 30 m and were subsequently resampled to varying resolutions by using the bilinear interpolation algorithm. The importance of each variate in each predictive model was computed for the most important predictor selection, and the determination coefficient (R2) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of each predictive model were computed for the accuracy evaluation. Comparative analysis on point-based topographic representation, the accuracy of predictive models, and the variable importance was conducted among different resolutions to investigate the resolution effect on the SOC prediction and to select the optimal resolution for this study area. The results showed that topography was the key factor influencing the SOC distribution in this large-scale area due to the region's mountainous nature, and the relative contribution of the topography to predict SOC distribution varied with DEM resolutions. Elevation was the most important topographic factor at all DEM resolutions. Accuracies of predictive models built on the three machine learning algorithms were all dependent on DEM resolution, indicating that DEM resolution had an important effect on SOC prediction. Overall, the random forest predictive models outperformed the other two algorithms, and its most accurate result was obtained at the 210-m resolution with an R2 of 0.25 and an RMSE of 4.77 g kg–1. In conclusion, we found that finer resolutions did not necessarily produce more accurate SOC predictions even in a large-scale and morphologically complex area. Therefore, investigating the resolution effect is suggested to select an optimal resolution for the SOC prediction in other regions characterized by similar geomorphological conditions as this study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last deglaciation, atmospheric CO2 increased by about 75 ppm. The deep ocean is likely the dominant source of this atmospheric CO2 rise in the atmospheric pool; however, a consensus accounting for the entire 75 ppm remains elusive. Since the deep ocean cannot account for the entire 75 ppm, the terrestrial environment likely makes up the remainder. This paper provides a mechanism for an unaccounted-for portion of the source of this terrestrial carbon, that being soil organic carbon (SOC) from the tropical montane Andes, and with that, minimum constraints on the contribution of SOC to the total rise in atmospheric CO2 during the last deglaciation. Using numerical climate modeling input into an empirical model derived from tropical montane forests of the Andes Mountains in South America, this study finds that during the last deglaciation, the organic layer thickness was thinning from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the present (pre-industrial) in the tropical montane Andes. This overall warming and organic layer thickness thinning may have led to a loss of available carbon storage space, causing a leak of CO2 into the atmosphere over this time scale. This study finds an estimate for the contribution of global atmospheric CO2 from SOC in tropical montane Andean soils is likely at least ∼1.4 ppm CO2 since the LGM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soils have the potential to sequester and store significant amounts of carbon, contributing towards climate change mitigation. Soil carbon markets are emerging to pay farmers for management changes that absorb atmospheric carbon, governed by codes that ensure eligibility, additionality and permanence whilst protecting against leakage and reversals. This paper presents the first global comparative analysis of farmland soil carbon codes, providing new insights into the range of approaches governing this global marketplace. To do this, the paper developed an analytical framework for the systematic comparison of codes which was used to identify commonalities and differences in approaches, methods, administration, commercialisation and operations for 12 publicly available codes from around the world. Codes used a range of mechanisms to manage additionality, uncertainty and risks, baselines, measurement, reporting and verification, auditing, resale of carbon units, bundling and stacking, stakeholder engagement and market integrity. The paper concludes by discussing existing approaches and codes that could be adapted for use in the UK and evaluates the need for an over-arching standard for soil carbon codes in the UK and internationally, to which existing codes and other schemes already generating soil carbon credits could be assessed and benchmarked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil carbon sequestration is listed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as one of the key ways to achieve long-term “carbon neutrality” in the context of global warming. Soil carbon sequestration is a complex biogeochemical process that involves plants, microbes, and rock minerals at its core. Yet, its regulation mechanisms and promotion pathways remain unclear. This paper reviews recent progress in the related domestic and international research and provides an overview of the key processes and mechanisms of soil carbon sequestration. The main pathways for enhancing soil carbon sequestration (including plant inputs, mineral protection, microbial transformation, and rock weathering) are summarized. The paper also discusses and synthesizes how advanced biogeochemical methods and technologies may be employed to explore soil carbon sequestration mechanisms and potentials. The overall aim of this review is to improve our understanding of soil carbon sequestration as a nature-based solution to combatting climate change from the biogeochemistry perspective, and to highlight the role of fundamental research in Earth Sciences in helping to achieve China’s carbon neutrality goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic soil amendments are used to improve soil quality and mitigate climate change. However, their effects on soil structure, nutrient and water retention as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the residual effects of a single field application of four ligneous soil amendments on soil structure and GHG emissions. We conducted a laboratory incubation experiment using soil samples collected from an ongoing soil-amendment field experiment at Qvidja Farm in south-west Finland, two years after a single application of four ligneous biomasses. Specifically, two biochars (willow and spruce) produced via slow pyrolysis, and two mixed pulp sludges from paper industry side-streams were applied at a rate of 9–22 Mg ha-1 mixed in the top 0.1 m soil layer. An unamended fertilized soil was used as a control. The laboratory incubation lasted for 33 days, during which the samples were kept at room temperature (21°C) and at 20%, 40%, 70% or 100% water holding capacity. Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) fluxes were measured periodically after 1, 5, 12, 20 and 33 days of incubation. The application of ligneous soil amendments increased the pH of the sampled soils by 0.4–0.8 units, whereas the effects on soil organic carbon content and soil structure varied between treatments. The GHG exchange was dominated by CO2 emissions, which were mainly unaffected by the soil amendment treatments. The contribution of soil CH4 exchange was negligible (nearly no emissions) compared to soil CO2 and N2O emissions. The soil N2O emissions exhibited a positive exponential relationship with soil moisture. Overall, the soil amendments reduced N2O emissions on average by 13%, 64%, 28%, and 37%, at the four soil moisture levels, respectively. Furthermore, the variation in N2O emissions between the amendments correlated positively with their liming effect. More specifically, the potential for the pulp sludge treatments to modulate N2O emissions was evident only in response to high water contents. This tendency to modulate N2O emissions was attributed to their capacity to increase soil pH and influence soil processes by persisting in the soil long after their application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a more resilient response system to climate change for sustainable development and reducing uncertainty in China's food markets, requires access to historical research gaps and mapping future research progress for decision making. However, the lack of quantitative and objective analyses to ensure the stability and development of agroecosystems increases the complexity of agro-climatic mechanisms, which leads to uncertainty and undesirable consequences. In this paper, we review the characteristics of climate change in China (1951–2020), reveal the mechanisms of agroecosystem structure in response to climate, and identify challenges and opportunities for future efforts in the context of research progress. The aim is to improve the scientific validity and relevance of future research by clarifying agro-climatic response mechanisms. The results show that surface temperature, precipitation, and frequency of extreme weather events have increased to varying degrees in major agricultural regions of China in 1951–2020. And they have strong geographic variation, which has resulted in droughts in the north and floods in the south. Moreover, climate change has complicated the mechanisms of soil moisture, Net Primary Productivity (NPP), soil carbon pool, and crop pest structure in agroecosystems. This lends to a reduction in soil water holding capacity, NPP, soil carbon content, and the number of natural enemies of diseases and insects, which in turn affects crop yields. However, human interventions can mitigate the deterioration of these factors. We have also realized that the methodology and theory of historical research poses a great challenge to future agroecosystem. Historical and projected climate trends identified current gaps in interdisciplinary integration and multidisciplinary research required to manage diverse spatio-temporal climate change impacts on agroecosystems. Future efforts should highlight integrated management and decision making, multidisciplinary big data coupling, and numerical simulations to ensure sustainable agricultural development, ecological security, and food security in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the effects of vegetation restoration on soil aggregates and organic carbon in severe burning sites in Greater Khingan Mountains, this paper used larch plantations of different stand ages (11, 21 and 32 years) planted on heavy fire sites as the research object, and conducted a study on the stability of soil aggregates and organic carbon characteristics of soil aggregates by measuring the percentage content of each particle size and the organic carbon content of soil aggregates. The results showed that: 1)After vegetation restoration of burned areas, the mechanical stability and water stability of soil aggregates in larch plantations of different stand ages were dominated by the content of >0. 25 mm particle size, accounting for 85. 57%-89. 42% and 62. 86%-83. 19%, respectively. With the increase of stand age, the content of soil mechanical stability aggregates >2 mm particle size in 0-10 cm layer of larch plantation decreased significantly and the content of 0. 25-2 mm particle size increased significantly, while the water stability aggregates showed a trend that the content of >2 mm particle size decreased significantly and the content of 0. 5-2 mm particle size increased significantly (P < 0. 05). 2)32 years of larch plantation soil mechanical stability aggregates mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of the upper soil water-stable aggregates were significantly smaller than 11 years, and the MWD of the upper soil water-stable aggregates was consistent with the characteristics of the mechanically stable aggregates. Water-stable macroaggregate content (WSA 0. 25 ) gradually increased with the increase of restoration years, and the percentage of aggregate destruction (PAD) of the 32 years old larch plantation decreased significantly. 3)With the increase of forest age, the organic carbon content of soil aggregates in larch plantation forest increased, and the increase was more in the upper layer. The organic carbon contribution of large aggregates (>0. 25 mm fraction) dominated. The results could provide scientific basis for vegetation restoration of burned areas in Greater Khingan Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a commentary on the paper in GCB by Moinet et al. (2023) entitled "Carbon for soils, not soils for carbon". The paper challenges two claims often made for soil carbon sequestration: (1) Sequestration of C in agricultural soils can make a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation. (2) Increasing SOC will routinely lead to increased crop yields and contribute to global food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have read with interest an opinion paper recently published in the European Journal of Soil Science (Berthelin et al., 2022). This paper presents some interesting considerations, at least one of which is already well known to soil scientists working on soil organic carbon (SOC), that is, a large portion (80%–90%) of fresh carbon inputs to soil is subject to rapid mineralization. The short‐term mineralization kinetics of organic inputs is well‐known and accounted for in soil organic matter models. Thus, clearly, the long‐term predictions based on these models do not overlook short‐term mineralization. We point out that many agronomic practices can significantly contribute to SOC sequestration. If conducted responsibly whilst fully recognising the caveats, SOC sequestration can lead to a win‐win situation where agriculture can both contribute to the mitigation of climate change and adapt to it, whilst at the same time delivering other co‐benefits such as reduced soil erosion and enhanced biodiversity. Highlights: Rapid mineralization of organic inputs is an important factor for soil carbon sequestration.Mineralization kinetics of organic inputs are well‐known and accounted for in soil organic matter models.Many agronomic practices can contribute significantly to SOC sequestration.SOC sequestration can lead to a win‐win situation where agriculture can both contribute to the mitigation of climate change and adapt to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were approved, including SDG13, which addresses actions to increase carbon capture (CO2-C storage) for climate change mitigation. However, no analytical procedures have been defined for quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. This paper presents a rapid tool for guiding farmers and for monitoring SOC sequestration in farmer fields. The tool consists of multiconstituent soil analyses through near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and an SOC mineralization model. The tool provides forecasts of SOC sequestration over time. Soil analyses by NIRS have been calibrated and validated for farmer fields in European countries, China, New Zealand, and Vietnam. Results indicate a high accuracy of determination for SOC (R² ≥ 0.93), and for inorganic C, soil texture, and soil bulk density. Permanganate oxidizable soil C is used as proxy for active SOC, to detect early management-induced changes in SOC contents, and is also quantified by NIRS (R² = 0.92). A pedotransfer function is used to convert the results of the soil analyses to SOC sequestration in kg·ha-1 C as well as CO2. In conclusion, the tool allows fast, quantitative, and action-driven monitoring of SOC sequestration in farmer fields, and thereby is an essential tool for monitoring progress of SDG13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pastures are of central importance in food production and provide multiple ecosystem services. The objective of this paper was to determine whether the intensification of pasture-based animal production systems, through practices such as fertilization and improved pasture species, has a higher capacity in the short-term (five years) to sequester carbon in the soil compared to (1) natural grassland without anthropogenic interactions, (2) natural grassland fertilized and overseeded with exotic species, and (3) annual pastures with frequent soil disturbance. The study assessed the organic carbon stock (OCS), total organic carbon (TOC), particle size, porosity, and density at different soil strata, as well as the root system and forage production. Forage dry matter (DM) production varied significantly with means ranging from 6615 to 13,000 kg ha–1 year–1 for natural grassland (NG) and permanent pasture (PP), respectively. Improved natural grassland (ING) and NG presented a higher density and root diameter than PP and annual pasture (AP). Forage systems significantly influenced soil porosity and density, with NG and ING showing lower soil densities and higher soil porosities. The OCS (0–100 cm) was similar between NG (270 Mg ha–1), ING (255 Mg ha–1), PP (274 Mg ha–1), and AP systems (256 Mg ha–1). Over a period of five years, the intensification of pasture-based animal production systems did not have a significant impact on OCS in the soils of a Brazilian subtropical highland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The present paper aimed to study the impact of organic and inorganic combined application on the organic carbon composition, carbon bank management index and organic carbon functional group of tobacco planting soil in Wuxi county, so as to provide reference for improving the quality of tobacco planting soil and reasonable fertilization. [Method] Four treatments were set up under the condition of constant nitrogen input in field experiment: chemical fertilizer（CF）, chemical fertilizer with mushroom slag organic fertilizer（CMO）, chemical fertilizer with high carbon-based fertilizer（CHB）, and chemical fertilizer with biological organic fertilizer（CBO）. The effect of organic and inorganic application on soil carbon reservoir was studied by measuring total organic carbon and active carbon functional group structure using Fourier infrared spectrometry（FTIR）. [Result] （i） Compared with single organic fertilizer, the soil supplemented with organic fertilizer was slightly increased, and there was no significant difference between the treatments, significantly increased the output value on flue-cured tobacco leaf;（ii） The DOC, MBC content of the soil active carbon bank treated with organic fertilizer was significantly higher than that of single chemical fertilizer treatment. Among them, CMO treatment showed the largest increase in soil DOC content, thus being 67. 13%, 12. 84%, and 28. 54% higher than CF, CHB, CBO, respectively. CBO treatment showed the most increase in soil MBC content, with soil MBC content increasing 42. 32% compared to CF and CHB treatment showing 11. 43% higher soil EOC compared to CF;（iii）Among the three organic fertilizers, the DOC distribution of DOC, CMO, CBO, EOC, and the carbon bank management index of CHB treatment was significantly greater than CF and CMO;（iv） The structure difference of each treated organic carbon functional group was small, which mainly included phenols, aromatic hydrocarbons, olefins and mesamides. The relative peak area at 1634 cm-1 was associated significantly positively with soil MBC content, and that at 468 cm-1 was associated significantly negatively with soil TOC content. [Conclusion] Compared with single organic fertilizer, soil organic residue organic fertilizer significantly improved soil DOC and MBC content and high carbon-based fertilizer significantly improved soil EOC content and carbon bank management index. Short-term organic and inorganic distribution had little impact on organic carbon functional groups. However, the peaks at 1634 and 468 cm-1 were significantly associated with the soil TOC and MBC content. At the same time, organic-inorganic fertilizer significantly increased the yield and output value of flue-cured tobacco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of the level of the soil organic carbon (SOC) content plays an important role in assessing the soil health state. Visible and Near Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (Vis-NIR DRS) is a fast and cheap tool for measuring the SOC. However, when this technology is applied on a larger area, the soil prediction accuracy decreases due to the heterogeneity of the samples. In this paper, we first investigate the global model performance in the LUCAS EU-wide topsoil database. Then, different clustering strategies were tested, including the k-means clustering based on the principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering, combined with the partial least squares regression (PLSR) models, and a clustering based on a local PLSR approach. The best validation results were obtained for the local PLSR approach with R² = 0.75, root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) = 13.38 g/kg and ratio of performance to interquartile range (RPIQ) = 2.846, but the algorithm running time was 30.05 s. Similar results were obtained for the k-means clustering method with R² = 0.75, RMSEP = 14.61 g/kg and RPIQ = 2.844, at only 4.52 s. This study demonstrates that the PLSR approach based on k-means clustering is able to achieve similar prediction accuracy as the local PLSR approach, while significantly improving the algorithm speed. This provides the theoretical basis for adapting the spectral soil model to the needs of real-time SOC quantification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the macroenvironmental background of global warming, all countries are working to limit climate change. Internationally, biofuel plants are considered to have great potential in carbon neutralization. Several countries have begun using biofuel crops as energy sources to neutralize carbon emissions. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is considered a resource-efficient low-input crop that produces bioenergy. In this paper, we reviewed the effects of switchgrass cultivation on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, the future application and research of switchgrass are discussed and prospected. Switchgrass has huge aboveground and underground biomass, manifesting its huge carbon sequestration potential. The net change of soil surface 30 cm soil organic carbon in 15 years is predicted to be 6.49 Mg ha−1, significantly higher than that of other crops. In addition, its net ecosystem CO2 exchange is about −485 to −118 g C m−2 yr−1, which greatly affects the annual CO2 flux of the cultivation environment. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is the main source of N2O emission in the switchgrass field. Nitrogen addition increases the yield of switchgrass and also increases the N2O flux of switchgrass soil. It is necessary to formulate the most appropriate N fertilizer application strategy. CH4 emissions are also an important indicator of carbon debt. The effects of switchgrass cultivation on CH4 emissions may be significant but are often ignored. Future studies on GHG emissions by switchgrass should also focus on CH4. In conclusion, as a biofuel crop, switchgrass can well balance the effects of climate change. It is necessary to conduct studies of switchgrass globally with the long-term dimension of climate change effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrolysis of feedstocks to produce biochar for soil remediation employed to be a convenient method regarding improvement of soil fertility, increasing carbon stability and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Biochar properties and its effect after incorporation into the soils vary depending on the characteristics of feedstocks and pyrolysis process. This paper aims to compare the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the frequency of functional groups in different biochars made from plant feedstocks over the temperature range from 300 °C to 700 °C. An increase in pyrolysis temperature positively affects biochar surface properties until the deformation step in C = O, –COOH, and OH groups and as a result, the surface area of biochar decreases at high temperature (more than 600 °C). The breakdown of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin also occurs at temperatures more than 600 °C. Consequently, the biochar quality is reduced with increasing pyrolysis temperature although such biochar may be suitable for rising the content of stable carbon in the soils. Over the long-term, the stability of biochar can contribute to carbon sequestration, retention of water and ions in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible Near infrared and Shortwave Infrared (VNIR/SWIR, 400–2500 nm) remote sensing data is becoming a tool for topsoil properties mapping, bringing spatial information for environmental modeling and land use management. These topsoil properties estimates are based on regression models, linking a key topsoil property to VNIR/SWIR reflectance data. Therefore, the regression model's performances depend on the quality of both topsoil property analysis (measured on laboratory over-ground soil samples) and Bottom-of-Atmosphere (BOA) VNIR/SWIR reflectance which are retrieved from Top-Of-Atmosphere radiance using atmospheric correction (AC) methods. This paper examines the sensitivity of soil organic carbon (SOC) estimation to BOA images depending on two parameters used in AC methods: aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the FLAASH (Fast Line-of-Sight Atmospheric Analysis of Spectral Hypercubes) method and water vapor (WV) in the ATCOR (ATmospheric CORrection) method. This work was based on Earth Observing-1 Hyperion Hyperspectral data acquired over a cultivated area in Australia in 2006. Hyperion radiance data were converted to BOA reflectance using seven values of AOD (from 0.2 to 1.4) and six values of WV (from 0.4 to 5 cm), in FLAASH and ATCOR, respectively. Then a Partial Least Squares regression (PLSR) model was built from each Hyperion BOA data to estimate SOC over bare soil pixels. This study demonstrated that the PLSR models were insensitive to the AOD variation used in the FLAASH method, with R2cv and RMSEcv of 0.79 and 0.4%, respectively. The PLSR models were slightly sensitive to the WV variation used in the ATCOR method, with R2cv ranging from 0.72 to 0.79 and RMSEcv ranging from 0.41 to 0.47. Regardless of the AOD values, the PLSR model based on the best parametrization of the ATCOR model provided similar SOC prediction accuracy to PLSR models using the FLAASH method. Variation in AOD using the FLAASH method did not impact the identification of bare soil pixels coverage which corresponded to 82.35% of the study area, while a variation in WV using the ATCOR method provided a variation of bare soil pixels coverage from 75.04 to 84.04%. Therefore, this work recommends (1) the use of the FLAASH AC method to provide BOA reflectance values from Earth Observing-1 Hyperion Hyperspectral data before SOC mapping or (2) a careful selection of the WV parameter when using ATCOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key to soil organic matter management is understanding the transformation processes of fresh organic matter to permanent humus that control soil organic carbon dynamics. This paper presents the results of the effect of long-term soil fertilization with increasing doses of (manure) FYM and ammonium nitrate on the composition of humus compounds not limed of loamy sand. The study showed that both crop rotation and manure fertilization significantly affected organic matter fractions and humus humification index. The soil in crop rotation B (with enriching effect) accumulated significantly larger amounts of soil organic carbon in 0–30 cm layer despite a lower soil pH, but had lower soil organic quality compared to the soil in crop rotation A (with depleting effect). In both rotations, FYM was applied once per 4-year rotation at a dose of 40 t·ha−1 which improved the soil organic carbon content. Depleting crop rotation (A) showed no increase in soil accumulation of humins fractions (H), while the "enriching" crop rotation (B) had such a tendency. Mineral nitrogen fertilization significantly affected the composition of the humic acids fraction. The soil in crop rotation B was characterized by a significantly higher content of fulvic acid (FA) and lower of humins (H) carbon fraction. The large input of organic matter into the soil under lower content pH conditions may hinder its transformation into permanent humus. Changes in the humification index were the consequence of changes in the carbon content of humic and fulvic acids, under the influence of plant selection in crop rotation and manure fertilization. According to the criterion of this parameter, soil in crop rotation A and soil fertilized with manure had lower loss of the more labile FA fraction (lower value of humification index—1.48). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By dint of the development of agroecological practices and organic farming, stakeholders are becoming more and more aware of the importance of soil life and banning a growing number of pesticide molecules, promoting the use of plant bio-stimulants. To justify and promote the use of microbes in agroecological practices and sustainable agriculture, a number of functions or services often are invoked: (i) soil health, (ii) plant growth promotion, (iii) biocontrol, (iv) nutrient acquiring, (v) soil carbon storage, etc. In this paper, a review and a hierarchical classification of plant fungal partners according to their ecosystemic potential with regard to the available technologies aiming at field uses will be discussed with a particular focus on interactive microbial associations and functions such as Mycorrhiza Helper Bacteria (MHB) and nurse plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic materials are integral to the soil carbon cycle in agricultural ecosystems, yet their specific impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) and microbial diversity are not fully understood. In this study, we analyzed 188 data pairs from 57 published papers to assess the effects of various organic materials on SOC composition and microbial diversity across different farmlands. Our findings indicate that the addition of organic materials consistently enhances SOC composition and promotes both bacterial and fungal diversity. Notably, the particulate organic carbon (POC) fraction exhibited the most significant increase (42.35%), suggesting that POC is the primary pathway for organic carbon accumulation. Our analysis also identified the type of organic material as the leading factor influencing soil active carbon fractions and microbial diversity, with compost emerging as the most effective material for boosting soil carbon sequestration and microbial richness. Interestingly, while both dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) increased with organic material addition, a negative correlation between these two components was observed. This study advances our understanding of the complex interactions between organic materials, SOC components, and microbial diversity, providing valuable insights for the development of sustainable soil management practices aimed at enhancing soil carbon storage and agroecosystem health. [Display omitted] • Organic material enhanced active SOC components and microbial diversity. • Material type is a key determinant of soil carbon composition. • The main factor of SOC increase was the accumulation of POC. • MBC has a potential competition with DOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of assessing carbon fluxes and pools in forests is acute due to climate change and contribution of forests to carbon reserves. The papers provides a comparative assessment of carbon ingress with atmospheric precipitation and leaching the dissolved organic carbon from soils under coniferous–deciduous forests of different types on sandy soil-forming deposits. The dominant types of coniferous–broadleaved forests of the Bryansk region, i.e., dwarf shrub–green moss pine forests, composite boreal–nemoral herbaceous pine forests and polydominant broadleaved nemoral-forb spruce forests are the objects of study. On average, over a three-year-long observation period (2016–2019), the carbon ingress with rain and snow was 60 ± 4 kg C/ha per year in shrub–green moss and composite pine forests; this turned out to be higher than in coniferous-broadleaved forests, where the carbon input was 47 ± 2 kg C/ha per year. The removal of organic carbon from organic horizons in polydominant broadleaved forests was four times lower (14 ± 4 kg C/ha per year) on average than in dwarf shrub–green moss pine forests specified by a thick litter (56 ± 22 kg C/ha per year), and 2.5 times lower than in composite pine forests (36 ± 12 kg C/ha per year). The cases of leaching organic carbon from the lower mineral horizons were scarce for different types of coniferous-deciduous forests and varied on average from 6 to 12 kg C/(ha year). The distribution of dissolved organic carbon in the soil profile shows a more efficient carbon fixation in the mineral part of soil profile in pine forests than in polydominant broadleaved forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soils in the northern high latitudes are a key component in the global carbon cycle; the northern permafrost region covers 22 % of the Northern Hemisphere land surface area and holds almost twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. Permafrost soil organic matter stocks represent an enormous long-term carbon sink which is in risk of switching to a net source in the future. Detailed knowledge about the quantity and the mechanisms controlling organic carbon storage is of utmost importance for our understanding of potential impacts of and feedbacks on climate change. Here we present a geospatial dataset of physical and chemical soil properties calculated from 651 soil pedons encompassing more than 6500 samples from 16 different study areas across the northern permafrost region. The aim of our dataset is to provide a basis to describe spatial patterns in soil properties, including quantifying carbon and nitrogen stocks. There is a particular need for spatially distributed datasets of soil properties, including vertical and horizontal distribution patterns, for modeling at local, regional, or global scales. This paper presents this dataset, describes in detail soil sampling; laboratory analysis, and derived soil geochemical parameters; calculations; and data clustering. Moreover, we use this dataset to estimate soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage estimates in soils in the northern circumpolar permafrost region (17.9×106 km 2) using the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Climate Change Initiative (CCI) global land cover dataset at 300 m pixel resolution. We estimate organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks on a circumpolar scale (excluding Tibet) for the 0–100 and 0–300 cm soil depth to be 380 and 813 Pg for carbon, and 21 and 55 Pg for nitrogen, respectively. Our organic carbon estimates agree with previous studies, with most recent estimates of 1000 Pg (-170 to +186 Pg) to 300 cm depth. Two separate datasets are freely available on the Bolin Centre Database repository (10.17043/palmtag-2022-pedon-1, Palmtag et al., 2022a; and 10.17043/palmtag-2022-spatial-1, Palmtag et al., 2002b). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the differences and change rules of soil nutrients and enzyme activities in Larix gmelinii forest in the cold temperate zone, so as to provide scientific basis and data basis for in-depth understanding of forest ecosystem functions and future development trends in the cold temperate forest ecotone in China. In this paper, four different types of larch forest (Betula platyphylla -Larix gmelinii, Rhododendron dauricum-Larix gmelinii, Larix gmelinii, and Larix gmelinii plantation) in Heilongjiang Zhongyangzhan Black-Billed Capercaillie Nature Reserve were selected as the research objects. Sampling was carried out by season, and the soil. chemical properties and enzyme activities ( catalase, acid phosphatase, urease, sucrase and cellulase) were determined in different seasons, and the dynamic changes with seasons were also explored. Results showed that: (1) Soil chemical properties and enzyme activities were significantly different in different forest types and seasons, and the changing trends were also different to some extent. (2)Soil acid phosphatase was significantly affected by the contents of soil total P, total N and available K. Soil catalase was significantly positively correlated with the contents of total N, available N, available K and available P. Soil sucrase was mainly affected by the contents of available P and available N. Soil urease and cellulase were most affected by soil organic carbon content. (3)The principal component analysis showed that there were significant differences in soil enzyme activities and soil chemical properties among the four forest types, and first principal component 1 could explain more than 50% of the variance variables. The soil chemical properties and enzyme activities in different Larix gmelinii were significantly different with the seasons, which were related to the accumulation of litter and the difference of vegetation types. Soil enzyme activities were correlated with soil chemical properties to varying degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial communities often possess enormous diversity, raising questions about whether this diversity drives ecosystem functioning, especially the influence of diversity on soil decomposition and respiration. Although functional redundancy is widely observed in soil microorganisms, evidence that species occupy distinct metabolic niches has also emerged. In this paper, we found that apart from the environmental variables, increases in microbial diversity, notably bacterial diversity, lead to an increase in soil C emissions. This was demonstrated using structural equation modelling (SEM), linking soil respiration with naturally differing levels of soil physio-chemical properties, vegetation coverage, and microbial diversity after fire disturbance. Our SEMs also revealed that models including bacterial diversity explained more variation of soil CO2 emissions (about 45%) than fungal diversity (about 38%). A possible explanation of this discrepancy is that fungi are more multifunctional than bacteria and, therefore, an increase in fungal diversity does not necessarily change soil respiration. Further analysis on functional gene structure suggested that bacterial and fungal diversities mainly explain the potential decomposition of recalcitrant C compare with that of labile C. Overall, by incorporating microbial diversity and the environmental variables, the predictive power of models on soil C emission was significantly improved, indicating microbial diversity is crucial for predicting ecosystem functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant carbon (C) input via litter decomposition is essential for forming soil organic C (SOC). Previous studies have investigated the fate of litter C through one-time litter addition, while litter input could be recurrent, e.g., gradual litter input from above-ground plant material in diverse ecosystems. This paper investigates how litter input's frequency (single vs. repeated) and amount (low vs. high) affect the SOC formation and the associated microbial community composition and activity in a controlled microcosm experiment. After incubating the 13C-labeled litter (Stipa krilovii) for 80 days with the fresh field soil collected from a semi-arid steppe in Inner Mongolia, China, we measured newly formed SOC, microbial biomass C (MBC), and microbial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) indicated by 13C-labeling. The repeated litter addition resulted in 19.92% greater and 12.45% more efficient SOC formation than the single addition. Repeated litter addition also increased C use efficiency (CUE, + 76.71%), indicating more substrate C allocated for microbial growth than respiration. It also enhanced the fungi to bacteria ratio by 47.40% (based on 13C-PLFA) and maintained relatively stable microbial assimilation of litter C (based on 13C-MBC). These findings were consistent regardless of litter amounts. Our results indicate that the uninterrupted litter input to the soil in natural ecosystems benefits SOC formation and highlights soil fungi's critical role in promoting SOC formation. This study suggests that incorporating plant C input frequency into SOC dynamic models may improve the predictions of C cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem equilibrium may be greatly modified by intensive use of resources, with changes in the microbiological processes in the soil. Current paper evaluates soil quality in different areas according to microbiological attributes. Evaluation was undertaken in five areas within the ecological restoration process (REC1-5), an area with native vegetation (MATA) and another with sugarcane (CN). Microbiological attributes evaluated were carbon of the soil's microbial biomass (C-BMS), basal respiration (C-CO2), microbial quotient (qMIC) and metabolic quotient (qCO2). Lowest C-BMS rate was reported in REC5 differentiating statistically REC2 and REC4. Non-distinction between RECs in CN and MATA suggest influence, interaction or synergism between factors. The analysis of similarity matrix by Euclidian distance applied to microbiological attributes data allowed the distinction of CN with regard to the other forms of soil management. It is, therefore, more efficient as a tool to characterize the environment. Within the areas in a process of ecological restoration, REC2 and REC3 had microbiological conditions with the best similarity with regard to the area with native vegetation (MATA). This indicates an improvement in soil quality and, consequently, a state of equilibrium in the natural regional condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]