Abstract
An understanding of the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) as affected by farming practices is imperative for maintaining soil productivity and also for restraining global warming by CO2 evolution. Results of a long-term (30 year) experiment in the Indian Himalayas under rainfed soybean (Glycine max L.)—wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation was analyzed to determine the influence of mineral fertilizer and farmyard manure (FYM) application at 10 Mg ha−1 on SOC and total soil nitrogen (TSN) stocks and distribution within different aggregate size fractions. Fertilizers (NP, NK and NPK) and FYM in combination with N or NPK were applied before the soybean crop every year and no nutrient was applied before the wheat crop. Results showed that addition of FYM with N or NPK fertilizers increased SOC and TSN contents. The overall gain in SOC in the 0- to 45-cm soil depth interval in the plots under NPK + FYM treatment over NPK was 17.18 Mg C ha−1 in 30 year. The rate of conversion of input C to SOC was about 19% of each additional Mg C input per hectare. SOC content in large size aggregates was greater than in smaller size aggregates, and declined with decreased aggregate size. Thus, long-term soybean–wheat rotation in a sandy loam soil of the Indian Himalayas sequestered carbon and nitrogen. Soil organic C and TSN sequestration in the 0.25- to 0.1-mm size fraction is an ideal indicator of long-term C and N sequestration, since this fraction retained maximum SOC/TSN stock.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aoyama M, Angers DA, N’Dayegamiye A (1999) Particulate and mineral-associated organic matter in water-stable aggregates as affected by mineral fertilizer and manure applications. Can J Soil Sci 79:295–302
Aoyama M, Angers DA, N’Dayegamiye A, Bissonnette N (2000) Metabolism of C-13-labeled glucose in aggregates from soils with manure application. Soil Biol Biochem 32:295–300. doi:10.1016/S0038-0717(99)00152-2
Aulakh MS, Khera TS, Doran JW, Bronson KF (2001) Managing crop residue with green manure, urea, and tillage in a rice–wheat rotation. Soil Sci Soc Am J 65:820–827
Bayer C, Martin-Neto L, Mielniczuk J, Pillon CN, Sangoi L (2001) Changes in soil organic matter fractions under subtropical no-till cropping systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 65:1473–1478
Bhandari AL, Ladha JK, Pathak H, Padre AT, Dawe D, Gupta RK (2002) Yield and soil nutrient changes in a long-term rice–wheat rotation in India. Soil Sci Soc Am J 66:162–170
Bhattacharyya Ranjan, Ved-Prakash KunduS, Srivastva AK, Gupta HS (2004) Effect of long term manuring on soil organic carbon, bulk density and water retention characteristics under soybean–wheat cropping sequence in N-W Himalayas. J Indian Soc Soil Sci 52:238–242
Bhattacharyya R, Prakash Ved, Kundu S, Ghosh BN, Srivastva AK, Gupta HS (2006) Potassium balance as influenced by farmyard manure application under continuous soybean–wheat cropping system in a typic Haplaquept. Geoderma 137:155–160. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2006.08.006
Buresh RJ, De Datta SK (1991) Nitrogen dynamics and management in rice-legume cropping system. Adv Agron 45:1–59. doi:10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60037-1
Buyanovsky GA, Aslam M, Wagner GH (1994) Carbon turnover in soil physical fractions. Soil Sci Soc Am J 58:1167–1173
Cambardella CA, Elliott EJ (1994) Carbon and nitrogen dynamics of soil organic matter fractions from cultivated grassland soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 58:123–130
Chardravansi P, Sudhir K, Srikanth K, Siddaramappa R (1999) Effect of long-term fertilizer use and cropping on physical properties of an Alfisol. Mysore J Agric Sci 33:115–118
Collins HP, Rasmussen PE, Douglas CL Jr (1992) Crop rotation and residue management effects on soil carbon and microbial dynamics. Soil Sci Soc Am J 56:783–788
Elliott ET (1986) Aggregate structure and carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in native and cultivated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 50:627–633
Emerson WW (1977) Physical properties and structure. In: Russell JS, Greaeen EL (eds) Soil factors in crop production in a semi-arid environment. University of Queensland Press, Queensland, pp 78–104
Gami SK, Ladha JK, Pathak H, Shah MP, Pasuquin E, Pandey SP, Hobbs PR, Joshy D, Mishra R (2001) Long-term changes in yield and soil fertility in a twenty-year rice–wheat experiment in Nepal. Biol Fertil Soils 34:73–78. doi:10.1007/s003740100377
Golchin A, Clarke P, Oades JM, Skjemstad JO (1995) The effects of cultivation on the composition of organic matter and structural stability of soils. Aust J Soil Res 33:975–993. doi:10.1071/SR9950975
Gomez AK, Gomez AA (1984) Statistical procedures for agricultural research. Wiley, New York
Halvorson AD, Reule CA, Follett RF (1999) Nitrogen fertilization effects on soil carbon and nitrogen in a dryland cropping system. Soil Sci Soc Am J 63:912–917
Hao XY, Chang C, Travis GR, Zhang FR (2003) Soil carbon and nitrogen response to 25 annual cattle manure applications. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 166:239–245. doi:10.1002/jpln.200390035
Haynes RJ, Naidu R (1998) Influence of lime, fertilizer and manure applications on soil organic matter content soil physical conditions: a review. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 51:123–137. doi:10.1023/A:1009738307837
Horner GM, Oveson MM, Baker GO, Pawson WW (1960) Effect of cropping practices on yield, soil organic matter and erosion in the pacific northwest wheat region. Bull. No. 1. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. USDA-ARS, Washington, DC
Huggins DR, Clapp CE, Allmaras RR, Lamb JA (1995) Carbon sequestration in corn-soybean agro-ecosystems. In: Lal R, Kimble JM, Levine E, Stewart BA (eds) Soil management and the greenhouse effect. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp 61–68
Jackson ML (1973) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, pp 38–204
Janzen HH, Campbell CA, Gregorich EG, Ellert BH (1998) Soil carbon dynamics in Canadian agroecosystems. In: Lal R, Kimble JM, Levine E, Stewart BA (eds) Soil processes and carbon cycles. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 57–80
Jenkinson DS, Rayner JH (1977) The turnover of soil organic matter in some of the Rothamsted classical experiments. Soil Sci 123:286–305. doi:10.1097/00010694-197705000-00005
Kanchikerimath M, Singh D (2001) Soil organic matter and biological properties after 26 years of maize–wheat–cowpea cropping as affected by manure and fertilization in a Cambisol in semiarid region of India. Agric Ecosyst Environ 86:155–162. doi:10.1016/S0167-8809(00)00280-2
Keith H, Oades JM, Martin JK (1986) Input of carbon to soil from wheat plants. Soil Biol Biochem 18:445–449. doi:10.1016/0038-0717(86)90051-9
Kemper WD, Alberts EF, Foy CD, Clark RB, Ritchie JC, Zobel RW (1998) Arenchyma, acid tolerance and associative N2 fixation enhance carbon sequestration in soil. In: Lal R, Kimble JM, Follet RF, Stewart BA (eds) Management of carbon sequestration in soil. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 221–234
Kong AYY, Six J, Bryant DC, Denison RF, van Kessel C (2005) The relationship between carbon input, aggregation, and soil organic carbon stabilization in sustainable cropping systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 69:1078–1085
Kundu S, Singh M, Tripathi AK, Manna MC, Takkar PN (1997) Time-course of dinitrogen fixation in soybean grown on typic Haplusterts of Madhya Pradesh. J Indian Soc Soil Sci 45:274–278
Kundu S, Singh M, Saha JK, Biswas A, Tripathi AK, Acharya CL (2001) Relationship between C addition and storage in a vertisol under soybean–wheat cropping system in sub-tropical central India. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 164:483–486. doi:10.1002/1522-2624(200110)164:5<483::AID-JPLN483>3.0.CO;2-Y
Kundu S, Ranjan Bhattacharyya, Prakash Ved, Pathak H, Gupta HS, Ladha JK (2007) Long-term yield trend and sustainability of rainfed soybean–wheat system through farmyard manure application in a sandy loam soil of the Indian Himalayas. Biol Fertil Soils 43:271–280. doi:10.1007/s00374-006-0102-9
Kuo S, Sainju UM, Jellum EJ (1997) Winter cover crops effects on soil organic carbon and carbohydrate in soil. Soil Sci Soc Am J 61:145–152
Ladha JK, Padre AT, Punzalan GC, Garcia M, Watanabe I (1989) Effect of inorganic N and organic fertilizers on nitrogen-fixing (acetylene-reducing) activity associated with wetland rice plants. In: Skinner FA et al (eds) N2 fixation with non-legumes. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 23–35
Lal R (2004) Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304:1623–1627. doi:10.1126/science.1097396
Lal R, Kimble JM, Follett RF, Cole CV (1998) The potential of US cropland to sequester carbon and mitigate the greenhouse effect. Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea
Liu XB, Han XZ, Song CY, Herbert SJ, Xing BS (2003) Soil organic carbon dynamics in black soils of China under different agricultural management systems. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 34:973–984. doi:10.1081/CSS-120019103
Lucas RE, Holtman JB, Connor LJ (1977) Soil carbon dynamics and cropping practices. In: Lockertz W (ed) Agriculture and energy. Academic Press, London, pp 333–351
Majumder B, Mandal B, Bandyopadhyay PK, Chaudhury J (2007) Soil organic carbon pools and productivity relationships for a 34 year old rice–wheat–jute agroecosystem under different fertilizer treatments. Plant Soil 297:53–67. doi:10.1007/s11104-007-9319-0
Mandal B, Majumder B, Bandopadhyay PK, Hazra GC, Gangopadhyay A, Samantaroy RN, Misra AK, Chowdhuri J, Saha MN, Kundu S (2007) The potential of cropping systems and soil amendments for carbon sequestration in soils under long-term experiments in subtropical India. Glob Change Biol 13:357–369. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01309.x
Manna MC, Swarup A, Wanjari RH, Singh YV, Ghosh PK, Singh KN, Tripathi AK, Saha MN (2006) Soil organic matter in a West Bengal Inceptisol after 30 years of multiple cropping and fertilization. Soil Sci Soc Am J 70:121–129. doi:10.2136/sssaj2005.0180
Mikha MM, Rice C (2004) Tillage and manure effects on soil and aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen. Soil Sci Soc Am J 68:809–816
Mishra VK, Sharma RB (1997) Percolation and evapotranspiration rates of rice field as influenced by integrated nutrient management. J Indian Soc Soil Sci 45:220–223
Monreal CM, Schnitzer M, Schulten HR, Campbell CA, Anderson DW (1995) Soil organic structure in macro and microaggregates of a cultivated brown Chernozem. Soil Biol Biochem 27:845–853. doi:10.1016/0038-0717(94)00220-U
Olsen SR, Cole CV, Watanbe FS, Dean LA (1954) Estimation of available phosphorus by extraction with bicarbonate. Circular 939. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, pp 171–179
Potter KN, Tolbert HA, Jones OR, Matocha JE, Morrison JE, Unger PW (1998) Distribution and amount of soil organic C in the long-term management systems in Texas. Soil Tillage Res 47:309–321. doi:10.1016/S0167-1987(98)00119-6
Puget P, Chenu C, Balesdent J (1995) Total and young organic matter distribution in aggregates of silty cultivated soils. Eur J Soil Sci 46:449–459. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2389.1995.tb01341.x
Reeder JD, Schuman GE, Bowman RA (1998) Soil C and N changes on conservation reserve program lands in the Central Great Plains. Soil Tillage Res 47:339–349. doi:10.1016/S0167-1987(98)00122-6
Regmi AP (1994) Long-term effects of organic amendment and mineral fertilizer on soil fertility in a rice–rice–wheat cropping system in Nepal. MS Thesis, University of Philippines, Los Banos, pp 58–64
Rice CW (2000) Soil organic C and N in rangeland soil under elevated CO2 and land management. In: Proceedings of Advances in Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Inventory, Measurement, and Monitoring, October 3–5, 2000. USDA-ARS, USDA-FS, USDA-NRCS, US Department Energy, NASA, and National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, p 83
Rudrappa L, Purakayestha TJ, Singh D, Bhadraray S (2005) Long-term manuring and fertilization effects on soil organic carbon pools in a Typic Haplustept of semi-arid sub-tropical India. Soil Tillage Res 88:180–192. doi:10.1016/j.still.2005.05.008
Schuman GE, Janzen HH, Herrick JE (2002) Soil carbon dynamics and potential carbon sequestration by rangelands. Environ Pollut 116:391–396. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(01)00215-9
Shamoot SO, Mc Donald L, Bartholomew WV (1968) Rhizodeposition of organic debris in soil. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 32:817–820
Sharma PK, Verma TS, Bhagat RM (1995) Soil structural improvement with the addition of Lantana camara biomass in rice–wheat cropping. Soil Use Manage 11:199–203. doi:10.1111/j.1475-2743.1995.tb00956.x
Six J, Elliott ER, Paustian K, Doran JW (1998) Aggregation and soil organic matter accumulation in cultivated and native grassland soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:1367–1377
Tisdall JM, Oades JM (1982) Organic matter and water stable aggregate in soils. J Soil Sci 33:141–163. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2389.1982.tb01755.x
Tripathi R, Singh AK (2004) Effect of water and nitrogen management on aggregate size and carbon enrichment of soil in rice–wheat cropping system. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 167:216–228. doi:10.1002/jpln.200321175
van Bavel CHM (1949) Mean weight diameter of soil aggregates as a statistical index of aggregation. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 14:20–23
Walkley A, Black IA (1934) An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of chromic acid titration method. Soil Sci 37:29–38. doi:10.1097/00010694-193401000-00003
Whalen JK, Chang C (2002) Macroaggregate characteristics in cultivated soils after 25 annual manure applications. Soil Sci Soc Am J 66:1637–1647
Whalen JK, Hu Q, Liu A (2003) Compost applications increase water-stable aggregates in conventional and no-tillage systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 67:1842–1847
Wright AL, Hons FM (2004) Soil aggregation and carbon and nitrogen storage under soybean cropping sequences. Soil Sci Soc Am J 68:507–513
Yadav RL, Dwivedi BS, Pandey PS (2000) Rice wheat cropping system: assessment of sustainability under green manuring and chemical fertilizer inputs. Field Crops Res 65:15–30. doi:10.1016/S0378-4290(99)00066-0
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bhattacharyya, R., Prakash, V., Kundu, S. et al. Long term effects of fertilization on carbon and nitrogen sequestration and aggregate associated carbon and nitrogen in the Indian sub-Himalayas. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 86, 1–16 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-009-9270-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-009-9270-y