Investigating the vertical distribution of dissolved organic matter in 5-m soil profiles in farmland and typical woodland on the southern loess plateau

Abstract

With the implementation of the ‘Grain-for-Green’ program on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), drought-tolerant deep-rooted plants have been increasingly introduced to the northwest in China. However, the vertical features of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in deep soil profiles on CLP during the ‘Grain-for-Green’ program is still not well understood. In the study, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy and three-dimensional fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (3D-EEMs) with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) were used to characterize DOM in 5-m profile of farmland and forestland (Pinus tabulaeformis and Robinia pseudoacacia) in the southern CLP. The results demonstrated that the average dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of the surface layer of farmland (119.3 mg kg−1 soil) was lower than that of forestland (Pinus tabulaeformis 175.5 mg kg−1 soil; Robinia pseudoacacacia 166.4 mg kg−1 soil). The DOC content gradually decreased with increasing soil depth and reached stability after 2 m depth. Three substances, including tryptophan-like substances (C1) and two humic acid-like substances (C2, C3), were detected from all samples. Tryptophan-like substances (C1) significantly increased with soil depth while humic acid-like substances (C2, C3) significantly decreased particularly in farmland. The humic acid-like content of surface soils (Robinia pseudoacacia) was relatively higher, but the difference between the two vegetation soils was not significant. The freshness index (β/α) values of DOM as well as biological index (BIX) values were significantly higher in farmland than that in forestland, and the humification index (HIX) values were lower than in forestland soils, indicating that the change of soil DOM in farmland was more active than that in forestland and more dependent on local terrestrial sources. These results could contribute to a better understanding of the vertical distribution and features of soil DOM during the ‘Grain-for-Green’ program of CLP.