Residual Carbon Derived from Different Maize Parts Differed in Soil Organic Carbon Fractions as Affected by Soil Fertility

Abstract

Maize straw returning is one of the important measures to improve dryland soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the effects of different maize parts on SOC fractions with different soil fertility levels in situ are not exactly clear. Therefore, an in situ field incubation experiment over 540 days, by adding different 13C-labeled maize parts (root, stem and leaf) into low- (no fertilizer treatment) and high- (manure treatment) fertility soils, was conducted at a long-term brown earth experimental site in Shenyang of China to figure out the effects of different maize parts on SOC fractions (dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC)). The results showed that the distribution–DOC ratio of low-fertility treatment was higher than that of high-fertility treatment in the period of rapid decomposition of straw. In both low- and high-fertility soils, the ratio of carbon to DOC in leaf residue was higher than that in root and stem residues. The proportion of root, stem and leaf residue converted to DOC in low-fertility soil was 4.51%, 3.89% and 5.00%, respectively. The proportion of root, stem and leaf residue converted to DOC in high-fertility soil was 4.10%, 3.65% and 4.11%, respectively. As for the distribution–POC ratio, during the period of rapid decomposition of straw, the ratio of carbon conversion from root and stem residue to POC was generally higher than that from leaf residue. The ratio of carbon conversion to POC of root, stem and leaf residues in high-fertility treatment was higher than that in low-fertility treatment. In low-fertility treatment, the proportion of root, stem and leaf residues converted to POC was 41.34%, 46.33% and 36.11%, respectively. The proportion of root, stem and leaf residue converted to POC in high-fertility soil was 46.48%, 44.45% and 41.14%, respectively. The results showed that, for DOC, a low fertility level and more leaf residue types were beneficial. While, for POC, root and stem residues with a high fertility level were beneficial. These results provide evidence that the addition of different parts of maize residues would have differing effects on DOC and POC. Leaf residues in low-fertility soils were more suitable for increasing DOC. Root and stem residues in high-fertility soils were more suitable for increasing POC. Nevertheless, we could not ignore the unmeasured SOC fractions that some of the residues could be converted to.