Soil Organic Carbon and Mineral Nitrogen Contents in Soils as Affected by Their pH, Texture and Fertilization

Abstract

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and mineral nitrogen (Nmin), especially nitrates (NO3−) in agroecosystems have attracted much attention over the past few decades due to their crucial roles in soil fertility, crop productivity, environmental quality, and/or climate change mitigation and adaptation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the contents of organic carbon, ammonium, and nitrate in soils under differentiated pH, texture, and fertilization rates. A large-scale environmental study was conducted in Polish arable lands. The spatial distribution of the sampling points reflected agricultural production conditions, variability of soil properties, and representativeness of textures that are characteristic of Poland. Our results indicated that SOC content was significantly affected by the soil pH and texture as well as mineral and organic fertilization. The same factors, except organic amendments, significantly supported mineral nitrogen concentration in the present study. The most important factors controlling SOC in the study were ranked as follows: soil pH > pre-crop N fertilization > crop N fertilization > N applied with manure > soil texture. In the case of N-NH4 and N-NO3, mineral fertilization was the most critical variable. The carbon and nitrogen governance in agroecosystems should consider the ranks of factors controlling their contents.