Granulated organic amendment enhances recalcitrant carbon accumulation through soil aggregation in a barren paddy field

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.05.004

Journal of Integrative Agriculture

2026, Vol. 25

Issue (3): 1194-1208 DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.05.004

Agro-ecosystem & Environment

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Granulated organic amendment enhances recalcitrant carbon accumulation through soil aggregation in a barren paddy field

Yan Li^{1, 2, 3}, Xiaobin Guo^{1, 3#}, Yingnan Xian^{1, 4}, Zhe Li^{1, 2, 3}, Haoyu Fu¹, Li Tang¹, Yuting Dai^{1, 3}, Wei Gao^{1, 3}, Yan Li^{1, 3}, Ping Zhou^{1, 3}, Shoulong Liu^{1, 3}, Jinshui Wu^{1, 2, 3}

¹Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China

²University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

³Changsha Research Station for Agricultural & Environmental Monitoring, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China

⁴College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China

Highlights
● The physical protection of MAOC from aggregates reduces recalcitrant carbon loss.
● Granulated organic amendment enhances the formation of intra-microaggregates within macroaggregates.
● Preservation of recalcitrant carbon occurs primarily within microaggregates.

Abstract
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摘要

贫瘠稻田广泛分布在我国亚热带地区，具有土壤结构差、耕层浅薄且有机碳含量低等典型特征，严重制约水稻生产。针对稻田秸秆还田难的问题，有机物料颗粒化作为一种新型土壤改良模式，展现出巨大的应用潜力。已有研究表明，颗粒化秸秆还田能改善土壤理化性质并快速提升土壤有机碳含量，但其在贫瘠稻田中的提升机制尚不明确。因此，本研究评估了不同改良措施包括：不施加有机物料（CK）、10 t ha^-1腐熟牛粪（M10）、20 t ha^-1颗粒有机物料（G20）和40 t ha^-1颗粒有机物料（G40），对表层（0-20 cm）和亚表层（20-40 cm）土壤结构、团聚体相关碳（AAC）含量、团聚体内颗粒有机碳（POC）与矿物结合有机碳（MAOC）含量以及顽固性有机碳的影响。结果表明：有机物料颗粒化施用显著提高宏团聚体（>250 μm）比例并改善土壤结构稳定性。提升了各粒径团聚体有机碳浓度，促进了有机碳从微团聚体（53-250 µm）和粉黏粒（<53 µm）组分向宏团聚体迁移。随团聚体粒径减小，POC在AAC中的占比降低而MAOC占例升高。在表层土壤中，大团聚体形成增强了对POC的保护，促进了MAOC中非水解碳的积累，并加速了内生微团聚体的形成；而在亚表层，矿物对有机碳的结合保护是主要的固碳形式。综上，40 t ha^-1颗粒有机物料投入能有效改善贫瘠稻田土壤团粒结构、提升SOC含量并增强有机碳的稳定性，为贫瘠稻田的可持续管理和改良提供了创新解决方案。

Abstract

Barren paddy fields characterized by poor soil structure, shallow tillage layers and low organic carbon content are a common limitation to rice production in subtropical China. As a novel approach to soil improvement, granulated organic amendments offer significant potential. Previous studies have shown that granulated straw can improve soil physicochemical properties and rapidly increase the soil organic carbon (SOC) content. However, their effects on barren paddies remain underexplored. This study evaluated four soil amendment strategies: no organic amendments (CK), 10 t ha^–1 of composted manure (M10), 20 t ha^–1 of granulated organic amendment (G20), and 40 t ha^–1 of granulated organic amendment (G40). The objective was to assess the effects of these amendments on soil structure, the contents of aggregate-associated carbon (AAC), particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC), and the chemical stability of MAOC among various size aggregates in both topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (20–40 cm). The results demonstrated that organic amendment inputs significantly increased the macroaggregate (>250 µm) proportion and improved soil structural stability. These amendments also elevated the carbon concentration within aggregates of various sizes and facilitated the redistribution of organic carbon from microaggregates (53–250 µm) and silt+clay fractions (<53 µm) to macroaggregates. The proportion of POC to AAC declined with decreasing aggregate size, whereas the proportion of MAOC increased. In the topsoil, macroaggregate formation enhanced the protection of POC, supported the accumulation of non-hydrolyzable carbon within MAOC, and accelerated the formation of intra-microaggregates. In the subsoil, mineral-bound organic carbon remained the dominant form of carbon sequestration. In conclusion, the application of 40 t ha^–1 of granulated organic amendment proved to be a successful tactic for enhancing soil physicochemical structure, increasing SOC content, and improving carbon stability. This approach offers a promising and innovative solution for the sustainable management and restoration of barren paddy fields.

Keywords: granulated organic amendment soil aggregates aggregate-associated carbon fraction recalcitrant carbon

Received: 07 January 2025 Accepted: 14 April 2025 Online: 14 May 2025

Fund:

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFD1900104 and 2021YFD1901203), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42177293, 42130716 and U23A2009), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Talent Plan Program.

About author: Yan Li, E-mail: liyan_swu@163.com; #Correspondence Xiaobin Guo, E-mail: gxbguo@gmail.com

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Yan Li, Xiaobin Guo, Yingnan Xian, Zhe Li, Haoyu Fu, Li Tang, Yuting Dai, Wei Gao, Yan Li, Ping Zhou, Shoulong Liu, Jinshui Wu. 2026. Granulated organic amendment enhances recalcitrant carbon accumulation through soil aggregation in a barren paddy field. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(3): 1194-1208.

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