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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (7): 2993-3005    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.09.021
Agro-ecosystem & Environment Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Manure increases temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon by increasing soil Alphaproteobacteria, phenols, and pH and decreasing soil esters

Tianjing Ren1, Yikang Xue1, Tiantian Miao1, Kailou Liu2, Wenju Zhang3, Andong Cai1#

1 Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

2 Jiangxi Institute of Red Soil and Germplasm Resources/Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Arable Land Improvement and Quality Enhancementl/National Engineering and Technology Research Center for Red Soil Improvement, Nanchang 331717, China 

3 Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 China

 Highlights 
Long-term manure increase  Q10 and N fertilizer decrease Q10.
The increased stable organic compounds under manure lead to high  Q10.
Alphaproteobacteria, phenols, and pH promoted Q10 and esters inhibited  Q10.

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摘要  

土壤有机碳(SOC)的温度敏感性(Q10)是SOC对气候变暖响应模型中的一个关键参数,它决定了土壤碳-气候反馈的方向和大小。然而,由于SOC化合物的相对稳定性,土壤有机化合物在调节Q10中的相对重要性尚不清楚。长期不同施肥方式会改变土壤有机化合物的数量和质量。一个38年的施肥实验结合热解气相色谱-质谱法(Py-GC/MS)被用来确定关键土壤有机化合物对Q10的影响。选择了五种处理方式:不施肥(CK)、氮肥(N)、氮肥与磷肥和钾肥结合(NPK)、有机肥(M)以及NPK配施有机肥(NPKM)。结果表明,MNPKM下的Q10分别为1.591.66,显著高于CK1.35)、N1.29)和NPK1.36)。Q10SOC之间存在正线性关系(R²=0.76P<0.01),这意味着通过有机肥增加的SOC在未来变暖情况下更容易被分解。在土壤有机化合物中,酯类和酚类占主导地位,分别占全部组分的30.30%18.83%。与CK和化肥相比,有机肥增加了土壤稳定的有机化合物。有机肥增加的稳定有机化合物会导致更高的Q10。除了土壤α变形菌门和pHQ10的正影响外,有机肥通过增加酚类和减少酯类来提高Q10,而化肥则相反。这些发现首次提供了有力的证据,表明土壤有机化合物在SOC对气候变化的响应程度和机制中发挥着重要作用。与化肥相比,有机肥诱导的SOC在农业生态系统中对气候变暖更为敏感。



Abstract  

The temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil organic carbon (SOC) is a critical parameter in SOC response models concerning climate warming, which governs both the direction and magnitude of soil carbon-climate feedback.  However, the relative importance of soil organic compounds in the regulation of the Q10 remains unclear, partly due to the relative stability of SOC compounds.  Long-term different fertilization could change the quantity and quality of soil organic compounds.  Here, a 38-year fertilization experiment combined with pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was used to identify the effect of key soil organic compounds on the Q10.  Five treatments were chosen: no fertilization (CK), nitrogen fertilization (N), N combined with phosphorus and potassium fertilization (NPK), manure (M), and NPK combined with manure (NPKM).  The results revealed that the Q10 under M and NPKM were 1.59 and 1.66, respectively, which were significantly higher than those under CK (1.35), N (1.29), and NPK (1.36).  There was a positive linear relationship between the Q10 and SOC (R²=0.76, P<0.01), whereby manure-enriched SOC is more vulnerable to decomposition under future warming.  Among the soil organic compounds, esters and phenols predominated, representing 30.30% and 18.83% of the composition, respectively.  Manure increased soil stable organic compounds relative to CK and chemical fertilizer.  The increased stable organic compounds under manure led to a high Q10.  In addition to the positive effect of soil Alphaproteobacteria and pH on the Q10, manure increased the Q10 by increasing phenols and decreasing esters, whereas chemical fertilization did the opposite.  These findings first provide substantial evidence that soil organic compounds play an important role in the magnitude and mechanism of SOC response to climate change.  Manure-induced SOC, when compared to chemical fertilizers, conferred a heightened sensitivity to climate warming within agroecosystems.

Keywords:  soil organic carbon       temperature sensitivity       manure       soil microorganisms       soil organic compounds  
Received: 21 May 2025   Accepted: 29 August 2025 Online: 22 September 2025  
Fund: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42007073), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province, China (20224BAB203033), and the Henan Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences Basic Research Project, China (2025JC17).
About author:  Tianjing Ren, E-mail: rentianjing@outlook.com; #Correspondence Andong Cai, Tel: +86-10-82106022, E-mail: caiandong@caas.cn

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Tianjing Ren, Yikang Xue, Tiantian Miao, Kailou Liu, Wenju Zhang, Andong Cai. 2026. Manure increases temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon by increasing soil Alphaproteobacteria, phenols, and pH and decreasing soil esters. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(7): 2993-3005.

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