Understanding the mechanism of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is of paramount importance in sustaining crop productivity and mitigating climate change.  Long-term trials were employed to investigate the responses of total SOC and its pools, i.e., mineral-associated OC (MOC), particulate OC (POC, containing Light-POC and Heavy-POC), to fertilization regimes at Yangling (25-year), Tianshui (35-year) and Pingliang (37-year) under a rain-fed cropping system in the Loess Plateau.  The fertilization regimes in each trial included three treatments, i.e., control (no nutrient input, CK), chemical fertilizers (CF), and organic manure plus chemical fertilizers (MCF).  Relative to the CK, long-term fertilization appreciably increased SOC storage by 134, 89 and 129 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 under CF, and 418, 153 and 384 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 under MCF in plough layer soils (0–20 cm), respectively, at the Yangling, Tianshui and Pingliang sites.  The MOC pools accounted for 72, 67 and 64% of the total SOC at the above three sites with sequestration rates of 76, 57 and 83 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 under CF and 238, 118 and 156 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 under MCF, respectively.  Moreover, the MOC pool displayed a saturation behavior under MCF conditions.  The POC accordingly constituted 27, 33 and 36% of SOC, of which Light-POC accounted for 11, 17 and 22% and Heavy-POC for 17, 16 and 15% of SOC, respectively.  The sequestration rates of POC were 58, 32 and 46 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 under CF, and 181, 90 and 228 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 under MCF at the three respective sites, in which Light-POC explained 59, 81 and 72% of POC under CF, and 60, 40 and 69% of POC under MCF, with Heavy-POC accounting for the balance.  Compared with CK, the application of CF alone did not affect the proportions of MOC or total POC to SOC, whereas MCF application markedly reduced the proportion of MOC and increased the POC ratio, mainly in the Light-POC pool.  The distribution of SOC among different pools was closely related to the distribution and stability of aggregates.  The present study confirmed that organic manure amendment not only sequestered more SOC but also significantly altered the composition of SOC, thus improving SOC quality, which is possibly related to the SOC saturation level.

 

A high crop yield with the minimum possible cost to the environment is generally desirable.  However, the complicated relationships among crop production, nitrogen (N) use efficiency and environmental impacts must be clearly assessed.  We conducted a series of on-farm N application rate experiments to establish the linkage between crop yield and N₂O emissions in the Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China.  We also examined crop yield, partial factor productivity of applied N (PFPN) and reactive N (Nr) losses through a survey of 1 529 and 1 497 smallholder farms that grow wheat and maize, respectively, in the region.  The optimum N rates were 175 and 214 kg ha−1 for winter wheat and summer maize, respectively, thereby achieving the yields of 6 799 and 7 518 kg ha⁻¹, correspondingly, with low N₂O emissions based on on-farm N rate experiments.  Among the smallholder farms, the average N application rates were 215 and 294 kg ha⁻¹ season⁻¹, thus producing 6 490 and 6 220 kg ha⁻¹ of wheat and maize, respectively.  The corresponding PFPN values for the two crops were 36.8 and 21.2 kg N kg⁻¹, and the total N₂O emissions were 1.50 and 3.88 kg ha⁻¹, respectively.  High N balance, large Nr losses and elevated N₂O emissions could be explained by the overdoses of N application and low grain yields under the current farming practice.  The crop yields, N application rates, PFPN and total N2O for wheat and maize were 18 and 24% higher, 42 and 37% less, 75 and 116% higher, and 42 and 47% less, correspondingly, in the high-yield and high-PFPN group than in the average smallholder farms.  In conclusion, closing the PFPN gap between the current average and the value for the high-yield and high-PFPN group would increase crop production and reduce Nr losses or the total N₂O emissions for the investigated cropping system in Northwest China.