Terraced fields increased soil organic carbon content in croplands of the loess plateau.

ABSTRACT: Terracing is widely distributed in mountainous and hilly areas worldwide to increase grain production, control soil erosion, increase soil moisture, and improve soil quality, potentially impacting soil carbon pools. This study investigates how agricultural activities and ecological restoration measures affect soil carbon pools in terraced areas of the Chinese Loess Plateau. We established an observation system in typical terraces and collected soil samples from 0 to 100 cm depth in terraces with different crops and ecological restoration vegetation. Our results show that terracing effectively increases soil organic carbon (SOC) content, with terraced cropland (7.7 g kg^- 1) having higher SOC than sloping cropland (4.9 g kg^- 1), In the 0-100 cm layer, SOC content in ter

SUBMITTER: Wang Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12528716 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature