Economics- and policy-driven organic carbon input enhancement dominates soil organic carbon accumulation in Chinese croplands.

ABSTRACT: China's croplands have experienced drastic changes in management practices, such as fertilization, tillage, and residue treatments, since the 1980s. There is an ongoing debate about the impact of these changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) and its implications. Here we report results from an extensive study that provided direct evidence of cropland SOC sequestration in China. Based on the soil sampling locations recorded by the Second National Soil Survey of China in 1980, we collected 4,060 soil samples in 2011 from 58 counties that represent the typical cropping systems across China. Our results showed that across the country, the average SOC stock in the topsoil (0-20 cm) increased from 28.6 Mg C ha^-1 in 1980 to 32.9 Mg C ha^-1 in 2011, representing a net increase of

SUBMITTER: Zhao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5910801 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature