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With climate change expected to intensify the occurrence and severity of droughts, the control of groundwater table (GWT) depth and capillary rise on topsoil moisture may render a critical driver of biological activity. Consequently, GWT depth could influence topsoil carbon mineralization. In this study, undisturbed 200 cm long soil columns of three different textures (loamy sand, sandy loam and silt loam) were subjected to two artificial GWT depths (–165 cm and –115 cm) in the laboratory. We examined (1) moisture supply by capillary rise along the soil profile and specifically into the top 20 cm soil, and (2) consequently the effect of GWT on decomposition of an added 13C-enriched substrate (ryegrass) over a period of ten weeks, with limited water applications representing a dry summer. A 50 cm difference in GWT depth (–165 cm vs. –115 cm) resulted in different topsoil moisture for the sandy loam (31 % vs. 38 % Water-filled pore space (WFPS)) and silt loam (33 % vs. 43 % WFPS) soils. In the loamy sand soil, GWT-induced moisture differences appeared only up to 85 cm above the GWT. The expected acceleration of mineralization of the added ryegrass under a shallower GWT was not confirmed. In contrast, C mineralization pulses after the wetting events were even higher for the drier –165 cm GWT soils. For the silt loam soil, where capillary rise supply had the largest contribution to topsoil moisture, a lower mineralization rate of the stable Cryegrass pool was also found with shallower GWT. These findings suggest that a potential capillary rise effect of increased topsoil moisture on ryegrass mineralization might have been counteracted by other processes. We postulate that the Birch effect might have been magnified following the rewetting of drier topsoils under deeper GWT levels, ultimately enhancing mineralization compared to where the soil remains consistently wetter under shallower GWT levels. Based on our findings, including the process of texture-specific capillary supply from the GWT can be required to adequately simulate moisture in the topsoil during droughts as they occurred over the past summers in North-West Europe, depending on GWT and texture combination. However, the net effect on topsoil C mineralization is complex and correct simulation of C mineralization may require further integration of specific processes connected to fluctuating soil moisture state, such as the Birch effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial input of exogenous organic matter (EOM) may be required to offset the projected decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in croplands caused by global warming. However, information on the effectivity of EOM application dose in preserving SOC stocks is surprisingly limited. Therefore, we set up a 90-day incubation experiment with large soil volumes (sandy loam and silt loam) to compare the mineralization of EOM (13C-labelled ryegrass) and SOC as a function of three EOM application doses (0.5, 1.5, and 5 g dry matter kg-1 soil). In the sandy loam soil, the percentage of mineralized EOM was not affected by EOM dose, while SOC mineralization increased proportionally with increasing EOM dose (+49.6 mg C per g EOM). In the silt loam soil, the percentage of mineralized EOM decreased somewhat with increasing dose, while SOC mineralization increased at a higher rate than in the sandy loam soil (+117.2 mg C per g EOM). In both textured soils, increasing EOM dose possibly supplied energy for microbial growth and enzyme production, which in turn stimulated mineralization of native SOC (i.e. co-metabolism). Higher soil macroporosity at higher EOM doses in the silt loam soil could have contributed to sustaining aerobic conditions (indicated by soil Eh) and promoting SOC priming as shown by positive relationships between pore neck size classes 43–60, 60–100 and >300 μm and SOC priming, suggesting a new mechanism for understanding SOC priming. In sum, this experiment and our previous research suggest that EOM mineralization is mostly independent of EOM dose, but EOM dose modulates mineralization of native SOC. These findings tentatively indicate that using larger EOM doses could help preserve more of added EOM-C in silt loam soils, but longer-term confirmation in the field will firstly be required before we could draw any conclusion for soil C management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use is recognized to impact soil geochemistry on the centennial to millennial timescale, with implications for the distribution and stability of soil organic carbon (SOC). Young volcanic soils in tropical areas are subject to much faster pedogenesis, noticeable already on the centennial or even decadal timescale. As land use is a recognized factor for soil formation, it is thus conceivable that even relatively recent land use conversion in such areas would already bear a significant impact on the resulting formed soils., e.g., in terms of content of pedogenic oxides. Very scarce observational evidence exists, so such indirect implications of land use on SOC cycling are largely unknown. We here investigated SOC fractions, substrate-specific mineralization (SOC or added plant residue), and net priming of SOC as a function of forest or agricultural land use on Indonesian volcanic soils. The content of oxalate-extracted Al (Alo) correlated well with organic carbon (OC) associated with sand-sized aggregates, particularly in the subsoil. The proportion of SOC in sand-sized ultrasonication-resistant (400 JmL-1) aggregates was also higher in agricultural land use compared to pine forest land use, and a likewise contrast existed for Alo. These combined observations suggest that enhanced formation of Al (hydr)oxides promoted aggregation and physical occlusion of OC. This was, importantly, also consistent with a relatively lesser degradability of SOC in the agricultural sites, though we found no likewise difference in degradability of added 13C -labeled ryegrass or in native SOC priming between the pine forest and agricultural land uses. We expected that amorphous Al content under agricultural land use would mainly have promoted mineral association of SOC compared to under pine forest land use but found no indications for this. Improved small-scale aggregation of tropical Andosols caused by conversion to agriculture and high carbon input via organic fertilizer may thus partially counter the otherwise expectable decline of SOC stocks following cultivation. Such indirect land use effects on the SOC balance appeared relevant for correct interpretation and prediction of the long-term C balance of (agro)ecosystems with soil subject to intense development, like the here-studied tropical Andosols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic decomposition of organic carbon (OC) in submerged rice paddies is coupled to the reduction of alternative soil electron acceptors, primarily Fe 3+. During reductive dissolution of Fe 3+ from pedogenic oxides, previously adsorbed native soil organic carbon (SOC) could be co-released into solution. Incorporation of crop residues could hence indirectly, i.e. through the stimulation of microbially mediated Fe 3+ reduction, promote the loss of native SOC via enhanced dissolution and subsequent mineralisation to CO 2 and CH 4. Our aim was to estimate the relevance of such a positive feedback during the degradation of added OC, and to investigate the impact of irrigation management on this mechanism and on priming effects on native SOC decomposition in general. In a six-week pot experiment with rice plants, two Bangladeshi soils with contrasting SOC to oxalate-extractable Fe (SOC : Fe ox) ratios were kept under a regime of alternate wetting and drying (AWD) or continuous flooding (CF), and were either amended with maize shoots or not. The δ13 C signatures of dissolved organic C and emitted CH 4 and CO 2 were used to infer the decomposition of added maize shoots (δ13 C = -13.0 ‰) versus native SOC (δ13 C = -25.4 ‰ and -22.7 ‰). Addition of maize residues stimulated the reduction of Fe as well as the dissolution of native SOC, and the latter to a larger extent under CF, especially for the soil with the highest SOC : Fe ox ratio. Estimated Fe-bound SOC contents denote that stimulated SOC co-release during Fe reduction could explain this positive priming effect on SOC dissolution after the addition of maize. However, priming effects on SOC mineralisation to CO 2 and CH 4 were lower than for SOC dissolution, and were even negative under AWD for one soil. Enhanced reductive dissolution of Fe-bound SOC upon exogenous OC addition therefore does not necessarily lead to stimulated SOC mineralisation. In addition, AWD irrigation was found to decrease the above-mentioned priming effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic decomposition of organic carbon (OC) in submerged rice paddies is coupled to the reduction of alternative soil electron acceptors, primarily Fe3+. During reductive dissolution of Fe3+ from pedogenic oxides, previously adsorbed native soil organic carbon (SOC) could be co-released into solution. Incorporation of crop residues could hence indirectly, i.e. through the stimulation of microbially mediated Fe3+ reduction, promote the loss of native SOC via enhanced dissolution and subsequent mineralisation to CO2 and CH4. Our aim was to estimate the relevance of such a positive feedback during the degradation of added OC, and to investigate the impact of irrigation management on this mechanism and on priming effects on native SOC decomposition in general. In a six-week pot experiment with rice plants, two Bangladeshi soils with contrasting SOC-to-reducible-Fe (SOC : Feox) ratios were kept under a regime of alternate wetting and drying (AWD) or continuous flooding (CF), and were either amended with maize shoots or not. The d13C signatures of dissolved organic C and emitted CH4 and CO2 were used to infer the decomposition of added maize shoots (d13C = -13.0 ‰) versus native SOC (d13C = -25.4 ‰ and -22.7 ‰). Addition of maize residues stimulated the reduction of Fe as well as the dissolution of native SOC, and the latter to a larger extent under CF, especially for the soil with the highest SOC : Feox ratio. Estimated Fe-bound SOC contents denote that stimulated SOC co-release during Fe reduction could explain this positive priming effect on SOC dissolution after the addition of maize. However, priming effects on SOC mineralisation to CO2 and CH4 were lower than for SOC dissolution, and were even negative under AWD for one soil. Enhanced reductive dissolution of Fe-bound SOC upon exogenous OC addition therefore does not necessarily lead to stimulated SOC mineralisation. In addition, AWD irrigation was found to decrease abovementioned priming effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture strongly affects the balance between nitrification, denitrification and N2O reduction and therefore the nitrogen (N) efficiency and N losses in agricultural systems. In rice systems, there is a need to improve alternative water management practices, which are designed to save water and reduce methane emissions but may increase N2O and decrease nitrogen use efficiency. In a field experiment with three water management treatments, we measured N2O isotope ratios of emitted and pore air N2O (δ15N , δ18O and site preference, SP) over the course of 6 weeks in the early rice growing season. Isotope ratio measurements were coupled with simultaneous measurements of pore water NO3- , NH4+ , dissolved organic carbon (DOC), water-filled pore space (WFPS) and soil redox potential (Eh) at three soil depths. We then used the relationship between SP × δ18O - N2O and SP × δ15N - N2O in simple two end-member mixing models to evaluate the contribution of nitrification, denitrification and fungal denitrification to total N2O emissions and to estimate N2O reduction rates. N2O emissions were higher in a dry-seeded + alternate wetting and drying (DS-AWD) treatment relative to water-seeded + alternate wetting and drying (WS-AWD) and water-seeded + conventional flooding (WS-FLD) treatments. In the DS-AWD treatment the highest emissions were associated with a high contribution from denitrification and a decrease in N2O reduction, while in the WS treatments, the highest emissions occurred when contributions from denitrification/nitrifier denitrification and nitrification/fungal denitrification were more equal. Modeled denitrification rates appeared to be tightly linked to nitrification and NO3- availability in all treatments; thus, water management affected the rate of denitrification and N2O reduction by controlling the substrate availability for each process (NO3- and N2O), likely through changes in mineralization and nitrification rates. Our model estimates of mean N2O reduction rates match well those observed in 15N fertilizer labeling studies in rice systems and show promise for the use of dual isotope ratio mixing models to estimate N2 losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture strongly affects the balance between nitrification, denitrification and N2O reduction and therefore the nitrogen (N) efficiency and N losses in agricultural systems. In rice systems, there is a need to improve alternative water management practices, which are designed to save water and reduce methane emissions, but may increase N2O and decrease nitrogen use efficiency. In a field experiment with three water management treatments, we measured N2O isotopocule signatures (δ15N, δ18O and site preference, SP) of emitted and pore air N2O over the course of six weeks in the early rice growing season. Isotopocule measurements were coupled with simultaneous measurements of pore water NO3-, NH4+, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), water filled pore space (WFPS) and soil redox potential (Eh) at three soil depths. We then used the relationship between SP x δ18O-N2O and SP x δ15N-N2O in simple two endmember mixing models to evaluate the contribution of nitrification, denitrification, fungal denitrification to total N2O emissions and to estimate N2O reduction rates. N2O emissions were higher in a dry-seeded + alternate wetting and drying (DS-AWD) treatment relative to water-seeded + alternate wetting and drying (WS-AWD) and water-seeded + conventional flooding (WS-FLD) treatments. In the DS-AWD treatment the highest emissions were associated with a high contribution from denitrification and a decrease in N2O reduction; while in the WS treatments, the highest emissions occurred when contributions from denitrification/nitrifier-denitrification and nitrification/fungal denitrification were more equal. Modeled denitrification rates appeared to be tightly linked to nitrification and NO3- availability in all treatments, thus water management affected the rate of denitrification and N2O reduction by controlling the substrate availability for each process (NO3- and N2O), likely through changes in mineralization and nitrification rates. Our model estimates of mean N2O reduction rates match well those observed in 15N fertilizer labeling studies in rice systems and show promise for the use of dual isotopocule mixing models to estimate N2 losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]