Straw-returning reduces the contribution of microbial anabolism to salt-affected soil organic carbon accumulation over a salinity gradient

Abstract

● In low-salinity soil, straw-returning did not change necromass contribution to SOC.

● In medium-salinity soil, straw-returning reduced necromass contribution to SOC.

● Straw-returning reduced POC contribution to SOC in low-salinity soil.

● Straw-returning increased POC contribution to SOC in medium-salinity soil.

● Salinity affects the contribution of microbial-derived and plant-derived C to SOC.

Salinization affects microbial-mediated soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. However, the mechanisms of SOC accumulation under agricultural management practices in salt-affected soils remain unclear. We investigated the relative contribution of microbial-derived and plant-derived C to SOC accumulation in coastal salt-affected soils under straw-returning, by determining microbial necromass biomarkers (amino sugars) and particulate organic C (POC). Results showed that, straw-returning increased necromass accumulation in low-salinity soil but did not change its contribution to SOC. In medium-salinity soil, straw-returning did not increase necromass accumulation but decreased its contribution to SOC. In low- and medium-salinity soils, the contribution of POC to SOC showed the opposite direction to that of the necromass. These results suggest that under straw-returning, the relative contribution of microbial-derived C to SOC decreased with increasing salinity, whereas the reverse was true for plant-derived C. Our results highlighted that straw-returning reduces the contribution of microbial anabolism to SOC accumulation in salt-affected soils with increasing salinity.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

amino sugars / crop straw-returning / soil organic carbon / particulate organic carbon / soil salinization

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