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Changes in soil carbon and nitrogen under long-term cotton plantations in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2011

W. KAIYONG ,
F. HUA ,
T. RANAB ,
M. A. HANJRAC ,
D. BO ,
L. HUAN  and
Z. FENGHUA
W. KAIYONG
Affiliation:
The Key Oasis Eco-Agriculture Laboratory of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, ShiHezi, China Agronomy College, Shihezi University, ShiHezi City, 832003, Xinjiang, China
F. HUA
Affiliation:
The Key Oasis Eco-Agriculture Laboratory of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, ShiHezi, China Agronomy College, Shihezi University, ShiHezi City, 832003, Xinjiang, China
T. RANAB
Affiliation:
CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
M. A. HANJRAC
Affiliation:
Charles Sturt University, NSW, 2678, Australia
D. BO
Affiliation:
The Key Oasis Eco-Agriculture Laboratory of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, ShiHezi, China Agronomy College, Shihezi University, ShiHezi City, 832003, Xinjiang, China
L. HUAN
Affiliation:
The Key Oasis Eco-Agriculture Laboratory of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, ShiHezi, China Agronomy College, Shihezi University, ShiHezi City, 832003, Xinjiang, China
Z. FENGHUA*
Affiliation:
The Key Oasis Eco-Agriculture Laboratory of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, ShiHezi, China Agronomy College, Shihezi University, ShiHezi City, 832003, Xinjiang, China
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: zhangfenghua2008@yahoo.com.cn
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Summary

Cotton is the dominant crop in the northern Xinjiang oasis of China; it accounts for 0·78 of the total planting area and represents a major contribution to economic development. The objective of the present study is to determine how cotton plantation age affected chemical and microbiological properties of the soil. The time substitution method was used on plantation farmlands, reclaimed from uncultivated land 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years ago. A total of 250 soil samples, at depths of 0–200, 200–400, 400–600, 600–800 and 800–1000 mm, were collected from cotton fields in 10 farms of each age category. There were significant differences in soil organic carbon (SOC), total soil nitrogen (TSN), soil available nitrogen (SAN), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN). There were also differences in the activities of cellulase, invertase and urease between soil layers and plantation ages, and these were most evident in the 200–400 mm layer. The cumulative rates of SOC and SMBC in the 0–1000 mm soil layer at the 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-year sites were 0·89, 0·99, 1·01 and 0·92 mg/kg/yr and 16, 16, 16 and 15 mg/kg/yr, respectively, compared to that at the control site (0 year). The cumulative amounts of SOC and SMBC increased gradually and then decreased, reaching a maximum at plantation ages of 13·1 years and 11·1 years, respectively. This suggests that incorporation of post-harvest cotton residues could be used as an effective measure to improve SOC in farmland of Xinjiang Oasis, and may be recommended for adoption in cotton growing in semi-arid oasis agriculture.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 149 , Issue 4 , August 2011 , pp. 497 - 505
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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