Effects of 15 years of manure and inorganic fertilizers on soil organic carbon fractions in a wheat-maize system in the North China Plain

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and its labile fractions are strong determinants of chemical, physical, and biological properties, and soil quality. Thus, a 15-year experiment was established to assess how diverse soil fertility management treatments for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize (Zea mays L.) cropping system affect SOC and total N (TN) concentrations in the North China Plain. The field experiment included three treatments: (1) unfertilized control (CK); (2) inorganic fertilizers (INF); and (3) farmyard manure (FYM). Concentrations of SOC, TN, and different labile SOC fractions were evaluated to 1-m depth. In comparison with INF and CK, FYM significantly increased SOC and TN concentrations in the 0-30 cm depth, and also those of dissolved organic C (DOC), microbial biomass C (MBC), hot-water extractable C (HWC), permanganate oxidizable C (KMnO4-C), and particulate organic C (POC) in the 0-20 cm depth. Despite the higher crop yields over CK, application of INF neither increased the SOC nor the labile C fractions, suggesting that by itself INF is not a significant factor affecting SOC sequestration. Yet, POC (18.0-45.8% of SOC) and HWC (2.0-2.8%) were the most sensitive fractions affected by applications of FYM. Significantly positive correlations were observed between SOC and labile organic C fractions in the 0-20 cm depth. The data support the conclusion that, wherever feasible and practical, application of FYM is important to soil C sequestration and improving soil quality under a wheat/maize system in the North China Plain.