Long-Term Land Use and Management Effects On Soil Organic Carbon Pool In Huang-Huai-Hai Plains, China.

The Huang-Huai-Hai-plain(HHH) is the principal wheat(Triticum aestivum)-maize(Zea mays) production area in China,and the cropping problem ensure China’s food security while also mitigating climate change. Thus, soil analysis was conducted to assess changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) pool under long-term experiments from 1978 to 2003 involving soil fertility management at eight sites including Changpin, ZhengzhouA, ZhengzhouB, XinjiA,XinjiB, HengshuiA,HhengshuiB and Jiangsu in HHH plain. The land use management types were grouped into six categories including (i) with no fertilization and straw return as the control treatment (CK); (ii) no compound fossil fertilization treatment (UF); (iii) compound fossil fertilization treatment(CF);(vi)organic fertilizer only (O); ( V)combined inorganic/organic fertilizers (CFO); (‡Y) combined no compound inorganic/organic fertilizers. The data indicated the following: (i) SOC pool for CK was maintained at the antecedent level before, which is the baseline to arable land in HHH plain; (ii) In comparison with CK, the SOC pool increased in different soil fertility management treatment implemented at experimental sites. The increase in SOC pool was more with combination of fertilizer and organic manure compared with fertilizer alone. The rate of change at SOC pool varied over time, and the highest rate of increase was measured in CFO; the trend line for UFO and CFO within all the experimental sites indicated an increasing trend which it remained constant stable;(úD) There was a threshold for CFO and UFO. The results witnessed a strong correlation between concentration pool of SOC in the root zone and the land use management. These findings suggest that fertilization, as a crucial factor in HHH plain practices, may exert a profound effect on SOC pool sequestration, Rational fertilization design and extension would offer a strategy to enhance both C sequestration and cereals production in HHH plain croplands.