Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon
Soil aggregates profoundly impact soil sustainability and crop productivity, and they are influenced by complex interactions between minerals and organics. This study aimed to elucidate the alterations in mineralogy and soil organic carbon (SOC) following long-term green manure incorporation and the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Integrative Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311924003617 |
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| author | Yulu Chen Li Huang Jusheng Gao Zhen Zhou Muhammad Mehran Mingjian Geng Yangbo He Huimin Zhang Jing Huang |
| author_facet | Yulu Chen Li Huang Jusheng Gao Zhen Zhou Muhammad Mehran Mingjian Geng Yangbo He Huimin Zhang Jing Huang |
| author_sort | Yulu Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soil aggregates profoundly impact soil sustainability and crop productivity, and they are influenced by complex interactions between minerals and organics. This study aimed to elucidate the alterations in mineralogy and soil organic carbon (SOC) following long-term green manure incorporation and the effect on soil aggregates. Based on 5- and 36-year field experiments, surface soil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from Alfisol and Ferrisol soils subjected to rice–rice–winter fallow (CK) and rice–rice–Chinese milk vetch (MV) treatments to investigate aggregate stability, mineralogy, SOC composition, and soil microstructural characteristics. The results showed that high clay-content Ferrisol exhibited greater aggregate stability than low clay-content Alfisol. The phyllosilicates in Alfisol primarily comprised illite and vermiculite, whereas those in Ferrisol with high-content free-form Fe oxides (Fed) were dominated by kaolinite. Additionally, the clay fraction in Ferrisol contained more aromatic-C than the clay fraction in Alfisol. The 36-year MV incorporation significantly increased the Ferrisol macroaggregate stability (9.57–13.37%), and it also facilitated the transformation of vermiculite into kaolinite and significantly increased the clay, Fed, and aromatic-C contents in Ferrisol. Backscattered electron (BSE)-scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) revealed a compact aggregate structure in Ferrisol with co-localization of Fe oxides and kaolinite. Moreover, the partial least path model (PLS-PM) revealed that clay content directly improved macroaggregate stability, and that kaolinite and Fed positively and directly affected clay or indirectly modulated clay formation by increasing the aromatic-C levels. Overall, long-term MV incorporation promotes clay aggregation by affecting mineral transformation to produce more kaolinite and Fe oxides and retain aromatic-C, and it ultimately improves aggregate stability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7106a01e4ff543d2ad4f09b42da6a2e7 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2095-3119 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Integrative Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-7106a01e4ff543d2ad4f09b42da6a2e72025-08-02T10:50:21ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Journal of Integrative Agriculture2095-31192025-06-0124623712388Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbonYulu Chen0Li Huang1Jusheng Gao2Zhen Zhou3Muhammad Mehran4Mingjian Geng5Yangbo He6Huimin Zhang7Jing Huang8Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Yulu Chen, Mobile: +86-18703617312Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Correspondence Li Huang, Mobile: +86-13036165770Hengyang Red Soil Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hengyang 421001, China; Correspondence Jusheng GaoKey Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaHengyang Red Soil Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hengyang 421001, ChinaHengyang Red Soil Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hengyang 421001, ChinaSoil aggregates profoundly impact soil sustainability and crop productivity, and they are influenced by complex interactions between minerals and organics. This study aimed to elucidate the alterations in mineralogy and soil organic carbon (SOC) following long-term green manure incorporation and the effect on soil aggregates. Based on 5- and 36-year field experiments, surface soil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from Alfisol and Ferrisol soils subjected to rice–rice–winter fallow (CK) and rice–rice–Chinese milk vetch (MV) treatments to investigate aggregate stability, mineralogy, SOC composition, and soil microstructural characteristics. The results showed that high clay-content Ferrisol exhibited greater aggregate stability than low clay-content Alfisol. The phyllosilicates in Alfisol primarily comprised illite and vermiculite, whereas those in Ferrisol with high-content free-form Fe oxides (Fed) were dominated by kaolinite. Additionally, the clay fraction in Ferrisol contained more aromatic-C than the clay fraction in Alfisol. The 36-year MV incorporation significantly increased the Ferrisol macroaggregate stability (9.57–13.37%), and it also facilitated the transformation of vermiculite into kaolinite and significantly increased the clay, Fed, and aromatic-C contents in Ferrisol. Backscattered electron (BSE)-scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) revealed a compact aggregate structure in Ferrisol with co-localization of Fe oxides and kaolinite. Moreover, the partial least path model (PLS-PM) revealed that clay content directly improved macroaggregate stability, and that kaolinite and Fed positively and directly affected clay or indirectly modulated clay formation by increasing the aromatic-C levels. Overall, long-term MV incorporation promotes clay aggregation by affecting mineral transformation to produce more kaolinite and Fe oxides and retain aromatic-C, and it ultimately improves aggregate stability.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311924003617aggregate stabilityclaymilk vetchmineralogysoil organic carbon |
| spellingShingle | Yulu Chen Li Huang Jusheng Gao Zhen Zhou Muhammad Mehran Mingjian Geng Yangbo He Huimin Zhang Jing Huang Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon Journal of Integrative Agriculture aggregate stability clay milk vetch mineralogy soil organic carbon |
| title | Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon |
| title_full | Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon |
| title_fullStr | Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon |
| title_short | Long-term Chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon |
| title_sort | long term chinese milk vetch incorporation promotes soil aggregate stability by affecting mineralogy and organic carbon |
| topic | aggregate stability clay milk vetch mineralogy soil organic carbon |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311924003617 |
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