Arid Zone Research ›› 2025, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (7): 1246-1256.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2025.07.08

• Land and Water Resources • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of incorporating medium and trace elements on the mineralization characteristics and soil organic carbon components of aeolian sandy soil

LIU Jiayue1(), KOU Wei1, YUAN Jianqiang2, XUE Shaoqi1, WANG Xudong1()   

  1. 1. College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
    2. Hongliulin Mining Company, Binhe New District, Shenmu City, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, Shenmu 719300, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2024-08-07 Revised:2025-04-14 Online:2025-07-15 Published:2025-07-07
  • Contact: WANG Xudong E-mail:jiayue728@nwafu.edu.cn;wangxudong01@126.com

Abstract:

To examine the mineralization characteristics and their effect on soil organic carbon components in sandy loamy soils following the application of organic fertilizers in conjunction with trace elements, indoor culture experiments and field trials were conducted. We assessed the decomposition rate and residue ratio as well as the influence of varying amounts of organic fertilizer on soil organic carbon, active organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, organo-mineral-bound organic carbon, and microbial carbon content, as well as the level of amino sugars, N-galactosamine, and galactomannan. Compared with the application of organic fertilizers alone, the addition of trace elements to the indoor culture significantly decreased the amount of mineralized organic carbon in the sandy loam soils. In field trials, this addition further increased active organic carbon (1.79%-1.99%), low-active organic carbon (2.20%-4.91%), organo-mineral-bound organic carbon (3.89%-7.95%), and microbial carbon (1.71%-8.10%) content, while also enhancing the level of amino sugars (3.46%-6.32%), N-galactosamine (1.21%-13.32%), galactomannan (2.41%-6.14%), and microbial residual carbon (2.70%-4.99%). However, the increase was less pronounced for high-active organic carbon (0.71%-1.48%) and particulate organic carbon (4.91%-5.86%) content. The addition of micro and trace elements to organic fertilizers may, to some extent, mitigate the mineralization process of organic fertilizers in sandy soils, thereby enhancing the level of labile organic carbon, recalcitrant organic carbon, organic carbon bound with minerals, and microbial biomass carbon in the soil, ultimately promoting the turnover and retention of organic carbon in the soil.

Key words: organic fertilizer, mineralization, organic carbon, aeolian sandy soil, medium and trace elements, organic carbon components