Influence of grass planting on spatial distribution and stock assessment of soil carbon and nitrogen density in major apple-producing area of Gansu Province
1.School of Agricultural and Forestry Economics and Management,Lanzhou University of Finance and;Economics,Lanzhou 730000,China
2.Linze Inland River Basin Research Station,State Key Laboratory of;Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and;Resources,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
3.Forestry,Fruit and Flower Research Institute,Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
4.Gansu Provincial Technical Extension Station for;Cash Crops,Lanzhou 730000,China
5.Huining County Agricultural Machinery Center,Huining,Gansu 730700,China
Objective This study investigates the regulatory effects of grass-planting management on soil carbon and nitrogen storage in apple orchards in Gansu Province and its spatial differentiation patterns, thereby providing a scientific basis for carbon and nitrogen sequestration in orchard ecosystems and soil quality improvement in the semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau. Methods 22 fruit-producing counties in the hilly-gully region of the Loess Plateau, Gansu Province were selected as the research objects. Field sampling, soil physicochemical analysis, inverse distance weighted (IDW) spatial interpolation, and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to systematically compare the differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) content, total nitrogen (TN) content, texture characteristics, and their spatial distributions under grass planting and clean tillage practices, and to estimate regional carbon and nitrogen stocks. Results (1) In grass-planting orchards, the SOC and TN contents in the 0—20 cm soil layer increased by 31.7% and 10.8%, respectively, compared with those of clean-tillage orchards, and the soil bulk density (BD) increased by an average of 1.60%, with varying performances across different regions. (2) The sand content in the soil decreased by 7.03%, while the contents of silt and clay increased by 0.15% and 2.65%, respectively. However, the influence on orchard planting areas varied at different county scales. (3) The average densities of SOC and TN in grass-planting orchards were 2.24 kg/m2 and 0.39 kg/m2, respectively, which were 25.84% and 8.33% higher than those in clean-tillage orchards, with greater increases in hydrothermally favorable areas such as Lingtai and Jingchuan. (4) Redundancy analysis indicated that the clay variation rate (explaining 20.90%), annual precipitation (11.50%), and grass-planting duration (8.10%) were the key factors driving variations in carbon and nitrogen density. (5) Regional stock estimation showed that total SOC and TN stocks in grass-planting orchards were 8 449.44 kt and 1 422.59 kt, respectively, which were 26.40% and 7.37% higher than those in clean-tillage orchards. The cities of Pingliang, Tianshui, and Qingyang were the core regions for stock increase. Conclusion Grass planting improves soil texture and enhances the organic matter adsorption and microbial activity, thereby increasing the density and storage of soil carbon and nitrogen in apple orchards in Gansu Province. However, its effects are regulated by the coordinated control of the climate-soil system. It is recommended to develop differentiated grassing-planting strategies based on regional hydrothermal conditions and soil types to achieve sustainable development of orchard ecosystems in the Loess Plateau.
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