Hotspots of soil organic carbon storage revealed by laboratory hyperspectral imaging

Subsoil organic carbon (OC) is generally lower in content and more heterogeneous than topsoil OC, rendering it difficult to detect significant differences in subsoil OC storage. We tested the application of laboratory hyperspectral imaging with a variety of machine learning approaches to predict OC distribution in undisturbed soil cores. Using a bias-corrected random forest we were able to reproduce the OC distribution in the soil cores with very good to excellent model goodness-of-fit, enabling us to map the spatial distribution of OC in the soil cores at very high resolution (~53 × 53 µm). Despite a large increase in variance and reduction in OC content with increasing depth, the high resolution of the images enabled statistically powerful analysis in spatial distribution of OC in the soil cores. In contrast to the relatively homogeneous distribution of OC in the plough horizon, the subsoil was characterized by distinct regions of OC enrichment and depletion, including biopores which contained ~2–10 times higher SOC contents than the soil matrix in close proximity. Laboratory hyperspectral imaging enables powerful, fine-scale investigations of the vertical distribution of soil OC as well as hotspots of OC storage in undisturbed samples, overcoming limitations of traditional soil sampling campaigns

Iron isotope fractionation in soil and graminaceous crops after 100 years of liming in the long‐term agricultural experimental site at Berlin‐Dahlem, Germany

Sustainable arable cropping relies on repeated liming. Yet, the associated increase in soil pH can reduce the availability of iron (Fe) to plants. We hypothesized that repeated liming, but not pedogenic processes such as lessivage (i.e., translocation of clay particles), alters the Fe cycle in Luvisol soil, thereby affecting Fe isotope composition in soils and crops. Hence, we analysed Fe concentrations and isotope compositions in soil profiles and winter rye from the long-term agricultural experimental site in Berlin-Dahlem, Germany, where a controlled liming trial with three field replicates per treatment has been conducted on Albic Luvisols since 1923. Heterogeneity in subsoil was observed at this site for Fe concentration but not for Fe isotope composition. Lessivage had not affected Fe isotope composition in the soil profiles. The results also showed that almost 100 years of liming lowered the concentration of the HCl-extractable Fe that was potentially available for plant uptake in the surface soil (0–15 cm) from 1.03 (standard error (SE) 0.03) to 0.94 (SE 0.01) g kg−1. This HCl-extractable Fe pool contained isotopically lighter Fe (δ56Fe = −0.05 to −0.29‰) than the bulk soil (δ56Fe = −0.08 to 0.08‰). However, its Fe isotope composition was not altered by the long-term lime application. Liming resulted in relatively lower Fe concentrations in the roots of winter rye. In addition, liming led to a heavier Fe isotope composition of the whole plants compared with those grown in the non-limed plots (δ56FeWholePlant_ + Lime = −0.12‰, SE 0.03 vs. δ56FeWholePlant_-Lime = −0.21‰, SE 0.01). This suggests that the elevated soil pH (increased by one unit due to liming) promoted the Fe uptake strategy through complexation of Fe(III) from the rhizosphere, which favoured heavier Fe isotopes. Overall, the present study showed that liming and a related increase in pH did not affect the Fe isotope compositions of the soil, but may influence the Fe isotope composition of plants grown in the soil if they alter their Fe uptake strategy upon the change of Fe availability.Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/50110000234

Process sequence of soil aggregate formation disentangled through multi-isotope labelling

Microaggregates (250 µm) that resisted 60 J mL−1 ultrasonic dispersion. Afterwards, we assessed the C, N, Fe, and Si stable isotope composition in each size fraction. After four weeks we found a rapid build-up of stable macroaggregates comprising almost 50 % of soil mass in the treatment with plants and respective soil rooting, but only 5 % when plants were absent. The formation of these stable macroaggregates proceeded with time. Soil organic carbon (SOC) contents were elevated by 15 % in the large macroaggregates induced by plant growth. However, the recovery of EPS-derived 13C was below 20 % after 4 weeks, indicating rapid turnover in treatments both with and without plants. The remaining EPS-derived C was mainly found in macroaggregates when plants were present and in the occluded small microaggregates (<20 µm) when plants were absent. The excess of bacterial 15N closely followed the pattern of EPS-derived 13C (R2 = 0.72). In contrast to the organic gluing agents, the goethite-57Fe and montmorillonite-29Si were relatively equally distributed across all size fractions. Overall, microaggregates were formed within weeks. Roots enforced this process by stabilizing microaggregates within stable macroaggregates. As time proceeded the labelled organic components decomposed, while the labelled secondary oxides and clay minerals increasingly contributed to aggregate stabilization and turnover at the scale of months and beyond. Consequently, the well-known hierarchical organization of aggregation follows a clear chronological sequence of stabilization and turnover processes

Measuring root system traits of wheat in 2D images to parameterize 3D root architecture models

Background and aimsThe main difficulty in the use of 3D root architecture models is correct parameterization. We evaluated distributions of the root traits inter-branch distance, branching angle and axial root trajectories from contrasting experimental systems to improve model parameterization.MethodsWe analyzed 2D root images of different wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum) from three different sources using automatic root tracking. Model input parameters and common parameter patterns were identified from extracted root system coordinates. Simulation studies were used to (1) link observed axial root trajectories with model input parameters (2) evaluate errors due to the 2D (versus 3D) nature of image sources and (3) investigate the effect of model parameter distributions on root foraging performance.ResultsDistributions of inter-branch distances were approximated with lognormal functions. Branching angles showed mean values <90°. Gravitropism and tortuosity parameters were quantified in relation to downwards reorientation and segment angles of root axes. Root system projection in 2D increased the variance of branching angles. Root foraging performance was very sensitive to parameter distribution and variance.Conclusions2D image analysis can systematically and efficiently analyze root system architectures and parameterize 3D root architecture models. Effects of root system projection (2D from 3D) and deflection (at rhizotron face) on size and distribution of particular parameters are potentially significant

Short-term impacts of forest clear-cut on P accessibility in soil microaggregates: An oxygen isotope study

Forest clear-cuts may have severe effects on the soil structure and related nutrient cycling, though with yet unknown consequences for nutrient pools such as phosphorus (P) within microaggregates. We sampled the bulk mineral topsoil prior to clear cut as well as 1 and 2 years thereafter from the experimental forest site Wüstebach, Germany, and we assessed the degree of oxygen isotope exchange in HCl-extractable soil phosphate of two microaggregate size fractions (< 20 μm, 20–250 μm) after incubating soil with 18O-labeled water. We found that after the clear-cut, microaggregate phosphates exchanged significantly more oxygen with the incubation water than before clear cut. One and two years after clear cut, the respective δ18O values of soil phosphates (δ18OP,HCl) were elevated by 16 and 38% (< 20 μm) and by 43 and 53% (20–250 μm) than before the clear-cut, respectively, indicating that additional microaggregate P had been made available to biological P cycling. The degree of oxygen exchange after the clear-cut was significantly greater in larger soil microaggregates than in the smaller sized ones, reflecting that also at microaggregate level size controlled the increase in the bioavailability of P with changes in land management

Hotspots of soil organic carbon storage revealed by laboratory hyperspectral imaging

Abstract Subsoil organic carbon (OC) is generally lower in content and more heterogeneous than topsoil OC, rendering it difficult to detect significant differences in subsoil OC storage. We tested the application of laboratory hyperspectral imaging with a variety of machine learning approaches to predict OC distribution in undisturbed soil cores. Using a bias-corrected random forest we were able to reproduce the OC distribution in the soil cores with very good to excellent model goodness-of-fit, enabling us to map the spatial distribution of OC in the soil cores at very high resolution (~53 × 53 µm). Despite a large increase in variance and reduction in OC content with increasing depth, the high resolution of the images enabled statistically powerful analysis in spatial distribution of OC in the soil cores. In contrast to the relatively homogeneous distribution of OC in the plough horizon, the subsoil was characterized by distinct regions of OC enrichment and depletion, including biopores which contained ~2–10 times higher SOC contents than the soil matrix in close proximity. Laboratory hyperspectral imaging enables powerful, fine-scale investigations of the vertical distribution of soil OC as well as hotspots of OC storage in undisturbed samples, overcoming limitations of traditional soil sampling campaigns

Bioturbation by black soldier fly larvae-Rapid soil formation with burial of ceramic artifacts.

Bioturbation involves the incorporation of residues from the surface soil into the subsoil; however, common small soil 'bioengineers', such as earthworms or termites, are unlikely to transport human artifacts to deeper soil horizons. However, such artifacts occur in the deeper soil horizons within Amazonian Anthrosols (Terra Preta). Here we test the assumption that such tasks could be carried out by fly larvae, which could thus play a crucial role in waste decomposition and associated soil mixing under tropical conditions. We performed two greenhouse experiments with sandy substrate covered with layers of organic waste, ceramic fragments, and black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens (L.) (Dipt.: Stratiomyidae)). We used in-situ images to assess the rate of bioturbation by BSFL, and then designed our main study to observe waste dissipation (reduction of organic carbon and phosphorus contents from waste model trials with and without charcoal) as related to larval-induced changes in soil properties. We found that the bioturbation of macroinvertebrates like BSFL was able to bury even large (> 5 cm) ceramic fragments within hours, which coincided with high soil growth rates (0.5 cm h-1). The sandy soil was subsequently heavily enriched with organic matter and phosphorus originating from organic waste. We conclude that BSFL, and possibly other fly species, are important, previously overlooked soil 'bioengineers', which may even contribute to the burial of artifacts in Anthrosols and other terrestrial waste dumps

Tracing uptake and translocation of phosphorus in wheat using oxygen isotopes and mathematical modelling

Understanding P uptake in soil–plant systems requires suitable P tracers. The stable oxygen isotope ratio in phosphate (expressed as δ18OP) is an alternative to radioactive labelling, but the degree to which plants preserve the δ18OP value of the P source is unclear. We hypothesised that the source signal will be preserved in roots rather than shoots. In soil and hydroponic experiments with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum), we replaced irrigation water by 18O-labelled water for up to 10 d. We extracted plant inorganic phosphates with trichloroacetic acid (TCA), assessed temporal dynamics of δ18OTCA-P values after changing to 18O-labelled water and combined the results with a mathematical model. Within 1 wk, full equilibration of δ18OTCA-P values with the isotope value of the water in the growth medium occurred in shoots but not in roots. Model results further indicated that root δ18OTCA-P values were affected by back transport of phosphate from shoots to roots, with a greater contribution of source P at higher temperatures when back transport was reduced. Root δ18OTCA-P partially preserved the source signal, providing an indicator of P uptake sources. This now needs to be tested extensively for different species, soil and climate conditions to enable application in future ecosystem studies

Soil phosphorus cycling is modified by carbon and nitrogen fertilization in a long-term field experiment

Background and aims: Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for crop growth. However, while links of P turnover in soils to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) availability have been described, it remains to be clarified how combinations of fertilizer C and N additions affect stocks and cycling of distinct P fractions at different soil depths. The objectives of our study were (1) to assess how soil total P stocks are affected by organic amendments and N fertilization, (2) to evaluate how different soil P fractions respond to N fertilization, and (3) to verify whether N fertilization increases soil biological P cycling. Methods: We collected soil samples from a long‐term field experiment established in 1984 in Rauischholzhausen, Germany. The soil is a Haplic Luvisol and received either no organic fertilizer (NOF), farmyard manure (FYM) or a combination of organic and mineral N fertilizer (OMF). Each treatment additionally received three levels of mineral N: 0 kg ha−1 y−1 (N0), 100 kg ha−1 y−1 (N100), and 200 kg ha−1 y−1 (N200). The organic fertilizers were applied by a manure spreader and the N fertilizer (calcium ammonium nitrate) was applied in spring as top dressing by a plot fertilizer machine. We estimated stocks of P in fractions isolated by sequential P fractionation, and assessed the oxygen isotopic composition of 1 M HCl‐extractable phosphate (δ18OP). Results: We found that increased organic matter (OM) addition and mineral N inputs caused significant decreases in the stocks of resin‐ and NaHCO3‐extractable P in the topsoil (0–30 cm). Mineral N fertilization alone resulted in significant increases in stocks of resin‐, NaHCO3‐, and NaOH‐extractable P in the upper subsoil (30–50 cm). These changes occurred for both inorganic and organic P. The subsoil δ18OP values were closer to expected equilibrium values in soil fertilized with mineral N, indicative of more intensive biological P cycling than in the treatments without mineral N inputs. Conclusions: These findings suggest that long‐term OM and mineral N fertilization promotes topsoil P losses from labile fractions by crop uptake with an enrichment of these P forms in the subsoil, and an overall increase in biological P cycling in both top‐ and subsoil horizons upon N fertilization.ISSN:1436-8730ISSN:0044-3263ISSN:1522-262

Colloid-bound and dissolved phosphorus species in topsoil water extracts along a grassland transect from Cambisol to Stagnosol

Phosphorus (P) species in colloidal and “dissolved” soil fractions may have different distributions. To understand which P species are potentially involved, we obtained water extracts from the surface soils of a gradient 5 from Cambisol, Stagnic Cambisol to Stagnosol from temperate grassland in Germany. These were filtered to Stagnic Cambisol>Stagnosol. Across all 20 soil types, elevated proportions of inositol hexakisphosphate (IHP) species (e.g., myo-, scyllo- and D-chiro-IHP) were associated with soil mineral particles (i.e., bulk soil and small-sized soil colloids), whereas other orthophosphate monoesters and phosphonates were found in the “dissolved” 25 P fraction. We conclude that P species composition varies among colloidal and “dissolved” soil fractions after characterization using advanced techniques, i.e., AF4 and NMR. Furthermore, stagnic properties affect P speciation and availability by potentially releasing dissolved inorganic and esterbound P forms as well as nano-sized organic matter–Fe/Al–P 30 colloids