Self-restoration of post-agrogenic soils of Calcisol–Solonetz complex: Soil development, carbon stock dynamics of carbon pools

Background

This study focused on chronosequential changes of vegetation structure and soil carbon properties in abandoned agricultural lands in Russia. These lands were abandoned due to economic depression in the country. The research investigated the how lands would recover—going through self-restoration process without direct human impact, depends on different abandonment durations of 1, 7, 12, 17 and 42 years. The main assumption of this study is that, as a natural process of soil development proceeds, soil would develop higher carbon stocks and pools in addition to changes in physical and chemical soil properties. Specifically the study investigated the long-term trends of soil organic carbon (SOC) changes in relation to relevant factors, such as litter input, litter quality, soil temperature and moisture, and soil composition and aggregation.

Goals & Methods

The positions of soil profiles were chosen from 5 different ages, 1, 7, 12, 17, and 42 years, of self-restoration. Sampled soils were intensively analyzed to measure soil basic properties, carbon stocks, aggregate properties, and soil organic matter fractionation. With directly measured parameters and data from outside literatures, the researcher ran a model to simulate SOC changes and its response to climate change.

Conclusions & Takeaways

The results indicate that the land abandoned for 12 years showed the level of natural soil SOC stocks although the long-term modeling indicated that complete self-restoration duration would be taken about 100 years in this region. Also depends on soil density fractions (free particulate organic material (POM) and occluded POM), the C sequestration rates varied. Although the research is not about applying restoration treatments, it would be essential to investigate natural processes for establishing a sound restoration protocol for degraded soils and ecosystems. By understanding soil changes in property wise, it would be useful in order for managers of a certain degraded ecosystem to direct a terrestrial ecosystem restoration and accelerate the process by applying proper treatments.