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Land
Special Issues
Recent Progress in Carbon Cycling in Drylands
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Recent Progress in Carbon Cycling in Drylands

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land–Climate Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 13983

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Huijun Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: soil organic dynamics; conservation agriculture
Dr. Guopeng Liang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
Interests: global change ecology; ecosystem carbon cycling; plant ecology; soil biogeochemistry; plant-soil-microbe interactions; agricultural management; meta-analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jing Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Water Resources and Environment, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
Interests: sustainable management practices and resilience of soil to climate change; soil aggregates and soil organic carbon; pore space controls soil organic matter mineralization; soil microbiomes and heathy soil

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global drylands, covering about 45% of the Earth’s land area, play a more important role in the global carbon ( C ) cycle than previously thought. The soil C in dryland areas also has profound impacts on soil fertility and productivity, food security and sustainable development goals for local farmers and society. These sensitive dryland ecosystems are highly susceptible to degradation and vulnerable to climate change, leading to a reduction in the C pool, as well as other environmental problems. Despite the realization that dryland ecosystems are drivers of the land soil C sink, we are still at the outset of this scientific field, and many knowledge gaps remain. Improving the understanding of controls over soil C stocks and fluxes in drylands is important for the better land management to sequester C and mitigate the accelerated greenhouse effect, as well as to outline land use and soil/vegetation management options to achieve this goal. Better land management is also appropriate to advancing the mission of the “4 per Thousand” initiative, in order to prevent degradation and the C emissions to the atmosphere.

This Special Issue aims to describe C cycle processes in drylands, and the factors that affect it. A specific focus is placed on both the biotic and abiotic mechanisms of C cycling in drylands in relation to land use and management practices.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Conceptual and cutting-edge analytical advances of soil carbon monitoring and measuring methods on dryland;
  • Spatio-temporal patterns of the soil carbon cycling of dryland from landscape to regional and global scales;
  • Impacts of climate change or land use change and management systems on carbon cycling in drylands;
  • Microbial transformation mechanisms of soil organic carbon in drylands;
  • Modeling soil carbon cycling in drylands under climate and land management change scenarios.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Huijun Wu
Dr. Guopeng Liang
Dr. Jing Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • drylands
  • carbon cycling
  • land management
  • land use change
  • climate change

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2753 KiB  
Article
Durum Wheat–Potato Crop Rotation, Soil Tillage, and Fertilization Source Affect Soil CO2 Emission and C Storage in the Mediterranean Environment
by Roberto Mancinelli, Sara Marinari, Mariam Atait, Verdiana Petroselli, Gabriele Chilosi, Merima Jasarevic, Alessia Catalani, Zainul Abideen, Morad Mirzaei, Mohamed Allam and Emanuele Radicetti
Land 2023, 12(2), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020326 - 25 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2255
Abstract
At present, the role of agricultural practices on the dynamic of GHGs is being investigated worldwide. In this study, the effects of soil tillage practices (conventional vs. conservation techniques) and fertilization sources (inorganic vs. organic) on soil CO2 emissions in durum wheat [...] Read more.
At present, the role of agricultural practices on the dynamic of GHGs is being investigated worldwide. In this study, the effects of soil tillage practices (conventional vs. conservation techniques) and fertilization sources (inorganic vs. organic) on soil CO2 emissions in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.)–potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rotation in the Mediterranean area were evaluated. This study aimed to understand the changes in the soil carbon content and the soil CO2 emissions under different soil tillage practices (moldboard plow (P), subsoiler (R), and spading machine (S)) and fertilization sources (mineral (M) and organic (O) with municipal organic waste). Soil CO2 flux, soil water content, and soil temperature data were collected for both crops using a portable closed-chamber infrared gas dynamics system. Significant relationships were detected between soil CO2 emissions and soil temperate and soil water content. However, these relationships were found only for durum wheat crops. Our findings indicate that including sustainable agricultural practices in wheat–potato rotation system could act as an appropriate alternative option to increase soil organic carbon, mitigate CO2 emissions, and reduce the dependence on chemical inputs and energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Carbon Cycling in Drylands)
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33 pages, 13676 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Impact of Land Use Changes on Soil Erosion in the Tropical Maha Oya River Basin, Sri Lanka
by Chathura Palliyaguru, Vindhya Basnayake, Randika K. Makumbura, Miyuru B. Gunathilake, Nitin Muttil, Eranga M. Wimalasiri and Upaka Rathnayake
Land 2023, 12(1), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010107 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4609
Abstract
Soil degradation is a serious environmental issue in many regions of the world, and Sri Lanka is not an exception. Maha Oya River Basin (MORB) is one of the major river basins in tropical Sri Lanka, which suffers from regular soil erosion and [...] Read more.
Soil degradation is a serious environmental issue in many regions of the world, and Sri Lanka is not an exception. Maha Oya River Basin (MORB) is one of the major river basins in tropical Sri Lanka, which suffers from regular soil erosion and degradation. The current study was designed to estimate the soil erosion associated with land use changes of the MORB. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used in calculating the annual soil erosion rates, while the Geographic Information System (GIS) was used in mapping the spatial variations of the soil erosion hazard over a 30-year period. Thereafter, soil erosion hotspots in the MORB were also identified. The results of this study revealed that the mean average soil loss from the MORB has substantially increased from 2.81 t ha−1 yr−1 in 1989 to 3.21 t ha−1 yr−1 in 2021, which is an increment of about 14.23%. An extremely critical soil erosion-prone locations (average annual soil loss > 60 t ha−1 yr−1) map of the MORB was developed for the year 2021. The severity classes revealed that approximately 4.61% and 6.11% of the study area were in high to extremely high erosion hazard classes in 1989 and 2021, respectively. Based on the results, it was found that the extreme soil erosion occurs when forests and vegetation land are converted into agricultural and bare land/farmland. The spatial analysis further reveals that erosion-prone soil types, steep slope areas, and reduced forest/vegetation cover in hilly mountain areas contributed to the high soil erosion risk (16.56 to 91.01 t ha−1 yr−1) of the MORB. These high soil erosional areas should be prioritized according to the severity classes, and appropriate land use/land cover (LU/LC) management and water conservation practices should be implemented as recommended by this study to restore degraded lands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Carbon Cycling in Drylands)
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15 pages, 3003 KiB  
Article
Machine Learning Models for Prediction of Soil Properties in the Riparian Forests
by Masoud Zolfaghari Nia, Mostafa Moradi, Gholamhosein Moradi and Ruhollah Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi
Land 2023, 12(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010032 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3448
Abstract
Spatial variability of soil properties is a critical factor for the planning, management, and exploitation of soil resources. Thus, the use of different digital soil mapping models to provide accuracy plays a crucial role in providing soil physicochemical properties maps. Soil spatial variability [...] Read more.
Spatial variability of soil properties is a critical factor for the planning, management, and exploitation of soil resources. Thus, the use of different digital soil mapping models to provide accuracy plays a crucial role in providing soil physicochemical properties maps. Soil spatial variability in forest stands is not well-known in Iran. Meanwhile, riparian buffers are important for several services such as providing high water quality, nutrient recycling, and buffering agricultural production. Accordingly, in this research, 103 soil samples were taken using the Latin hypercubic method in the Maroon riparian forest of Behbahan and agricultural lands in the vicinity of the forest to evaluate the spatial variability of soil nitrogen, potassium, organic carbon, C:N ratio, pH, calcium carbonate, sand, silt, clay, and bulk density. Different machine learning models, including artificial neural networks, random forest, cubist regression tree, and k-nearest neighbor were used to compare the estimation of soil properties. Moreover, three main sources of spatial information including remote sensing images, digital elevation model, and climate parameters were used as ancillary data. Our results indicated that the random forest model has the best results in estimating soil pH, nitrogen, potassium, and bulk density. In contrast, the cubist regression tree indicated the best estimation for organic carbon, C:N ratio, phosphorous, and clay. Further, artificial neural networks showed the best estimation for calcium carbonate, sand, and silt contents. Our results revealed that geospatial information such as terrain parameters, climate parameters, and satellite images could be well used as ancillary data for the spatial mapping of soil physiochemical properties in riparian forests and agricultural lands. In conclusion, a specific machine learning model needs to be used for each soil property to provide highly accurate maps with less error. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Carbon Cycling in Drylands)
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Review

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13 pages, 1446 KiB  
Review
Natural and Human-Induced Factors on the Accumulation and Migration of Pedogenic Carbonate in Soil: A Review
by Reza Khalidy, Emmanuelle Arnaud and Rafael M. Santos
Land 2022, 11(9), 1448; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091448 - 1 Sep 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2866
Abstract
As a principal part of the atmosphere–lithosphere interface, soil plays a key role in regulating the atmospheric CO2 concentration and global climate. Comprising two major pools (carbonate in soils and bicarbonate in groundwater), soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is deemed as the primary [...] Read more.
As a principal part of the atmosphere–lithosphere interface, soil plays a key role in regulating the atmospheric CO2 concentration and global climate. Comprising two major pools (carbonate in soils and bicarbonate in groundwater), soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is deemed as the primary carbon (C) sink and source in areas with low mean annual rainfall. SIC may originate from soil parent material or from the formation of secondary carbonate when divalent cations from an extraneous source are supplied. The latter may result in pedogenic carbonate (PC) formation, increasing soil C content and sequestering atmospheric carbon. Since the sequestration of atmospheric CO2 through formation of pedogenic carbonate is gaining popularity as a method to support climate change mitigation efforts and to claim carbon credits, the mechanisms influencing the formation and migration of pedogenic carbonate need to be well understood. The present review provides an overview of the available literature on potential natural and anthropogenic factors influencing the pedogenic carbonate pool in soils. Firstly, the overall mechanisms of pedogenic carbonate formation, as well as the control factors, are described. Secondly, the impact of various land-use changes on pedogenic carbon pool modification is discussed. Then, the potential of stabilizing atmospheric CO2 through PC formation and the challenges and techniques of tracking the formation of PC through engineered pathways in soils are explored. Finally, isotopic signature as a technique for distinguishing neo-formed carbonate in soil is scrutinized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Carbon Cycling in Drylands)
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