Spatial and Temporal Variability of Water-Soluble Organic Carbon in a Cropped Field

Liss, H; Rolston, D

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Water-Soluble Organic Carbon in a Cropped Field

Authors

Harvey J. Liss
Dennis E. Rolston

Authors Affiliations

Harvey J. Liss was former Research Assistant, is presently Soil and Water Scientist, W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI; Dennis E. Rolston was Professor of Soil Science, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, and Soil Physicist in the Experiment Station, University of California, Davis.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 57(3):1-19. DOI:10.3733/hilg.v57n03p019. June 1989.

PDF of full article, Cite this article

Abstract

Little is known about the spatial and temporal variability of water-soluble organic carbon (WSC) within agricultural fields. The purpose of this research was to characterize the distribution, the mean, and the variance of WSC that occurs within a cropped field as a function of space and time. Freezing of soil samples showed no significant change in water-soluble organic carbon compared with that in fresh samples taken from a depth of 0.2 m. Thus, water-soluble organic carbon was extracted from frozen soil samples taken from a 200-point grid established on a 1.2-ha field, a 60-point grid within a 0.4-ha field, and a 55-point transect of a field amended with 45 Mg/ha of manure. The initial sampling was in the fall after the harvest of a sorghum crop.

The concentrations ranged from 23 to 274 mg/kg within the 1.2 ha field. Over 90% of the concentrations were grouped around the mean of 39.8 mg/kg. The higher values caused the distribution to be greatly skewed, such that a ln-normal distribution characterized the data better than a normal distribution. To be within 10% of the population mean at the 95% confidence level, 26 samples would be required if ln-normal distribution was assumed compared with 88 samples under normal distribution. Soil-water content was found to be well described by a normal distribution for the 200-point grid.

The means, variances, and frequency distributions of WSC changed dynamically throughout a 1-year period during which wheat and sorghum were grown. Mean WSC concentrations were highest in the spring and fall and lowest in the summer. The fall samplings had large variances and were best described by ln-normal frequency distributions, whereas other samplings during the year could be adequately described by normal distributions. The WSC concentrations showed only slight spatial dependency for samples taken 1.37 m apart and thus can be assumed to be randomly distributed. The addition of manure to the field resulted in higher WSC concentrations than in the unamended field, but concentrations were nearly equal after a year.

Changes in soluble organic carbon in the field are closely related to the degree and duration of drying of the soil before extraction. These changes occur primarily in the upper 0.05 m of soil. Irrigation causes a drastic decrease in the soluble organic carbon in the surface soil, most likely because of leaching of soluble carbon.

Literature Cited

Biggar J. W., Nielsen D. R. Spatial variability of the leaching characteristics of a field soil. Water Resour. Res. 1976. 12:78-84. DOI: 10.1029/WR012i001p00078 [CrossRef]

Birch H. F. The effect of soil drying on humus decomposition and nitrogen availability. Plant &; Soil. 1958. 10:9-32. DOI: 10.1007/BF01343734 [CrossRef]

Birch H. F. Further observations on humus decomposition and nitrification. Plant &; Soil. 1959. 11:262-87. DOI: 10.1007/BF01435157 [CrossRef]

Birch H. F., Friend M. T. Humus decomposition in East African soils. Nature. 1956. 178:500-501. DOI: 10.1038/178500a0 [CrossRef]

Burford J. R., Bremner J. M. Relationship between the denitrification capacities of soils and total, water-soluble and readily decomposable organic matter. Soil Biol. Biochem. 1975. 7:387-94. DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(75)90055-3 [CrossRef]

Davis J. C. Statistics and data analysis in geology. 1973. New York: John Wiley &; Sons.

Focht D. D., Stolzy L. H., Meek B. O. Sequential reduction of nitrate and nitrous oxide under field conditions as brought about by organic amendments and irrigation management. Soil Biol. Biochem. 1979. 11:37-46. DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(79)90116-0 [CrossRef]

Hald A. Statistical theory with engineering application. 1952. New York: John Wiley &; Sons.

Jager G., Bruins E. H. Effect of repeated drying at different temperatures on soil organic matter decomposition and characteristics, and on soil microflora. Soil Biol. Biochem. 1975. 7:153-59. DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(75)90013-9 [CrossRef]

Krige D. G., Magri E. J. Studies of the effects of outliers and data transformation on variogram estimates for a base metal and a gold ore body. J. Int. Assoc. Math. Geol. 1982. 14:557-64. DOI: 10.1007/BF01033879 [CrossRef]

Lebedjantzev A. N. Drying of soil as one of the natural factors in maintaining soil fertility. Soil Sci. 1924. 18:419-47. DOI: 10.1097/00010694-192412000-00001 [CrossRef]

Martin J. K. ¹⁴C labelled material leached from the rhizosphere of plants supplied with ¹⁴CO₂. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 1971. 24:1131-42.

Meek B. D., MacKenzie A. J., Donovan T. J., Spencer W. F. The effect of large applications of manure on movement of nitrate and carbon in an irrigated desert soil. J. Env. Qual. 1974. 3:253-58. DOI: 10.2134/jeq1974.00472425000300030014x [CrossRef]

Murayama S., Moko A. Untersuchungen uber den einfluss einer langjahrigen kalkdungung auf die humuszussammensetzung und den kohlenhydratgehalt in reisboden. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. 1975. 21:239-51. DOI: 10.1080/00380768.1975.10432639 [CrossRef]

Parkin T. B. Soil microsites as a source of denitrification variability. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 1987. 51:1194-99. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1987.03615995005100050019x [CrossRef]

Patten D. K., Bremner J. M., Blackmer A. M. Effects of drying and air-drying storage of soils on their capacity for denitrification of nitrate. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 1980. 44:67-70. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400010015x [CrossRef]

Reddy K. R., Khaleel R., Overcash M. R. Carbon transformations in land areas receiving wastes in relation to nonpoint source pollution: A conceptual model. J. Env. Qual. 1980. 9:434-42. DOI: 10.2134/jeq1980.00472425000900030022x [CrossRef]

Rovira A. D., Davey C. B., Carson E. W. Biology of the rhizosphere. The plant root and its environment. 1974. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia. p. 153-205.

Sichel H. S. The estimation of means and associated confidence limits for small samples from lognormal populations. J. South African Inst. Mining and Metallurgy. 1966. 67:106-23.

Stanford G., VanderPol R. A., Dzienia S. Denitrification rates in relation to total and extractable soil carbon. Soil Sci. Amer. Proc. 1975. 39:284-89. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1975.03615995003900020019x [CrossRef]

Steel R. G. D., Torrie J. H. Principles and procedures of statistics. 1980. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

Stevenson F. J. Humus chemistry: Genesis, composition, reactions. 1982. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Stevenson F. J., Ardakani M. S., Mortvedt J. J., Giodano P. M., Lindsay W. L. Organic matter reactions involving micronutrients in soils. Micronutrients in Agriculture. 1972. Madison, WI: Soil Science Society of America. p. 79-110.

Stevenson I. L. Some observations on the microbial activity in remoistened air dried soils. Plant and Soil. 1956. 8:170-82. DOI: 10.1007/BF01398818 [CrossRef]

Tukey J. W. Exploratory data analysis. 1977. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.

Vieira S. R., Nielsen D. R., Biggar J. W. Spatial variability of field-measured infiltration rate. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 1981. 45:1040-48. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1981.03615995004500060007x [CrossRef]

Warembourg F. R., Billes G., Hartley J. L., Russell R. S. Estimating carbon transfers in the plant rhizospheres. The Soil Root Interface. 1979. London: Academic Press. p. 183-96. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-325550-1.50021-5 [CrossRef]

Winer B. J. Statistical principles in experimental design. 1971. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

Also in this issue:

Specialty crops and value-added products: a bright spot in California agriculture

Skeptical about soil quality

Economic analysis clarified

Breeding and genetics key to stemming Pierce's disease

Central Valley growers pulling grapevines

California's wine industry enters new era

Sampling and farm stories prompt consumers to buy specialty cheeses

Low-income consumers, though less aware of genetically modified foods, are concerned and want labels

BIOS approach tested for controlling walnut pests in San Joaquin Valley

Flow meters tested on dairy lagoon water