Climate warming and agronomic practice interactively alter soil carbon stock in dry farmland in China
Abstract Understanding drivers of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and stocks is critical for carbon (C) neutrality in Earth’s extensive dryland croplands. Here, we analyzed 721 soil samples across northern China and revealed divergent regional dynamics of SOC stocks in topsoil (0–20 cm) over three decades. Agricultural intensification in northern China, marked by tripled productivity via strategic N-fertilization and policy-driven increases in straw return, created a major C sink (+3.1 Mg C ha −1 ), offsetting ~1.5% of China’s average annual emissions. Conversely, Northeast China experienced SOC depletion (−3.9 Mg C ha −1 ; ~12% loss since 1980s) driven by warming-enhanced decomposition of organic matter. Encouragingly, an annual straw return in excess of 270 kg C ha −1 could offset SOC losses in the face of future warming. Therefore, it is imperative to implement effective soil management practices and adaptation strategies to bolster soil resilience and health, as continued climate warming may undermine soil carbon sequestration.
Authors
- Jie Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7244-8653)
- Guodong Shao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7122-1319)
- Enke Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5586-4733)
- Xurong Mei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5982-4093)
- Ekaterina Filimonenko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8146-4514)
- Yakov Kuzyakov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9863-8461)
- Changrong Yan
- Qin Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9683-9107)
- Sulaiman Almwarai Alharbi
Institutions
- South China Agricultural University (CN)
- Nanjing Agricultural University (CN)
- Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RU)
- King Saud University (SA)
- University of Tyumen (RU)
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture (CN)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN)
- China Agricultural University (CN)
- University of Göttingen (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Published
- 2025-10-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02754-8
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Soil erosion and sediment transport
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.12
Funders
- Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
- RUDN University
- National Key Research and Development Program of China