Wang et al. (2025): Enhancing soil organic carbon sequestration through slope-to-terrace conversion and mixed planting: Insights from carbon pool composition and biomarker dynamics
Guan Wang, Sheng Zhang, Zihe Zhou, Jinhua Cheng, IN: Catena, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109482
Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a critical role in climate regulation and soil fertility. Extensively distributed agricultural lands hold significant potential for ecological carbon sequestration, the process by which natural and managed ecosystems capture and store atmospheric carbon over time, making the improvement of SOC storage and stability essential for sustainable farmland management. In this study, the authors examined the effects of slope-to-terrace conversion and mixed planting on SOC pool composition and stability in hilly farmlands of southwestern China. Soil samples were collected from sloped monoculture, terraced monoculture, and mixed-planting terraced farmlands to assess SOC content and its critical components. Microbial necromass and plant lignin inputs were quantified using amino sugar and lignin phenol biomarkers.