Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, Poland

Floodplains with fluvisols in Poland are crucial areas for both agriculture and environmental relevance. The largest areas of fluvisols are located in the floodplains of the Vistula River and have been identified as significant reservoirs of organic carbon. Humic substances were determined using the...

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Main Authors: Miroslaw Kobierski, Krystyna Kondratowicz-Maciejewska, Beata Labaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/628
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author Miroslaw Kobierski
Krystyna Kondratowicz-Maciejewska
Beata Labaz
author_facet Miroslaw Kobierski
Krystyna Kondratowicz-Maciejewska
Beata Labaz
author_sort Miroslaw Kobierski
collection DOAJ
description Floodplains with fluvisols in Poland are crucial areas for both agriculture and environmental relevance. The largest areas of fluvisols are located in the floodplains of the Vistula River and have been identified as significant reservoirs of organic carbon. Humic substances were determined using the following procedure: C<sub>dec</sub>—carbon after decalcification, C<sub>HA</sub>+C<sub>FA</sub>—carbon of humic and fulvic acids (extracted with 0.5 M NaOH solution), C<sub>FA</sub>—carbon of fulvic acids (extracted with 2 M HCl solution), C<sub>Humin</sub>—proportion of carbon in humins. The extraction of soluble organic matter (DOC and DON) was also determined. In the surface layer of grasslands, significantly higher mean contents of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (Nt) were found compared with arable soils. In fluvisols used as grasslands, compared to the arable soils, significantly higher contents of C<sub>dec</sub>, C<sub>HA</sub>, C<sub>FA</sub>, C<sub>humin</sub>, DOC, DON, and C-stock were observed. The study results indicate that the agricultural use of environmentally valuable lands, such as floodplains, affected the stock of organic carbon and the properties of the humic substances. Grasslands stored significantly more SOC (10.9 kg m<sup>−2</sup>) than arable soils (6.7 kg m<sup>−2</sup>), emphasizing their role as organic carbon resevoirs. Agricultural practices such as limiting plowing and introducing grasslands can support carbon sequestration. Therefore, the role of fluvisols in floodplains in carbon sequestration should be emphasized in climate change mitigation strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-bc2bdc95dfcc4c0b87c32d7824e46a972025-08-20T02:11:21ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-02-0115362810.3390/agronomy15030628Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, PolandMiroslaw Kobierski0Krystyna Kondratowicz-Maciejewska1Beata Labaz2Department of Biogeochemistry and Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 6 Bernardynska Street, 85-029 Bydgoszcz, PolandDepartment of Biogeochemistry and Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 6 Bernardynska Street, 85-029 Bydgoszcz, PolandInstitute of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition and Environmental Protection, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzka 53, 50-357 Wroclaw, PolandFloodplains with fluvisols in Poland are crucial areas for both agriculture and environmental relevance. The largest areas of fluvisols are located in the floodplains of the Vistula River and have been identified as significant reservoirs of organic carbon. Humic substances were determined using the following procedure: C<sub>dec</sub>—carbon after decalcification, C<sub>HA</sub>+C<sub>FA</sub>—carbon of humic and fulvic acids (extracted with 0.5 M NaOH solution), C<sub>FA</sub>—carbon of fulvic acids (extracted with 2 M HCl solution), C<sub>Humin</sub>—proportion of carbon in humins. The extraction of soluble organic matter (DOC and DON) was also determined. In the surface layer of grasslands, significantly higher mean contents of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (Nt) were found compared with arable soils. In fluvisols used as grasslands, compared to the arable soils, significantly higher contents of C<sub>dec</sub>, C<sub>HA</sub>, C<sub>FA</sub>, C<sub>humin</sub>, DOC, DON, and C-stock were observed. The study results indicate that the agricultural use of environmentally valuable lands, such as floodplains, affected the stock of organic carbon and the properties of the humic substances. Grasslands stored significantly more SOC (10.9 kg m<sup>−2</sup>) than arable soils (6.7 kg m<sup>−2</sup>), emphasizing their role as organic carbon resevoirs. Agricultural practices such as limiting plowing and introducing grasslands can support carbon sequestration. Therefore, the role of fluvisols in floodplains in carbon sequestration should be emphasized in climate change mitigation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/628soil organic carbonhumushumic substancesfluvisols
spellingShingle Miroslaw Kobierski
Krystyna Kondratowicz-Maciejewska
Beata Labaz
Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, Poland
Agronomy
soil organic carbon
humus
humic substances
fluvisols
title Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, Poland
title_full Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, Poland
title_fullStr Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, Poland
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, Poland
title_short Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Organic Carbon Content in the Surface Layer of Fluvisols in the Vistula River Floodplains, Poland
title_sort impact of agricultural land use on organic carbon content in the surface layer of fluvisols in the vistula river floodplains poland
topic soil organic carbon
humus
humic substances
fluvisols
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/628
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