Abstract
The objective is to investigate which technologies are the most sustainable management and/or amelioration of soils for the agricultural practices and the most stabile sequestration as the soil organic carbon (SOC) from an atmospheric CO2 in the arid land, low net primary productivity. The capacity of a soil to sequester organic carbon, including humus carbon and microbial biomass carbon, is dependent mainly on climate, edaphic conditions, type of vegetation and soil management imposed by agricultural practice. The background of this research has already reported that the increase of agricultural products became possible with those humified natural organic matters in the following arid lands, irrigated land, alkali/salt-affected lands, and acid-affected land, assumed where are difficult to restore as arable land. It is possible that plant matter is increased by ameliorating with physicochemically stable humic materials in a high risk arid lands, and humus carbon is self-produced by microbial activity in the soil carbon cycling. The aims of this work are to produce humus carbon (A type humic acid) from model substances of plant residues like sugars, carbohydrate, lignin and cellulose using fresh soil or artificial aggregated soil at low moisture conditions, to estimate change of SOC components with incubated time, and to clarify catalytic reaction of mineral components. Humic substances are capable of bringing about the long-term stabilization of soil aggregates. The build up of SOC levels will not only advantageous to the industry but it will also lead to larger inputs of organic carbon into the soil thus promoting higher steady state levels of SOC.
