Articles | Volume 11, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-1095-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-1095-2025
Original research article
 | 
15 Dec 2025
Original research article |  | 15 Dec 2025

Long-term pig manure application increases SOC through aggregate protection and Fe-C associations in a subtropical red soil (Udic Ferralsols)

Hui Rong, Zhangliu Du, Weida Gao, Lixiao Ma, Xinhua Peng, Yuji Jiang, Demin Yan, and Hu Zhou

Cited articles

Álvaro-Fuentes, J., Franco-Luesma, S., Lafuente, V., Sen, P., Usón, A., Cantero-Martínez, C., and Arrúe, J. L.: Stover management modifies soil organic carbon dynamics in the short-term under semiarid continuous maize, Soil Till. Res., 213, 105143, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2021.105143, 2021. 
Bai, X. X., Tang, J., Wang, W., Ma, J. M., Shi, J., and Ren, W.: Organic amendment effects on cropland soil organic carbon and its implications: A global synthesis, Catena, 231, 107343, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.107343, 2023. 
Baldock, J. A., Oades, J. M., Nelson, P. N., Skene, T. M., Golchin, A., and Clarke, P.: Assessing the extent of decomposition of natural organic materials using solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy, Soil Res., 35, 1061–1084, https://doi.org/10.1071/S97004, 1997. 
Benbi, D. K., Boparai, A. K., and Brar, K.: Decomposition of particulate organic matter is more sensitive to temperature than the mineral associated organic matter, Soil Biol. Biochem., 70, 183–192, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.12.032, 2014. 
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Short summary
How can carbon be stored in red soils? Our 18-yr manure application reveals that applying manure stabilizes soil carbon through two key mechanisms: it helps soil particles clump together, physically shielding the carbon, and it improves soil conditions to promote minerals that act like glue, binding the carbon chemically. This research provides a sustainable strategy for enhancing soil fertility and mitigating climate change.
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