Effects of contrasting tillage managements on the vertical distribution of plant- and microbial-derived carbon in rice paddy

Soil microbial necromass is considered a persistent component of soil organic carbon (SOC), constituting the final product of the microbial carbon pump (MCP). However, the mechanisms involved in the effects of tillage and rice residue management on the vertical distribution of microbial necromass and plant residues in rice paddy soils remain unclear, limiting knowledge of SOC sequestration mechanisms. Therefore, we estimated microbial- and plant-derived C by biomarker amino sugars (AS) and lignin phenols (VSC) at the 0–30 cm soil depth, as well as their relationships with SOC contents and mineralization in a rice paddy soil under contrasting tillage practices, namely no-tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT). The results showed that the SOC contents in the rice paddy soil were positively correlated with soil AS and VSC contents. The NT resulted in significantly higher (p < 0.05) AS (expressed as per kilogram soil) at the 0–10 cm and 10–30 cm soil depths by 45–48 % than RT and CT. However, microbial-derived C and SOC mineralization were not significantly changed by NT. In contrast, the plant-derived C contents in the total SOC decreased significantly under the NT scenario, suggesting the consumption of plant-derived C even with more rice residue inputs (at the 0–10 cm soil depth). In summary, 5-year short-term NT management with more rice residue mulch on the soil surface in rice paddy maintained a low plant-derived C content, suggesting a different mode of C sequestration, except for the protection of plant-derived C under anaerobic conditions.