Converting croplands into perennials may contribute to the deep soil nitrogen (N) accumulation in N‐limited region: Evidence from the arid and semi‐arid Chinese Loess Plateau

Abstract

AbstractConverting degraded croplands into perennials has been proposed as an effective method of soil N sequestration, however, the dynamics of deep soil N (>100 cm) following cropland conversion are not well understood. In this study, we synthesized 3049 observations to detect the changes in deep soil N content following cropland conversion on the arid and semiarid Loess Plateau. Our results showed that converting croplands into perennials significantly increased the soil N content by an average of 57.4%, 23.1%, and 29.5% in the surface (0–20 cm), subsurface (20–100 cm), and deep (100–200 cm) layers, respectively. The extent of the increase was influenced significantly by the land‐use conversion types and tree species. Specifically, the conversion of croplands into deep‐rooted forests or shrubs, particularly Robinia pseudoacacia and Caragana microphylla, exhibited higher advantages in deep soil N sequestration. Moreover, deep soil N sequestration increased significantly with time since cropland conversion (p < 0.001), and the rates in deep soils were approximately 26.1% and 66.7% of that in 0–20 and 20–100 cm soils, respectively. In the long term, converting croplands into forests and shrubs showed higher potential for deep soil N sequestration. Linear regression analysis showed that the changes of deep soil N sequestration were influenced significantly by initial soil N content (p < 0.001) and humidity index (p < 0.001), with the slopes in >100 cm layers being 2 to 3 times than that in the top meter, indicating higher sensitivity in deep soils. Overall, this study provides evidence that converting degraded croplands into perennials may contribute to deep soil N accumulation in N‐limited regions, which could potentially alleviate N limitation and sustain long‐term ecosystem carbon sequestration.