Organic amendments reshaped the chemical composition of soil organic matter: A meta-analysis
Abstract
Increasing soil organic matter (SOM) content is pivotal for soil health and climate change mitigation, yet the mechanisms governing long-term carbon (C) stabilization via organic amendments remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of 540 observations from 45 studies, analyzed by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy, to evaluate the responses of SOM chemical composition and its driving factors to organic amendments. The dataset predominantly comprises cropland soils from Asia, under temperate and subtropical climates, with a focus on major soil types. Functional groups of SOM were associated with climate, soil, and amendment properties, identifying the key factors influencing C stabilization. Organic amendments increased aromatic C by 11%, driving a substantial 52% increase in SOC content compared with mineral-only fertilization. Organic amendment properties and climate factors explained 77% of SOC increase, with nitrogen (N) content identified as key predictors of aromatic groups. The most favorable conditions for aromatic C accumulation included high precipitation (>1000 mm), low temperature (<8°C), and were observed in soils characterized by high initial organic C (>20 g kg−1), total N (>1 g kg−1) contents, and acidic conditions (pH < 6), which are conditions that reflect slow decomposition rates and partial oxygen limitation. Our finding suggests that amendment strategies should account for both the intrinsic quality (e.g., C/N ratio) of the amendment and the extrinsic climatic conditions to optimize persistent C pool formation.
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BibTeX
@article{ma2026organic,
title = {{Organic amendments reshaped the chemical composition of soil organic matter: A meta-analysis}},
author = {Shihao Ma and Yuan Zhang and Damien Beillouin and Jianwei Lu and Tao Ren and Jun Zhu and Yakov Kuzyakov and Xiaokun Li},
journal = {Geoderma},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117762},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05782657v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Organic amendments reshaped the chemical composition of soil organic matter: A meta-analysis
AU - Shihao Ma
AU - Yuan Zhang
AU - Damien Beillouin
AU - Jianwei Lu
AU - Tao Ren
AU - Jun Zhu
AU - Yakov Kuzyakov
AU - Xiaokun Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Geoderma
DO - 10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117762
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05782657v1
AB - Increasing soil organic matter (SOM) content is pivotal for soil health and climate change mitigation, yet the mechanisms governing long-term carbon (C) stabilization via organic amendments remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of 540 observations from 45 studies, analyzed by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy, to evaluate the responses of SOM chemical composition and its driving factors to organic amendments. The dataset predominantly comprises cropland soils from Asia, under temperate and subtropical climates, with a focus on major soil types. Functional groups of SOM were associated with climate, soil, and amendment properties, identifying the key factors influencing C stabilization. Organic amendments increased aromatic C by 11%, driving a substantial 52% increase in SOC content compared with mineral-only fertilization. Organic amendment properties and climate factors explained 77% of SOC increase, with nitrogen (N) content identified as key predictors of aromatic groups. The most favorable conditions for aromatic C accumulation included high precipitation (>1000 mm), low temperature (<8°C), and were observed in soils characterized by high initial organic C (>20 g kg−1), total N (>1 g kg−1) contents, and acidic conditions (pH < 6), which are conditions that reflect slow decomposition rates and partial oxygen limitation. Our finding suggests that amendment strategies should account for both the intrinsic quality (e.g., C/N ratio) of the amendment and the extrinsic climatic conditions to optimize persistent C pool formation.
SN - 0016-7061
SN - 1872-6259
ER -