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Agronomy
Special Issues
Soil Carbon Sequestration for Mitigating Climate Change in Grasslands
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Soil Carbon Sequestration for Mitigating Climate Change in Grasslands

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Grassland and Pasture Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 4937

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cristina Muñoz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soils and Natural Resources, Faculty of Agronomy, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán, Chile
Interests: global warming; agricultural practices; nutrient cycling; biochar; organic products
Prof. Dr. Carlos Monreal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6, Canada
Interests: sustainable agriculture; biochemistry; innovation; environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global warming is a contemporary issue with societal, economic, and ecological consequences, posing challenges to global production systems. Grasslands, which cover approximately one quarter of the world's surface, have a significant potential to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is important to explore various aspects of carbon sequestration in grasslands, such as the choice between legume and grass species, the impact of converting arable farmland into grassland, the management of grazing intensity, fertilization methods, amendments, biochar applications; and the restoration of degraded grasslands in diverse regions and climatic zones. We encourage research submissions for this special edition to broaden our understanding and promote strategies on this topic, thus accelerating its application across different countries.

Dr. Cristina Muñoz
Prof. Dr. Carlos Monreal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • grasses
  • fertilization
  • management
  • grazing
  • GHG emissions
  • C neutral systems

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 4201 KB  
Article
Seasonal Fluctuations and Ecological Resilience: Grassland-Type-Specific Responses of Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Transformations in a Forest–Steppe Ecotone Under Global Change
by Haoyan Li, Wenchao Yang, Kaiyuan Li, Chuan Lu, Yifan Wang, Chuanhao Xing, Jiahuan Li, Long Bai and Baihui Ren
Agronomy 2026, 16(4), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16040477 - 19 Feb 2026
Viewed by 544
Abstract
Against the backdrop of global climate change, climate warming and increasing nitrogen addition are profoundly altering carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Short-term observations are critical for capturing the initial response trajectories of soil C-N dynamics to environmental stress, providing [...] Read more.
Against the backdrop of global climate change, climate warming and increasing nitrogen addition are profoundly altering carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Short-term observations are critical for capturing the initial response trajectories of soil C-N dynamics to environmental stress, providing timely insights into early-stage adaptation mechanisms that underpin long-term ecosystem stability. This study investigated the interactive effects of these drivers on soil C and N transformation rates, component dynamics, and their coupling relationships in a warm steppe and a warm shrub grassland within the forest–steppe ecotone of northwestern Liaoning Province. We employed field-controlled experiments using open-top chambers for warming in combination with four nitrogen addition gradients. Results showed warming plus high N addition increased soil total N but reduced net N mineralization, supporting the “N saturation hypothesis”. Though N addition generally suppressed the C conversion rate, low-level N (5 g N m−2 a−1) mitigated C loss and enhanced it under warming. Soil organic C and microbial biomass C drove C transformation. Warm shrub grassland’s stable mineral-associated organic C pool rose 640.5% (stronger resilience), while warm steppe’s C/N turnover depended on seasons (greater vulnerability); C/N transformations were synchronized in the steppe but independent in shrubland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Sequestration for Mitigating Climate Change in Grasslands)
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14 pages, 1849 KB  
Article
Climate-Driven Microbial Communities Regulate Soil Organic Carbon Stocks Along the Elevational Gradient on Alpine Grassland over the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
by Xiaomei Mo, Jinhong He, Guo Zheng, Xiangping Tan and Shuyan Cui
Agronomy 2025, 15(8), 1810; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081810 - 26 Jul 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1514
Abstract
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, a region susceptible to global change, stores substantial amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) in its alpine grassland. However, little is known about how SOC is regulated by soil microbial communities, which vary with elevation, mean annual temperature (MAT), and [...] Read more.
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, a region susceptible to global change, stores substantial amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) in its alpine grassland. However, little is known about how SOC is regulated by soil microbial communities, which vary with elevation, mean annual temperature (MAT), and mean annual precipitation (MAP). This study integrates phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis to simultaneously resolve microbial biomass, community composition, and membrane lipid adaptations along an elevational gradient (2861–5090 m) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. This study found that microbial PLFAs increased significantly with rising MAP, while the relationship with MAT was nonlinear. PLFAs of different microbial groups all had a positive effect on SOC storage. At higher altitudes (characterized by lower MAP and lower MAT), Gram-positive bacteria dominated bacterial communities, and fungi dominated the overall microbial community, highlighting microbial structural adaptations as key regulators of carbon storage. Saturated fatty acids with branches of soil microbial membrane dominated across sites, but their prevalence over unsaturated fatty acids decreased at high elevations. These findings establish a mechanistic link between climate-driven microbial community restructuring and SOC vulnerability on the QTP, providing a predictive framework for carbon–climate feedbacks in alpine systems under global warming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Sequestration for Mitigating Climate Change in Grasslands)
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16 pages, 1557 KB  
Article
Increasing Contribution of Microbial Residue Carbon to Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation in Degraded Grasslands
by Wenbo Zhang, Guangyu Wang, Haoyu Liu, Yaoming Li, Xuexi Ma, Lianlian Fan and Jiefei Mao
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 810; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040810 - 25 Mar 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2056
Abstract
Grassland degradation driven by overgrazing, invasive species, and climate change profoundly affects the dynamics and stability of soil organic carbon (SOC), yet the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain unclear. This study investigated the molecular composition and origins of SOC across different degradation [...] Read more.
Grassland degradation driven by overgrazing, invasive species, and climate change profoundly affects the dynamics and stability of soil organic carbon (SOC), yet the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain unclear. This study investigated the molecular composition and origins of SOC across different degradation stages—native grassland (NG), weed-dominated grassland (WG), and invasive grassland (IG) dominated by Pedicularis kansuensis—in the Bayinbuluke alpine region of China. Soil samples from three depth intervals (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–30 cm) were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to quantify biomarkers, including free lipids, ester-bound lipids, lignin phenols, and amino sugars. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to assess the overall variation in SOC composition. Compared to NG, plant-derived long-chain lipids and lignin phenols in WG and IG surface soils increased by 44–90% and 68–76% (p < 0.05), respectively, while cutin content increased by 96% and 150%. However, suberin content in IG decreased by 58% across all layers (p < 0.05). Microbial-derived carbon (MRC), including bacterial and fungal residues, increased significantly in the surface layer of degraded soils (IG > WG > NG), with MRC contributions to SOC also rising markedly in the subsurface layers (10–30 cm). PCA revealed a distinct separation of SOC components along the PC1 axis, highlighting the substantial impact of degradation on SOC composition and sources. These findings emphasize the role of vegetation shifts in SOC transformation and provide insights for grassland management and restoration strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Carbon Sequestration for Mitigating Climate Change in Grasslands)
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