Continuous straw returning enhances the carbon sequestration potential of soil aggregates by altering the quality and stability of organic carbon

Soil structure plays an important role in organic carbon (OC) sequestration, thereby influencing soil fertility and changes in global climate. However, aggregate OC chemical structure changes due to long-term return of straw in oasis farmland of arid northwest China remains unclear. This study conducted 0-, 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year straw returning experiments during which three soil components where measured: (1) the functional carbon (C) pool and macroaggregates; (2) microaggregates and silt + clay; (3) the chemical structure of soil OC (SOC). The results demonstrated that in comparison with the control, straw return increased SOC, particulate OC (POC), and mineral-associated OC (MAOC) by 21.90%–63.51%, 5.00%–31.00%, and 46.00%–226.00%, respectively. With increasing duration of straw return, microaggregates transitioned to macroaggregates, and percentages of soil macroaggregates under 10-year straw return increased by 20.26%, 3.39%, 4.40%, and 11.12% compared with that under 0-, 5-, 15- and 20-year straw return, respectively. Soil geometric mean diameter (GMD) and mean weight diameter (MWD) first increased and then decreased, with maximum values after 10-year straw return at 1.20 mm and 1.63 mm, respectively. Solid state 13C NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) indicated O-alkyl C to be the dominant chemical component of soil OC over different years of straw return. There were increases in aromatic C, aromaticity, and hydrophobicity up to 10-year straw return, after which they decreased. A mantel test confirmed positive correlations of the distributions of macroaggregates, microaggregates, OC of macroaggregates, and silt + clay with MWD and GMD, whereas the OC content of aggregates was positively correlated with O-OA and hydrophobicity. Long-term straw returns improved soil structure and stabilized soil OC, thereby facilitating soil sequestration of OC.