Transition from intensive tillage to no-till enhances carbon sequestration in microaggregates of surface soil in the North China Plain

• Long-term no-till promoted macro-aggregation in surface soil.
• No-till increased C sequestration in the free and occluded light fractions.
• The increase in occluded C enhanced microaggregates formation.
• No-till led to C-enriched microaggregates in soil surface.

Physical protection by soil aggregates is critical for building soil organic carbon (SOC) stock. The objective of this study was to identify SOC sequestrated in the microaggregate holding within macroaggregte (mM) fraction after shifting tillage systems in the North China Plain. Soil samples from 0–5 cm layer of a 6-yr field experiment (MP − R, moldboard plow without residue; MP + R, moldboard plow with residue; RT, rotary tillage with residue; NT, no-till with residue) were collected and separated into different water-stable aggregates. The macroaggregate (250–2000 μm) was further isolated into intra-aggregate particulate organic matter (iPOM) fractions by density flotation, dispersion and sieving. The results showed that the SOC concentration of fine iPOM (250f, 53–250 μm) was increased by 23% in RT and 39% in NT compared with MP + R, whereas the difference in the coarse iPOM (250c, >250 μm) was not observed. The ratio of 250f–250c (i.e., 250f/250c) followed the order of NT (2.12) ≈ RT (1.94) > MP + R (1.50) ≈ MP − R (1.47), indicating the alternative tillage systems decreased the turnover rates of macroaggregates. Adoption of NT and RT improved the mM formation by 36% and 23% and mM associated C concentration by 38% and 31% as relative to MP + R system. Additionally, the soil C concentration and storage of the iPOM and silt plus clay fractions located within the microaggregate were higher under NT and RT than that of MP + R and MP − R systems. Thus applying NT and RT improved mM formation and soil C sequestered inside this fraction. We concluded that adoption of NT and RT enhanced SOC sequestration in the microaggregates of surface soil of the intensive agroecosystem of North China.