Effects of desertification on soil organic C and N content in sandy farmland and grassland of Inner Mongolia

Desertification is one of the most serious types of land degradation. A field experiment was conducted during 2002 and 2003 in Horqin Sand Land, China to investigate changes in soil C and N contents in relation to land desertification. Four primary results were derived from this work. First, land desertification characterized by wind erosion resulted in a significant decrease in soil fine particles (clay + silt) with a corresponding increase in sand content. In comparison to non-desertified land, soil fine particle content decreased by up to 89.2%, and sand content increased by up to 47.2%, in the severely desertified land. Second, the organic C and total N in soil were mainly associated with the soil fine particles, and decreased significantly with desertification development. Organic C decreased by 29.2% and total N by 31.5% in the severely desertified land compared to the non-desertified land. Third, the decrease in organic C and N content was greater in desertified grassland than in desertified farmland. Fourth, the changes in organic C and total N content had a significant positive correlation with the soil fine particle content (P < 0.01) and a significant negative correlation with coarse sand content (P < 0.01), indicating that land desertification by wind erosion is mediated through a loss of soil fine particles, with a resultant decrease in soil organic C and total N.