[Carbon Cycling Processes in Croplands and Their Quantification Methods].

Recent studies have shown that the source of soil carbon(C) includes not only the input of crop C(rhizodeposit- and residue-C) to soil organic C(SOC) but also the contribution of soil autotrophic microorganisms to SOC and the fixation of soil inorganic C(SIC) from the soil inorganic chemical pathway and microbial biomineralization pathway. The level of SOC in croplands is mainly controlled by the balance between the input of crop C and the loss of SOC via decomposition. In the short term, the input of crop C usually promotes the SOC decomposition, showing a positive(rhizosphere) priming effect. We analyzed the literature on the rhizosphere priming effect of major crops and the priming effect of straw additions and found that they were on average 75% and 67%, respectively. The residual straw C in the soil could completely compensate for the SOC loss caused by the priming effect of straw returning. In croplands, rhizodeposit- and residue-C often coexisted, which resulted in at least three C sources(rhizodeposit-, straw-, and soil-C) for soil C input and output. Finally, we proposed a new method to distinguish the contribution of multiple C sources to the CO emission and the SOC input in rhizosphere soils, as well as the contribution of inorganic chemistry and microbial pathways to the SIC input in calcareous soils. This review is helpful to improve the understanding of the input and output pathways of SOC and SIC in croplands and to improve the accuracy of soil C assessment in croplands.