Long-term farmland abandonments remarkably increased the phytolith carbon sequestration in soil

Abstract Background Phytolith-occluded organic carbon (PhytOC) is an important mechanism of long-term stable carbon sinks in terrestrial ecosystems. Farmland abandonment is a widespread land use change in the process of urbanization and industrialization and is still ongoing. Farmland abandonment can significantly affect soil carbon cycling. To elucidate the effects of farmland abandonment on soil PhytOC accumulation, in the present study, corn fields abandoned for 0 to 30 years ago in the mountainous areas of southern China were selected as the research objects. The change trends, influencing factors, and driving mechanisms of soil PhytOC accumulation during the abandonment process were studied. Results The following results were obtained: (1) The range of PhytOC content and storage of the 0–15 cm soil profile for both active and abandoned corn fields was 0.39–1.49 g·kg− 1 and 0.27–0.83 t·hm− 2, respectively. (2) There was a notable enhancement in soil PhytOC accumulation as the duration of abandonment lengthened. In particular, after 30 years of abandonment, soil PhytOC accumulation rose significantly. (3) Abandonment noticeably altered the contents and ratios of soil nutrients of C, N, P and Si, along with key soil enzyme activities such as urease, sucrase, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase. (4) In the context of corn field abandonment, increase in soil PhytOC was primarily attributed to modifications in PhytOC inputs due to variations in surface vegetation cover. The impact of soil environment alterations resulting from abandonment on PhytOC decomposition was less pronounced. Conclusions These findings are instrumental for accurately assessing the carbon sequestration potential of farmland abandonment and for developing regional carbon management strategies based on such practices.