Land Degradation & Development最新文献

{"title":"Quantifying the Drivers and Constraints of Runoff and Sediment Yields: Insights From the Xiangjiang River Basin","authors":"Jianyong Xiao, Binggeng Xie, Kaichun Zhou","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70138","url":null,"abstract":"The spatiotemporal heterogeneity of runoff and sediment yields significantly influences both human water resource utilization patterns and watershed ecosystem health. However, the constraining effects of environmental factors on these processes remain understudied. Here, based on accurate simulations of hydrological processes, machine learning algorithms and structural equation modeling were employed to systematically analyze the nonlinear driving effects and influence pathways of factors impacting runoff and sediment yield. We elucidated the constraints imposed by factors on the spatiotemporal variation in runoff and sediment yield. The findings revealed that precipitation (69% contribution rate) and evapotranspiration (23%) served as the primary direct drivers of runoff variation, with other factors playing minimal roles. Slope, clay content, precipitation, and forest cover (each with ≥ 10% contribution) exerted direct control on sediment yield, whereas precipitation indirectly influenced it through runoff and evapotranspiration pathways. The majority of the factors exhibited substantial constraining effects on runoff and sediment yields, although some factors had a negligible driving role. A comprehensive evaluation of the driving and constraining effects of environmental factors on runoff and sediment yields and a quantitative assessment of their potential is essential to formulate and implement watershed management strategies for runoff and sediment yields.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differential Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Responses to Grazing Restoration in Meadow and Peat Wetlands of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Lei Du, Yufeng Ye, Yongqi Yang, Qian Bao, Xiaomei Pan, Yang Ding, Kun Li, Hao Tang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70100","url":null,"abstract":"Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is the predominant form of aqueous carbon export from wetland soils. However, in restored alpine wetlands, the hydrological control over DOM composition, specifically how restoration‐induced moisture changes differentially reshape fluorescent signatures in meadow versus peat wetlands, remains unresolved. Here, we collected 0–20 cm soil samples from two typical wetlands (meadow and peat wetlands) subjected to both grazing and restoration treatments (through micro‐dam construction) in the <jats:italic>Zoige</jats:italic> area. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and DOM fluorescent components were analyzed to explore whether restoration has a consistent impact on DOM. The results demonstrated that the DOC concentration in the meadow wetland was significantly (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> &lt; 0.05) decreased by 29%, and that in the peat wetland showed a non‐significant increase after restoration from grazing. Nevertheless, both meadow and peat wetland restoration from grazing had the potential to promote DOM lability, as evidenced by increased protein‐like components and decreased humic‐like components. Compared to grazing meadow wetlands, the increased moisture content sharply decreased the nitrate concentration by 58 times after restoration, which elevated the nitrogen limitation because restoration increased the ratio of microbial biomass carbon to nitrogen (MBC/MBN ratio) by 20 times, ultimately leading to DOM depletion and protein‐like component accumulation. Moreover, the stronger nitrogen limitation (much higher MBC/MBN ratio) experienced by peat wetland microbial communities resulted in a lower increase in the protein‐like component compared to meadow wetlands. The increased lability and rapid turnover of DOM with lower content in meadow wetlands after restoration from grazing probably result in a rise in potential for DOM degradation.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Addition of Fine Sand in the Low‐Permeability Dryland Saline‐Sodic Soil Increases the Permeability and Soil Moisture Conservation","authors":"Yingge Xie, Weifeng Liu, Yulei Ma, Yuanjun Zhu, Jiangbo Qiao, Xiaoyang Han, Gao‐Lin Wu","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70148","url":null,"abstract":"Soil salinization poses a significant challenge to farmland tillage and production worldwide, especially in the dryland saline‐sodic soils area characterized by clayey texture, low permeability, and high compaction. How to solve soil water infiltration of the low‐permeability saline‐sodic soils is an important practical problem that has been restricting its agricultural production availability. In this study, fine sand with particle sizes of 0.15–0.50 mm was used for two treatments: covering soil with a 0.5 cm thick layer and mixing at a 1:2 ratio (fine sand: saline‐sodic soil) to evaluate sand addition effects on soil physical and hydraulic properties. Results showed that the addition of fine sand to the low‐permeability soil significantly improved the soil physical properties. Mixing fine sand into low‐permeability soil reduced bulk density (<jats:italic>BD</jats:italic>) and soil compressive strength (<jats:italic>SCS</jats:italic>) of surface soil by 2.8% and 41.5%, while increasing total porosity (<jats:italic>TP</jats:italic>), non‐capillary porosity (<jats:italic>NCP</jats:italic>) and soil water content (<jats:italic>SWC</jats:italic>) by 3.0%, 11.3%, and 26.6%, respectively. Additionally, fine sand covering onto the low‐permeability dryland soils led to a significant decrease in <jats:italic>SCS</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>TP</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>NCP</jats:italic> by 30.1%, 4.6%, and 20.3%, respectively, while <jats:italic>SWC</jats:italic> increased by 81%. Soil infiltration rate was increased due to mixing fine sand into the soil. The initial infiltration rate (IIR) and steady‐state infiltration rate (SIR) significantly increased by 65.1% and 44.5% after mixing fine sand into the soil, respectively. <jats:italic>BD</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>NCP</jats:italic> were the dominant influence factors on SIR, and <jats:italic>SCS</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>NCP</jats:italic> were identified as the main influence factors on IIR when employing fine sand covering and mixing for the low‐permeability soils. Therefore, this study's findings highlighted the effectiveness of the addition of fine sand in improving soil permeability and soil water conservation and provided a tested practical basis for the addition of fine sand to enhance the sustainability of the saline‐sodic soils.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Straw Returning in Cooperation With Legume‐Based Cover Crops: A Potential Path to Promote Both Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen","authors":"Miaomiao Wang, Chaonan Liu, Yang Zhang, Fengqiang Yan, Zijun Liao, Enheng Wang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70143","url":null,"abstract":"Straw returning is generally considered beneficial for maintaining and improving soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the higher carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio of straw can induce nitrogen limitation in soil microorganisms, thereby hindering the accumulation of SOC during straw decomposition. The integration of straw and legume‐based cover crops theoretically enhances straw decomposition by fixing nitrogen and optimizing the carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio. The greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of three legume cover crops (hairy vetch, white clover, and alfalfa) and two grass cover crops (ryegrass and winter wheat) separately in cooperation with straw amendment on the SOC and total nitrogen (TN) content at both bulk soil and aggregate scale. Compared to bare soil (CK), returning straw, planting cover crops alone, or combining straw with grass cover crops all enhanced SOC content, while simultaneously reducing TN content to varying degrees. Straw returning in cooperation with legume cover crops increased both SOC and TN, ranging from 4.40% to 5.51% and 1.38% to 2.81%, respectively. The enhancement of TN content resulting from the combination of straw with legume cover crops was 4.7% and 10.2% greater than that achieved through straw returning alone and combining straw with grasses. The combination of legumes with straw substantially enhanced the SOC and TN content across different aggregate scales, particularly demonstrating optimal results when combined with white clover. Legume cover crops produced a greater volume of root exudates and had coarse root systems that directly enhanced SOC and TN content, while indirectly promoting SOC sequestration by improving TN content. The integration of straw returning with legume cover crops showed significant potential to enhance SOC sequestration and TN fixation. This strategy offers a sustainable agricultural pathway to minimize nitrogen fertilizer usage, facilitate straw decomposition, and effectively elevate both carbon and nitrogen levels in the soil.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"70 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Linking Soil Ecological Stoichiometry of Nutrients and Microbial Enzyme Activity to Bulk and Aggregate‐Associated Organic Carbon in Karst Rocky Desertification","authors":"Qilin Yang, Tao Yang, Chenghao Zheng, Jinxing Zhou","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70041","url":null,"abstract":"Soil microbial nutrient limitation plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling and soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation, especially in degraded ecosystems. Karst rocky desertification (KRD) represents severe soil degradation in southwest China, yet its effects on SOC, as well as the underlying microbial mechanisms, remain understudied. Here, we investigated soil nutrients, ecoenzymatic stoichiometry, microbial resource limitation, as well as bulk SOC and aggregate‐associated organic carbon (OC) in four areas of southwest China with varying degrees of rocky desertification: intense rocky desertification (IRD), moderate rocky desertification (MRD), light rocky desertification (LRD), and nonrocky desertification (NRD). The results showed that (1) while early‐stage KRD increased SOC concentrations, this effect weakened with further intensification across soil layers; (2) in contrast to topsoil, microaggregates had significantly higher OC concentrations than large macroaggregates in the subsoil, particularly in LRD and IRD areas, which highlights that KRD's impact on SOC stabilization is influenced by soil depth; (3) vector analysis revealed that soil microbes in NRD areas are primarily N‐limited, whereas those in KRD areas are P‐limited, with the latter becoming more pronounced at both soil depths as KRD intensity increased; (4) the random forest model indicated that microbial nutrient limitations had a greater impact on microaggregate‐associated OC than on large macroaggregates. This is likely due to the higher nutrient‐rich organic matter in microaggregates, making them more attractive to microorganisms, particularly in nutrient‐deficient KRD‐affected ecosystems. This study provides new insights into the accumulation and contribution of aggregate‐associated OC to the SOC pool, highlighting the critical roles of microbial nutrient limitations, enzyme activities, and vector characteristics in regulating SOC dynamics in KRD‐affected ecosystems. Understanding these interactions offers essential knowledge for enhancing SOC sequestration and developing effective soil carbon management strategies in degraded karst environments.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil pH and Organic Carbon Content Governing the Active Iron in Tea Plantation and Maize Field","authors":"Gangqiang Li, Yudong Chen, Haixia Li, Shiyu Li, Qingqing Qiao, Xiaoling Zhang, Dong Wang, Jiaming Wang, Meichen Wang, Junming Ye, Xufu Luo, Sunyi Dong, Zhanwei Lin","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70144","url":null,"abstract":"Active iron (Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub>) plays a vital role in soil health and sustainable agriculture. However, the impacts of various land‐use practices on Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> remain obscure. This study thoroughly investigated these effects, providing a scientific foundation for soil management and agricultural strategies. This study compared soil Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> content between a tea plantation and a maize field in Yunnan, China. Additionally, the physicochemical properties, elemental content, and microbial community characteristics were analyzed. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to assess factors influencing Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub>. Soil acidification in the tea plantation extended to a depth of 140 cm. Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> content in the maize field surface layer (0–30 cm) was significantly higher than that in the tea plantation. Primary factors influencing Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> content in both soils included soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water content (SWC), pH, and redox potential (Eh), with microbial activity playing a lesser role. In the tea plantation, the contribution of SOC to Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> decreased by 3.86%, while the negative effect of soil pH on Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> increased by 9.52%, indicating that soil acidification and reduced SOC content are the major reasons for the lower Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> content in the tea plantation compared to the maize field. This study demonstrates that, at a localized scale, variations in soil Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> are more strongly influenced by SOC and soil pH than by microbial activity. These findings underscore the importance of mitigating soil acidification and maintaining SOC levels to sustain agricultural soil health and promote Fe<jats:sub>o</jats:sub> accumulation.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Expansion of Desert Shrubs Since 1986 Has Contributed Over Half of the Sand Greening in Ordos, China","authors":"Zhijun Fu, Hongwei Zeng, Bingfang Wu, Jingyi Ding, Fuyou Tian, Zonghan Ma","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70134","url":null,"abstract":"Desert shrubs are increasingly recognized as a key component in desertification control across the drylands of China. However, their long‐term dynamics and specific contributions to combating desertification remain poorly understood, primarily due to the lack of high‐resolution and long‐term monitoring data. To address this gap, we developed an optimized classification framework that integrates time‐series change detection with time‐independent classification methods. Using this approach, we produced an annual desert shrub dataset for the Ordos region, spanning from 1986 to the present. The dataset achieved an average overall accuracy of 90.03% (± 2.45%), demonstrating its reliability in capturing the spatiotemporal dynamics of desert shrubs. Analysis revealed a progressive land cover transition, from bare sand to sparse grass and ultimately to desert shrub, highlighting a broader trend of sandy land greening. Over the past 38 years, the desert area has declined by approximately 19,569 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>, while the extent of desert shrubs has more than doubled, increasing from 14.06% to 31.42% of the landscape. Furthermore, 44.41% of the pixels showed a statistically significant (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> &lt; 0.05) expansion of desert shrubs within a 1 km radius. In areas exhibiting significant greening trends, more than half of the sand greening was attributed to the expansion of desert shrubs. These findings underscore the critical role of desert shrub proliferation, supported by favorable climatic conditions, in mitigating desertification. This progress is especially relevant for promoting the sustainable development of global drylands under a changing climate.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Salinity Enhances Soil Organic Carbon Stability in Hyper‐Arid Deserts via Increased Mineral‐Association Carbon and Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency","authors":"Jichao Zhang, Xingyu Ma, Yanju Gao, Xinping Dong, Akash Tariq, Jordi Sardans, Josep Peñuelas, Fanjiang Zeng","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70127","url":null,"abstract":"Soil organic carbon (SOC) serves as the principal carbon reservoir in terrestrial ecosystems, significantly influencing soil quality and ecological processes. Typically characterized by slow mineralization rates and low external carbon inputs, saline soils generally exhibit low SOC storage. However, the effect of soil salt accumulation on SOC stability in hyper‐arid desert ecosystems remains poorly understood. This study employed the halophyte <jats:italic>Caligonum caput‐medusae</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>Calligonum</jats:italic>) in a 3‐year pot experiment with three NaCl concentrations (1, 2, 3 g kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) and a control (CK, 0 g kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) at the Taklimakan Desert's southern margin. We analyzed topsoil (0–30 cm) and subsoil (30–80 cm) properties including organic carbon fractions, iron/aluminum oxides, microbial properties, and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE). Results revealed that NaCl treatment (≥ 1 g kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>) inhibited <jats:italic>Calligonum</jats:italic> growth, reduced the activities of soil <jats:italic>β</jats:italic>‐1,4‐glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, and leucine aminopeptidase, as well as particulate organic carbon (POC) accumulation compared to the control. Conversely, NaCl treatments enhanced mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC) by 7.9%, microbial CUE by 6.1%, and SOC by 3.4% compared to the CK. Across all treatments (≥ 0 g kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>), topsoil POC exceeded subsoil levels by 6.0%. Further analysis identified MAOC as the primary SOC driver, followed by POC and microbial properties (including microbial CUE). Overall, this study determined that 3 years of salt treatment did not exacerbate SOC loss; instead, MAOC accumulation coupled with elevated microbial CUE increased SOC stability. These findings provide a “carbon” erspective for the selection of <jats:italic>Calligonum</jats:italic> as vegetation restoration in desertification control under different salt‐affected conditions.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144850807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Socioeconomic Consequences of Land Degradation and Climate Change on Vulnerable Communities","authors":"Dianfei Luan, Feng Yang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70129","url":null,"abstract":"Socioeconomic vulnerability, defined as the susceptibility of communities to adverse environmental impacts based on exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, is a critical concern. This study quantifies the socioeconomic impacts of land degradation (soil erosion, desertification, and arable land loss) and climate change (temperature anomalies, precipitation variability, and extreme weather events) on vulnerable communities in China, with agricultural productivity, measured as crop yield per hectare, serving as a mediating pathway. Using multiple theoretical lenses and a robust econometric approach, the research tests the hypothesis that these environmental stressors interactively heighten vulnerability. Analyzing data from 2000 to 2021 across 31 Chinese provinces, results reveal that land degradation and climate change significantly increase socioeconomic vulnerability, with their combined effect amplifying impacts beyond their individual contributions, particularly in ecologically fragile regions like the Loess Plateau, where vulnerability is most pronounced. Agricultural productivity mediates this relationship, with yield declines amplifying vulnerability. The study recommends region‐specific policies, such as strengthening the Grain for Green Program with socioeconomic safeguards, to mitigate these effects and support rural livelihoods.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144850810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling Spatiotemporal Evolution and the Influence of Net Carbon Sinks in Cultivated Land Systems in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River","authors":"Tiangui Lv, Rong Qiu, Shufei Fu, Qiao Zhao, Anying Chen","doi":"10.1002/ldr.70128","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70128","url":null,"abstract":"Identifying the characteristics and driving factors of the carbon balance within major food‐producing areas is important for achieving low‐carbon and green production in cultivated land. In the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (MRYR), a global rice production hub, it is challenging to ensure food security while mitigating agricultural carbon emissions. However, the designs, indicator systems, and approaches used in past studies have limitations. To overcome these limitations, we established a process framework to evaluate internal and external carbon cycle flows in cultivated land systems. The net carbon sink of cultivated land (NCSCL) in the MRYR was measured from the dual perspective of cultivated land as both a source and a sink from 2006 to 2022. The spatial and temporal changes and driving factors were explored via spatial autocorrelation analysis, kernel density estimation, and GeoDetector modeling. Moreover, a pathway for carbon sequestration and emission reduction was proposed. The results indicated that the NCSCL in the study area increased from 26.26 million tons in 2006 to 37.01 million tons in 2022, with an average annual increase of 1.93%. The carbon sink function was consistently highlighted. In addition, the NCSCL in each city exhibited a spatial distribution pattern of low‐value dispersion and high‐value agglomeration. There was a spatial correlation trend involving alternating changes in the NCSCL, namely, positive agglomeration–negative agglomeration–positive agglomeration. NCSCL diffusion throughout the province and within local regions occurred, and both the NCSCL levels and regional differences continuously increased. The results revealed multiple interaction effects of the driving factors on the spatial pattern of the NCSCL. The spatiotemporal pattern of the NCSCL was affected mainly by cultivated land utilization and agricultural economic factors, with the cultivated land area and agricultural mechanization level as the main influencing factors. Moreover, there was regional heterogeneity in the influence of the driving factors. These findings could be used to optimize the systematic measurement of the NCSCL to provide a decision‐making reference for carbon sequestration in cultivated land.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144850806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}