The paper, “Protective role of reactive aluminum phases to stabilize soil organic matter against long-term cultivation in the humid tropics under volcanic influence”, authored by JIRCAS Senior Researchers ARAI Miwa and IKAZAKI Kenta (both in the Crop, Livestock and Environment Division), has been selected for the 24th Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition (JSSSPN) SSPN Award (English Journal Paper Award). The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in 2026.
This paper is the result of collaborative research with Project Leader ANZAI Toshihiko of the Tropical Agriculture Research Front and Senior Researcher WAGAI Rota of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), as well as former Deputy Administrator Ignacio Santillana, former Chief Science Research Specialist Jayson V. Tumbay, and Chief Science Research Specialist Virgie Celestial of the Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture.
The award is given to outstanding research published in the academic journal Soil Science and Plant Nutrition (SSPN) that has made a significant contribution to the advancement of soil, fertilizer, plant nutrition, and related environmental sciences.
In this study, researchers analyzed soil samples from three land uses on Negros Island, Philippines, where diverse soil types are distributed: sugarcane fields, forests, and residential forests. They investigated the effects of long-term cultivation in a humid tropical environment on soil organic matter (SOM) in relation to soil mineralogy. The results showed that reactive aluminum, which is important for maintaining SOM, strongly influences soil organic carbon (SOC) levels not only in forests and residential forests but also in sugarcane fields cultivated for over 70 years. Furthermore, analysis of stable carbon isotope ratios confirmed that soils with higher reactive aluminum levels tend to retain forest-derived carbon longer, suggesting that reactive aluminum plays a role in suppressing SOM decomposition during cultivation.
Despite travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, soil samples were collected over a wide area and at multiple locations with the cooperation of the counterpart organization, SRA.
【Reference Information】
FY2024 JIRCAS Research Highlights:
Stabilization of soil organic matter by reactive aluminum phases in agricultural fields under volcanic influence
