Insights into the accumulation and chemical composition of soil organic matter influenced by saltwater intrusion in agricultural areas
Issued Date
2026-02-01
Resource Type
ISSN
00489697
eISSN
18791026
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105027262901
Journal Title
Science of the Total Environment
Volume
1014
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Science of the Total Environment Vol.1014 (2026)
Suggested Citation
Sonsri K., Limmalai A., Phayaban N., Janplang B., Poolsab P., Phankamolsil Y., Tengprasert T., Phankamolsil N. Insights into the accumulation and chemical composition of soil organic matter influenced by saltwater intrusion in agricultural areas. Science of the Total Environment Vol.1014 (2026). doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.181309 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114552
Title
Insights into the accumulation and chemical composition of soil organic matter influenced by saltwater intrusion in agricultural areas
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Saltwater intrusion (SWI) poses a critical issue for agricultural systems and soil carbon (C) cycling. Although the central role of soil organic matter (SOM) as a terrestrial C reservoir, in-depth information on how SWI influences SOM accumulation and chemical composition in agricultural areas remains elusive. To address this gap, agricultural soils from areas unaffected by SWI (control, CT area) and those impacted by SWI (SWI area) were subjected to SOM fractionation into free particulate (fSOM), occluded light (oSOM), weakly bound (wSOM), and strongly bound (sSOM) fractions. <sup>13</sup>C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was employed for chemical characterization of bulk soil and SOM fractions. Total soil organic C (SOC) under the SWI area (31 ± 1 g C kg<sup>−1</sup>) was lower than the CT area (37 ± 1 g C kg<sup>−1</sup>), presumably attributable to depletion of the O-alkyl C and carboxy C. The SOC accumulated in fSOM and oSOM fractions under the SWI area (2.1 ± 0.2 and 2.5 ± 0.3 g C kg<sup>−1</sup> soil, respectively) was lower than the CT area (3.2 ± 0.2 and 3.4 ± 0.3 g C kg<sup>−1</sup> soil, respectively), possibly reflecting diminished O-alkyl C. Similarly, SOC stored in wSOM and sSOM was smaller in the SWI area (7.4 ± 0.6 and 18.2 ± 1.1 g C kg<sup>−1</sup> soil, respectively) than the CT area (9.1 ± 0.4 and 21.3 ± 0.6 g C kg<sup>−1</sup> soil, respectively), presumably due to reduced aromatic C. These findings highlight the SWI impacts on SOM accumulation forms in agricultural areas, linking them with chemical components.