Abstract:The quantity and quality of soil aggregates directly affect soil properties and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. This study investigated effects of various fertilization regimes and fertilization ages on the distribution and stability of dry aggregates and water-stable aggregates, aiming at providing a scientific basis for improving agricultural production and soil quality in long-term reclaimed areas, Shanxi Province, China. Surface soil samples of 0-20 cm horizons under different fertilization regimes were collected from 6-years and 11-years reclaimed areas, respectively. There are 4 different fertilization treatments (no fertilizer (CK), chemical fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), organic manure alone (M), and chemical fertilizer combined with manure (MNPK)). All samples were separated into four aggregate-size fractions (>2, 0.25~2, 0.053~0.25 and <0.053 mm) by dry sieving and wet sieving methods. The >0.25 mm aggregate content (R0.25), mean weight diameter (MWD), proportion of aggregate destruction (PAD) and unstable soil aggregate index (ELT) were used to indicate the stability of aggregates. The SOC content in the bulk soil was determined. The fertilization age had a more significant effect on the distribution and stability of soil aggregates than the fertilization regime. Under the dry sieving condition, the distribution of 0.053~0.25 mm and <0.053 mm fractions in each treatment was reduced significantly at both fertilization ages, with a decrease of 68.39%~87.37%, 69.63%~78.32% (6-years) and 90.01%~93.68%, 78.29%~83.93% (11-years); under the wet sieving condition, the distribution of >2 mm fraction increased significantly by 473.35%~645.16%, but the distribution of 0.053~0.25 mm fraction was significantly decreased by 43.67%~57.54% after 11-years reclamation. The stability of soil aggregates was also gradually enhanced with the increase of fertilization ages, showing that the distribution of DR0.25, WR0.25 and MWD had an increasing trend, but the PAD and ELT had a decreasing trend. SOC content showed an extremely significant positive correlation with the DR0.25, WR0.25 and MWDwater-stable, but an extremely significant negative correlation with PAD and ELT. It was concluded that the SOC content in the study area increased significantly after 11 years of consecutive fertilization, resulting in a more and more stable soil structure. It was conducive to improve stability of aggregates in this reclaimed area.