Objective  To explore the drip nitrogen fertigation strategy that is beneficial for carbon pool management in latosolic red soil.

Method  Pot experiments imitating the fertigation system were conducted. The effects of three drip irrigation methods and five nitrogen treatments on the contents of organic carbon and active organic carbon, carbon pool management index and enzyme activity in soil were investigated.

Result  Compared with N0-CDI(The amount of nitrogen applied to soil was 0, combined with conventional drip irrigation), N2-ADI (The amount of drip nitrogen fertigation was 0.18 g·kg^–1, combined with alternate drip irrigation) increased soil organic carbon content by 55.2%, soil active organic carbon content by 111.8% and carbon pool management index by 90.5%. Meanwhile, the organic carbon content, active organic carbon content and carbon pool management index significantly correlated with catalase, urease and invertase activities in soil.

Conclusion  The drip nitrogen fertigation of 0.18 g·kg^–1 combined with alternate drip irrigation is the optimal drip nitrogen fertigation strategy for carbon storage management in latosolic red soil.