Long-term fertilization and residue return affect soil stoichiometry characteristics and labile soil organic matter fractions

Ecological stoichiometry provides the possibility for linking microbial dynamics with soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) metabolisms in response to agricultural nutrient management. To determine the roles of fertilization and residue return with respect to ecological stoichiometry, we collected soil samples from a 30-year field experiment on residue return (maize straw) at rates of 0, 2.5, and 5.0 Mg ha^-1 in combination with 8 fertilization treatments:no fertilizer (F0), N fertilizer, P fertilizer, potassium (K) fertilizer, N and P (NP) fertilizers, N and K (NK) fertilizers, P and K (PK) fertilizers, and N, P, and K (NPK) fertilizers. We measured soil organic C (SOC), total N and P, microbial biomass C, N, and P, water-soluble organic C and N, KMnO₄-oxidizable C (KMnO₄-C), and carbon management index (CMI). Compared with the control (F0 treatment without residue return), fertilization and residue return significantly increased the KMnO₄-C content and CMI. Furthermore, compared with the control, residue return significantly increased the SOC content. Moreover, the NPK treatment with residue return at 5.0 Mg ha^-1 significantly enhanced the C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios in the soil, whereas it significantly decreased the C:N and C:P ratios in soil microbial biomass. Therefore, NPK fertilizer application combined with residue return at 5.0 Mg ha^-1 could enhance the SOC content through the stoichiometric plasticity of microorganisms. Residue return and fertilization increased the soil C pools by directly modifying the microbial stoichiometry of the biomass that was C limited.     

Microbial community abundance and structure are determinants of soil organic matter mineralisation in the presence of labile carbon

Altered rates of native soil organic matter (SOM) mineralisation in the presence of labile C substrate (‘priming’), is increasingly recognised as central to the coupling of plant and soil-biological productivity and potentially as a key process mediating the C-balance of soils. However, the mechanisms and controls of SOM-priming are not well understood. In this study we manipulated microbial biomass size and composition (chloroform fumigation) and mineral nutrient availability to investigate controls of SOM-priming. Effects of applied substrate (¹³C-glucose) on mineralisation of native SOM were quantified by isotopic partitioning of soil respiration. In addition, the respective contributions of SOM-C and substrate-derived C to microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were quantified to account for pool-substitution effects (‘apparent priming’). Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles of the soils were determined to establish treatment effects on microbial community structure, while the ¹³C-enrichment of PLFA biomarkers was used to establish pathways of substrate-derived C-flux through the microbial communities. The results indicated that glucose additions increased SOM-mineralisation in all treatments (positive priming). The magnitude of priming was reduced in fumigated soils, concurrent with reduced substrate-derived C-flux through putative SOM-mineralising organisms (fungi and actinomycetes). Nutrient additions reduced the magnitude of positive priming in non-fumigated soils, but did not affect the distribution of substrate-derived C in microbial communities. The results support the view that microbial community composition is a determinant of SOM-mineralisation, with evidence that utilisation of labile substrate by fungal and actinomycete (but not Gram-negative) populations promotes positive SOM-priming.     

平菇栽培废料等有机肥对土壤活性有机质和土壤酶活性的影响

通过大田试验研究了不施有机肥(CK)、施用平菇栽培废料(T1)、施用干腐熟牛粪(T2)和烘干鸡粪(T3)在种植黄瓜01～50.d内土壤中活性有机质和4种土壤酶活性的变化。结果表明:施入不同有机肥对土壤总有机质含量的影响为烘干鸡粪平菇栽培废料干腐熟牛粪对照;对活性有机质含量的影响为平菇栽培废料烘干鸡粪干腐熟牛粪对照;施用平菇栽培废料的土壤中脲酶、转化酶和脱氢酶活性最高,施用干腐熟牛粪的土壤中过氧化氢酶活性最高。相关性分析显示,脲酶、转化酶和脱氢酶活性与土壤活性有机质显著相关。用平菇栽培废料做有机肥能有效提高土壤活性有机质含量和土壤酶活性。     

Long-term effect of chemical fertilizer,straw, and manure on labile organic matter fractions in a paddy soil

To assess the effect of long-term fertilization on labile organic matter fractions, we analyzed the C and N mineralization and C and N content in soil, particulate organic matter (POM), light fraction organic matter (LFOM), and microbial biomass. Results showed that fertilizer N decreased or did not affect the C and N amounts in soil fractions, except N mineralization and soil total N. The C and N amounts in soil and its fractions increased with the application of fertilizer PK and rice straw. Generally, there was no significant difference between fertilizer PK and rice straw. Furthermore, application of manure was most effective in maintaining soil organic matter and labile organic matter fractions. Soils treated with manure alone had the highest microbial biomass C and C and N mineralization. A significant correlation was observed between the C content and N content in soil, POM, LFOM, microbial biomass, or the readily mineralized organic matter. The amounts of POM–N, LFOM–N, POM–C, and LFOM–C closely correlated with soil organic C or total N content. Microbial biomass N was closely related to the amounts of POM–N, LFOM–N, POM–C, and LFOM–C, while microbial biomass C was closely related to the amounts of POM–N, POM–C, and soil total N. These results suggested that microbial biomass C and N closely correlated with POM rather than SOM. Carbon mineralization was closely related to the amounts of POM–N, POM–C, microbial biomass C, and soil organic C, but no significant correlation was detected between N mineralization with C or N amounts in soil and its fractions.     

Composition of lipophilic compounds and carbohydrates in the accumulated plant litter and soil organic matter in boreal forests

Carbohydrates and lipophilic compounds constitute an important component of litter and soil organic matter in boreal forests, but are still poorly identified. We characterized needle litter and coarse tree litter (cones, seeds, bark and twigs) from coniferous trees (Pinus sylvestris L. and Picea abies Karst.), and moss litter (Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomnium speldens), fermentation (F) and humus (H) layers in four boreal forest sites in Finland using a combination of sequential fractionation (non‐polar extractions, NPE; water‐soluble extractions, WSE; acid‐soluble fraction, AS) and detailed analyses on the soluble fractions using GC‐MS. Comparisons among the different layers of the soil organic horizon were used to assess which lipophilic compounds and carbohydrates increased in the F and H layers in proportion to their relative abundance in the litter layer and thus might have a large potential to accumulate in soil organic matter. Both concentrations and relative proportions of different compounds varied among the soil layers. Several of the fatty acids (FAs) found in the litter samples were absent in the F and the H layers. Needle and coarse tree litter contained a wide range of di‐ and triterpenes, but in the F and H layers oxidized forms of dehydroabietic acid and sterols were abundant. The large proportion of dehydroabietic acid in the lipophilic fraction in the H layer suggests that it may be poorly degradable by soil microorganisms, probably because of its anti‐microbial function in trees. The composition of the acid‐soluble fraction indicated that the proportion of cellulose in relation to hemicelluloses increased from the litter layer to the F and H layers. Put together, changes in the relative proportions of organic compounds in soluble fractions indicate that selective preservation of compounds, litter input by plant roots and microbial synthesis of compounds all contribute to the accumulation of aliphatic compounds in the H layer of boreal forests.     

Natural nitrogen-15 abundance and carbohydrate content and composition of organic matter particle-size fractions from a sandy soil

Sandy soil samples collected from under a woody/grass savanna in the Lamto experimental area (6°13N, 5°20W; Côte dIvoire, West Africa), were fractionated according to particle size with the aim of measuring the natural abundance of ¹⁵N and determining the contents and composition of hydrolysable carbohydrates of soil organo-mineral particles for a better understanding of the contribution of each individual fraction to the soil function. The contributions of the fractions <20 m to the total pool of organic matter were 77% for C and 84% for N. Larger amounts of carbohydrates were found in the clay and silt fractions (3,784–6,043 g g^–1 soil). The carbohydrate composition indicated that microbe-derived carbohydrates [e.g. galactose (Gal) and mannose (Man)] accumulated preferentially in the fine fractions while plant-derived sugars [e.g. arabinose (Ara) and xylose (Xyl)] were dominant in coarse fractions. A negative relationship was observed between C:N ratio and ¹⁵N natural abundance on the one hand, and on the other hand between C:N and (Gal+Man):(Ara+Xyl), Man:(Ara+Xyl) and Man:Xyl ratios, clearly indicating that the chemistry of the organic materials of the particle-size fractions reflects a change from soil chemistry dominated by plant materials to that dominated by microbial biomass and metabolites. The contribution of a given fraction to soil microbial activity is controlled by the quality or quantity of associated soil organic matter, its microbial biomass and also by the accumulation of microbial-derived carbohydrates which can be resynthesized or recycled.     

The quality of exogenous organic matter: short-term effects on soil physical properties and soil organic matter fractions

We examined the short-term effect of five organic amendments and compared them to plots fertilized with inorganic fertilizer and unfertilized plots on aggregate stability and hydraulic conductivity, and on the OC and ON distribution in physically separated SOM fractions. After less than 1 year, the addition of organic amendments significantly increased ( P  <   0.01) the aggregate stability and hydraulic conductivity. The stability index ranged between 0.97 and 1.76 and the hydraulic conductivity between 1.23 and 2.80 × 10⁻³ m/s for the plots receiving organic amendments, compared with 0.34–0.43, and 0.42–0.64 × 10⁻³ m/s, respectively, for the unamended plots. There were significant differences between the organic amendments (P <  0.01), although these results were not unequivocal for both soil physical parameters. The total OC and ON content were significantly increased ( P  <   0.05) by only two applications of organic fertilizers: between 1.10 and 1.51% OC for the amended plots versus 0.98–1.08% for the unamended and between 0.092 and 0.131% ON versus 0.092–0.098% respectively. The amount of OC and ON in the free particulate organic matter fraction was also significantly increased ( P  <   0.05), but there were no significant differences ( P  <   0.05) in the OC and ON content in the POM occluded in micro-aggregates and in the silt + clay-sized organic matter fraction. The results showed that even in less than 1 year pronounced effects on soil physical properties and on the distribution of OC and ON in the SOM fractions occurred.     

Identification of labile and stable pools of organic matter in an agrogray soil

The intensity of decomposition of the organic matter in the particle-size fractions from a agrogray soil sampled in a 5-year-long field experiment on the decomposition of corn residues was determined in the course of incubation for a year. The corn residues were placed into the soil in amounts equivalent to the amounts of plant litter in the agrocenosis and in the meadow ecosystem. A combination of three methods—the particle-size fractionation, the method of ¹³C natural abundance by C3–C4 transition, and the method of incubation—made it possible to subdivide the soil organic matter into the labile and stable pools. The labile pool reached 32% in the soil of the agrocenosis and 42% in the meadow soil. Owing to the negative priming effect, the addition of C4 (young) carbon favored the stabilization of the C3 (old) carbon in the soil. When the young carbon was absent, destabilization or intense decomposition of the old organic matter was observed. This process was found even in the most stable fine silt and clay fractions.     

Using soil organic matter fractions as indicators of soil physical quality

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of chemical and physical fractions of soil organic matter (SOM ), rather than SOM per se , as indicators of soil physical quality (SPQ ) based on their effect on aggregate stability (AS ). Chemically extracted humic and fulvic acids (HA and FA ) were used as chemical fractions, and heavy and light fractions (HF and LF ) obtained by density separation as physical fractions. The analyses were conducted on medium‐textured soils from tropical and temperate regions under cropland and pasture. Results show that soil organic carbon (SOC ), SOM fractions and AS appear to be affected by land use regardless of the origin of the soils. A general separation of structurally stable and unstable soils between samples of large and small SOC content, respectively, was observed. SOM fractions did not show a better relationship with AS than SOC per se . In both geographical regions, soils under cropland showed the smallest content of SOC , HA and carbon concentration in LF and HF , and the largest HF /LF ratio (proportion of the HF and LF in percent by mass of bulk soil). With significant associations between AS and SOC content (0.79**), FA /SOC (r  = −0.83*^*), HA /FA (r  = 0.58*^*), carbon concentration of LF (r  = 0.69*^*) and HF (r  = 0.70*^*) and HF /LF ratio (r  = 0.80*^*), cropland showed lowest AS . These associations indicate that SOM fractions provide information about differences in SOM quality in relation to AS and SPQ of soils from tropical and temperate regions under cropland and pasture.     

Decomposition temperature sensitivity of isolated soil organic matter fractions

The general consensus is that a warming climate will result in the acceleration of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, thus acting as a potential positive feedback mechanism. However, the debate over the relative temperature sensitivity of labile versus recalcitrant SOM has not been fully resolved. We isolated acid hydrolysis residues to represent a recalcitrant pool of SOM and particulate organic matter (POM) to represent a labile pool of SOM, and incubated each at different temperatures to determine temperature sensitivity of decomposition. Short-term incubations of POM generated results consistent with published experiments (i.e., greater proportion of C respired and lower Q₁₀ than whole soil), while incubations of acid hydrolysis residues did not. The contrasting results illustrate the difficulty in assessing temperature sensitivity of labile versus stable SOM decomposition, partly because of the inability to quantitatively isolate labile versus stable SOM pools and to be sufficiently certain that respiration responses to temperature are not masked by processes such as enhanced stabilization or microbial inhibition/adaptation. Further study on the temperature sensitivity of decomposition of isolated SOM fractions is necessary to better explain and predict temperature responses of bulk SOM decomposition.     

Evidence of peptides in low-molecular-weight fractions of soil organic matter

Summary Organic matter was extracted from three soils, a Berwick sandy loam, a Franklin loamy sand, and a Cumberland silty loam. The extracts were separated into high (>8000 daltons) and low-molecular-weight (<8000 daltons) fractions using gel filtration. Reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography at 214 nm was used to separate the peptides into low-molecular-weight fractions. Peptide samples were collected with an integrated fraction collector and hydolyzed with an immobilized protease column reactor. High performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection was used to determine the amino-acid contents of the collected samples. The results indicated that peptide intermediates are present in soil size fractions. Greater quantities of several amino acids were released from the peptide hydrolyzates of the Berwick sandy loam and Franklin loamy sand, compared with the Cumberland silty loam, an uncultivated soil. These findings indicate that organic intermediates (e.g., peptides) are more prevalent in biologically active soils than in relatively inert soils.     

Climatic influences on active fractions of soil organic matter

Biologically active fractions of soil organic matter are important in understanding decomposition potential of organic materials, nutrient cycling dynamics, and biophysical manipulation of soil structure. We evaluated the quantitative relationships among potential C and net N mineralization, soil microbial biomass C (SMBC), and soil organic C (SOC) under four contrasting climatic conditions. Mean SOC values were 28±11 mg g⁻¹ (n=24) in a frigid–dry region (Alberta/British Columbia), 25±5 mg g⁻¹ (n=12) in a frigid–wet region (Maine), 11±4 mg g⁻¹ (n=117) in a thermic–dry region (Texas), and 12±5 mg g⁻¹ (n=131) in a thermic–wet region (Georgia). Higher mean annual temperature resulted in consistently greater basal soil respiration (1.7 vs 0.8 mg CO₂–C g⁻¹ SOC d⁻¹ in the thermic compared with the frigid regions, P<0.001), greater net N mineralization (2.8 vs 1.3 mg inorganic N g⁻¹ SOC 24 d⁻¹, P<0.001), and greater SMBC (53 vs 21 mg SMBC g⁻¹ SOC, P<0.001). Specific respiratory activity of SMBC was, however, consistently lower in the thermic than in the frigid regions (29 vs 34 mg CO₂–C g⁻¹ SMBC d⁻¹, P<0.01). Higher mean annual precipitation resulted in consistently lower basal soil respiration (1.1 vs 1.3 mg CO₂–C g⁻¹ SOC d⁻¹ in the wet compared with the dry regions, P<0.01) and lower SMBC (31 vs 43 mg SMBC g⁻¹ SOC, P<0.001), but had inconsistent effects on net N mineralization that depended upon temperature regime. Specific respiratory activity of SMBC was consistently greater in the wet than the dry regions (≈33 vs 29 mg CO₂–C g⁻¹ SMBC d⁻¹, P<0.01). Although the thermic regions were not able to retain as high a level of SOC as the frigid regions, due likely to high annual decomposition rates, biologically active soil fractions were as high per mass of soil and even 2–3-times greater per unit of SOC in the thermic compared with the frigid regions. These results suggest that macroclimate has a large impact on the portion of soil organic matter that is potentially active, but a relatively small impact on the specific respiratory activity of SMBC.     

Sources and composition of soil organic matter fractions between and within soil aggregates

It is generally accepted that particulate organic matter derives from plants. In contrast, the enriched labile fraction is thought by many to derive from microbes, especially fungi. However, no detailed chemical characterization of these fractions has been done. In this study, we wanted to assess the sources (plants or microbes; fungi or bacteria) and degree of microbial alteration of (i) three particulate organic matter fractions – namely the free light fraction (1.85 g cm^?3), the coarse (250–2000 μm) and the fine (53–250 μm) intra‐aggregate particulate organic matter fractions – and of (ii) three density fractions of fine‐silt associated carbon – namely < 2.0, 2.0–2.2 (i.e. enriched labile fraction) and > 2.2 g cm^?3– by analysing the amino sugars, by CuO oxidation analyses, and by ¹³C‐, ¹H‐ and ³¹P‐NMR analyses. Macroaggregates (250–2000 μm) were separated by wet‐sieving from a former grassland soil now under a no‐tillage arable regime. The three particulate organic matter fractions and the three density fractions were isolated from the macroaggregates by a combination of density flotation, sonication and sieving techniques. Proton NMR spectroscopy on alkaline extracts showed that the enriched labile fraction is not of microbial origin but is strongly degraded plant material that is enriched in aliphatic moieties partly bound to aromatics. In addition, the enriched labile fraction had a glucosamine content less than the whole soil, indicating that it is not enriched in carbon derived from fungi. Decreasing yields of phenolic CuO oxidation products and increasing side‐chain oxidation in the order coarse intra‐aggregate particulate organic matter < fine inter‐aggregate particulate organic matter < fine‐silt fractions indicate progressive alteration of lignin as particle size decreases. The light fraction was more decomposed than the coarse inter‐aggregate particulate organic matter, as indicated by (i) its larger ratio of acid‐to‐aldehyde of the vanillyl units released by CuO oxidation, (ii) the smaller contribution of H in carbohydrates to total extractable H as estimated by ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, and (iii) a larger contribution of monoester P to total extractable P in the ³¹P‐NMR spectra. In conclusion, the four fractions are derived predominantly from plants, but microbial alteration increased as follows: coarse inter‐aggregate particulate organic matter < light fraction ≈ fine inter‐aggregate particulate organic matter < enriched labile fraction.     

Changes in microbial community metabolism and labile organic matter fractions as early indicators of the impact of management on soil biological quality

 Changes to the metabolic profiles of soil microbial communities could have potential for use as early indicators of the impact of management or other perturbations on soil functioning and soil quality. We compared the relative susceptibility to management of microbial community metabolism with a number of soil organic matter (OM) and microbial parameters currently used as indicators of changes in soil biological quality. Following long-term cereal cropping, plots were subjected to a 16-month treatment period consisting of either a mixed cropping sequence of vetch, spring barley and clover or a continuous grass-clover ley which was periodically mown and mulched. The treatments had no effect on soil biomass N or respiration of microbial populations inoculated into Biolog Gram negative (GN) plates. After 16 months there were no management-induced changes to total OM, light-fraction OM C and N, labile organic N or water-soluble carbohydrates. However, patterns of substrate utilization by the soil microbial population following inoculation into Biolog GN plates were found to be highly sensitive to management practice. In the mixed cropping sequence, substrate utilization changed markedly following plough-in of the vetch crop, with a smaller change occurring after harvesting of the barley. In the ley treatment, substrate utilization was not affected until the onset of mowing, when the pattern changed to become similar to that in the mixed cropping sequence. Metabolic diversity of the Biolog-culturable microbial population was increased by the ley treatment, but was not affected by the cropping sequence. We conclude that patterns of microbial substrate utilization and metabolic diversity are more sensitive to the effects of management than are OM and biomass pools, and therefore have value as early indicators of the impacts of management on soil biological properties, and hence soil quality. Received: 7 April 1999     

Climate change affects soil labile organic carbon fractions in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Purpose

Changes in bioactive soil C pools and their temperature sensitivities will dominate the fate of soil organic C in a warmer future, which is not well understood in highland ecosystems. This study was conducted in order to evaluate climate change, especially cooling effects, on soil labile organic C (LOC) pools in a Tibetan alpine meadow.

Materials and methods

A short-term reciprocal translocation experiment was implemented to stimulate climate warming (downward translocation) and cooling (upward translocation) using an elevation gradient on the Tibetan Plateau. Variations in soil microbial biomass C (MBC), dissolved organic C (DOC) and LOC were analyzed.

Results and discussion

Over the range of soil temperature from 0.02 to 5.5 °C, warming averagely increased soil MBC, DOC and LOC by 15.3, 17.0 and 3.7 % while cooling decreased them by 11.0, 11.9 and 3.2 %, respectively. Moreover, warming generally increased the proportion of DOC in LOC but cooling had an opposite effect, while the response of the MBC proportion to DOC and LOC varied depending on vegetation type. Soil MBC, DOC and LOC pools were positively related to soil temperature and showed a hump-shaped relationship with soil moisture with a threshold of about 30–35 %. Although soil DOC was more sensitive to warming (5.1 % °C^?1) than to cooling (3.0 % °C^?1), soil LOC showed a symmetrical response due to regulation by soil moisture.

Conclusions

Our results indicated that climate change would not only change the size of soil LOC pools but also their quality. Therefore, cooling effects and regulation of soil moisture should be considered to evaluate the fate of soil organic C in Tibetan alpine meadows in a warmer future.

     

东北黑土有机质组分与结构的研究进展

在全球气候变化背景下研究土壤有机质的转化过程对于评价陆地生态系统碳截获潜力具有重要意义,而土壤有机质的循环特征及其稳定性与土壤有机质的组成和结构密切相关.东北黑土区是我国重要的商品粮基地,近年来,黑土有机质含量呈显著下降趋势,造成黑土肥力和质量的严重退化.本文通过文献资料的整理,总结了不同农田管理措施下黑土土壤有机质的消长动态、组分变化以及结构特征的研究现状,并探讨了研究中存在的问题.开垦和耕作导致土壤有机质总量、活性组分以及腐殖物质含量的显著降低,而平衡施用化肥和有机肥是维持和提升土壤有机质数量和质量的有效途径,长期有机无机配施使土壤有机质结构趋于简单化,有利于土壤肥力的保持.黑土有机质组分化学结构变化的驱动机制是值得人们长期探索的问题.     

有机肥和化肥长期施用对土壤活性有机氮组分及酶活性的影响

本文以中国农业科学院山东禹城长期定位施肥试验为平台,研究了长期施用有机肥和化肥26年后对土壤活性氮库不同组分［颗粒有机氮（POM-N）、 可溶性有机氮（DON）、 微生物量氮（SMBN）及轻组有机氮（LFOM-N）］及土壤酶活性的影响。结果表明,与不施肥相比,长期施肥显著提高了土壤全氮、 颗粒有机氮、 可溶性有机氮、 微生物量氮以及轻组有机氮的含量,长期施有机肥效果好于化肥,施用高量有机肥效果好于施用常量有机肥。常量施用量下,50%有机肥和50%化肥配施处理其土壤全氮和活性有机氮库各组分含量与高量化肥处理的相当。长期施化肥处理土壤全氮及活性有机氮库各组分含量随施肥量的增加而显著增高。POM-N对土壤全氮的贡献率最高,且明显受施肥方式的影响,LFOM-N对土壤全氮的贡献率不随施肥方式的改变而变化。长期施肥处理土壤脲酶、 碱性磷酸酶和蔗糖酶活性显著增加,它们之间及与土壤全氮、 速效磷及有机碳含量间呈现显著或极显著相关性,脲酶活性与土壤各活性氮组分间也存在显著或极显著相关性; 但长期施肥后土壤过氧化氢酶的活性低于不施肥     

Predicting soil N mineralization: Relevance of organic matter fractions and soil properties

Distinct extractable organic matter (EOM) fractions have been used to assess the capacity of soils to supply nitrogen (N). However, substantial uncertainty exists on their role in the N cycle and their functional dependency on soil properties. We therefore examined the variation in mineralizable N and its relationship with EOM fractions, soil physical and chemical properties across 98 agricultural soils with contrasting inherent properties and management histories. Mineralizable N was determined by aerobic incubation at 20 °C and optimum moisture content for 20 weeks. We used multivariate statistical modelling to account for multi-collinearity, an issue generally overlooked in studies evaluating the predictive value of EOM fractions. Mineralization of N was primarily related to the size of OM pools and fractions present; they explained 78% of the variation in mineralizable N whereas other soil variables could explain maximally 8%. Both total and extractable OM expressed the same soil characteristic from a mineralization perspective; they were positively related to mineralizable N and explained a similar percentage of the variation in mineralizable N. Inclusion of mineralizable N in fertilizer recommendation systems should be based on at least one OM variable. The most appropriate EOM fraction can only be identified when the underlying mechanisms are known; regression techniques are not suitable for this purpose. Combination of single EOM fractions is not likely to improve the prediction of mineralizable N due to high multi-collinearity. Inclusion of texture-related soil variables or variables reflecting soil organic matter quality may be neglected due to their limited power to improve the prediction of mineralizable N.     

Composition of organic matter in particle-size fractions of an agricultural soil

The composition of organic matter was studied in clay (< 2 μm), fine silt (2-6.3 μm), medium silt (6.3-20 μm), coarse silt (20-63 μm) and sand (63-2000 μm) fractions of the Ap-horizon of a clay loam (Orthic Humic Gleysol) from Bainsville (Ottawa, Canada) by organic C and total N analyses and pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectrometry (Py-FIMS). The C and N contents were largest in fine silt and medium silt and smaller in coarse silt and sand. Differences in the contents of organic matter and absorbed water were significantly (r= 0.945***) reflected by the amounts of volatilized matter during Py-FIMS. The Py-FI therniograms and mass spectra showed clear differences in thermal stability and molecular composition of organic matter between the organo-mineral size-fractions. Abundances of carbohydrates, phenols and lignin monomers, alkylaromatics and N-containing compounds decreased, whereas abundances of lignin dimers and lipids increased with increasing equivalent diameters. An exception was the sand fraction which was dominated by the characteristic features of plant residues. The six compound classes, calculated using signals of biomarkers, accounted for 35% to 60% of the recorded total ion intensity. The thermal evolution of the selected compound classes, which are important constituents of soil organic matter (SOM), indicated the stability of humic and organo-mineral bonds in particle-size fractions, Moreover, the influence of mineral matrix on organic matter composition was shown by significant correlations between relative abundances of carbohydrates, N-containing compounds, lipids, lignin dimers, and proportions of phyllosilicates.