Effect of grinding on the decomposition of soil organic matter—I. The mineralization of organic nitrogen in relation to soil type

The effect of grinding on aerobic nitrogen mineralization in ten soils of widely different properties was studied. The aerobic mineralization of nitrogen was increased in seven of ten soils when they were ground to < 0.18 mm and < 0.05 mm; these seven soils contained more clay than the other three soils. Five soils with montmorillonite clay showed larger proportional increases in mineralization due to grinding than did the two soils with kaolin clay. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the inability of some previous workers to find increases in the rate of organic matter decomposition when soils are physically disrupted and the importance of clay protection in the resistance of soil organic matter to decomposition.