Interaction between clay microstructure, decomposition of plant residues and humification

We have studied microstructural changes in montmorillonite and kaolinite, which were amended with organic debris (leaves of chestnut or beech), microbial inoculum and nutrients and subjected, for 30 days at 25°C, to alternate drying and wetting (D–W) or kept continuously moist at water-holding capacity (WHC). The objective was to evalute the interactions between the decomposition of plant residues and clay microstructural organization in different pore–water regimes. The microstructure was studied by Hg porosimetry, N adsorption at 77 K, and scanning electron microscopy. Decomposition was assessed by measuring residual C and N, the amount of humified material, the relative contents of humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids, and their molecular weight distribution. The structural organization at the end of the experiments was different for the two clays, and new classes of pores were found as the result of the microbial metabolism. The decomposition was also significantly affected by clay type. Decomposition of the organic matter (OM) was rapid in the montmorillonite. The humified material occured mainly as low molecular weight FAs. By contrast, transformation was slow in kaolinite, leaving much residual C, and more of the humified material consisted of HAs. Alternate D–W had little effect on microstructure and decomposition. Samples that were kept moist and amended with chestnut leaves produced the greatest amount of humified substances. The dynamics of the decomposition was significantly affected by the nature of the leaves as indicated by the differences in residual C, humified material and C/N ratio. By contrast, changes in pore size distribution (PSD) were litle influenced by the type of organic debris.