Carbohydrate composition of hay and maize soils and their possible importance in soil structure

The soils of three fields under continuous maize culture for 2,4 and 15 yr, and the soil of an adjacent hayfield were analyzed for carbohydrates by gas chromatography. A sharp decrease (30%) in total carbohydrates, paralleled by a smaller decrease in organic matter (9%), was observed after 2 yr of maize cultivation. The 4-yr maize soil showed an upward trend in both organic matter and carbohydrate content but this was subsequently reversed. The 15-yr highly-compacted maize soil had 40% less organic matter and 40% less carbohydrates than the hay soil. When compared to the well structured 2-yr maize soil, this compacted soil had less arabinose, xylose, glucose, galactose and mannose; carbohydrates which are probably of plant root origin. These sugars are likely to be involved in the structural stability of soil aggregates. Conversely, neither the amino sugars nor the uronic acids seemed to contribute to good soil structure.