| Abstract: | Abstract Plant litter and fine roots are important in maintaining soil organic carbon (C) levels as well as for nutrient cycling. The decomposition of surface‐placed litter and fine roots of wheat (Triticum aestivum), lucerne (Medicago sativa), buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), and mulga (Acacia aneura), placed at 10‐cm and 30‐cm depths, was studied in the field in a Rhodic Paleustalf. After 2 years, ≤10% of wheat and lucerne roots and ≥60% of mulga roots and twigs remained undecomposed. The rate of decomposition varied from 4.2 year?1 for wheat roots to 0.22 year?1 for mulga twigs, which was significantly correlated with the lignin concentration of both tops and roots. Aryl+O‐aryl C concentration, as measured by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, was also significantly correlated with the decomposition parameters, although with a lower R 2 value than the lignin concentration. Thus, lignin concentration provides a good predictor of litter and fine root decomposition in the field. |
