Effects of Water Regime and Reaction of Soil on Properties of Newly—Formed Humic Substances

The effects of soil water regime and soil reaction on nitrogen distribution and fractional composition of newly-formed humus (decayed products) and the structural characteristics of the newly-formed humic acids(HAs) were studied in an incubation experiment,with the following results obtained: 1.The humus newly formed under submerged conditions was higher in the relative content of α-amino acid-N and the humic acid/fulvic acid (HA/FA) ratio than that under upland conditions.The HAs extracted from the former were also higher in C/O ratio,aromaticity and the contents of methoxyl groups and lignin-like components,but lower in the content of carboxyl groups than the HAs from the latter. 2.Under upland conditions,the C/ organic N ratio and the relative content of mobile HA of newly-formed humus were lower,but the HA/FA ratio was higher in the CaCO2-amended treatment than in non-amended treatment.The presence of CaCO3 also resulted in a decrease of C/N ratio of HA and a slight increase of its carboxyl group content.On the other hand,there was no significant change in the composition and properties of the newly-formed humus with the addition of CaCO3 under submerged conditions. 3.Compared with soil HAs,the newly-formed HAs contained more carbohydrates,polypeptides and lignin-like components,and were in lower degrees of oxidation and humification.