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Organic Matter and Natural Carbon-13 Distribution in Forested and Cultivated Oxisols

Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Esc. Sup. de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz," Univ. de São Paulo, CP 96, 13400, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

F. Andreux and C. Feller

Centre de Pédologie Biologique (CNRS), BP 5 54501 Vandoeuvre-lés-Nancy Cédex, France, The Inst. Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Développement en Coopération (ORSTOM)

* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Soil carbon (C) distribution, natural ¹³C abundances and their changes as a consequence of cropping were studied in three neighboring areas on an Oxisol from Brazil. One site (T₀) was under forest, while the two other sites (T₁₂ and T₅₀) had been deforested, then cultivated with sugar cane for 12 and 50 yr, respectively. Soil morphological, chemical and mineralogical characteristics in all three sites were very similar. Total C content of the 0.06-m layer of T₀ was twice that of T₁₂ and T₅₀, then decreased sharply with depth, to values similar to the other profiles. Delta ¹³C had practically constant values of –25.1, –22.8, and –20.4, throughout the 0 to 0.30-m layer of T₀, T₁₂, and T₅₀ respectively. These values increased in deeper layers, to about –17, due to increased humification and possibly to deposition of organic matter from a former ¹³C-rich vegetation. The 0.10- to 0.20-m layer was separated into particle-size fractions and alkaline extract. Carbon contents decreased from T₀ to T₅₀ in the sand-size fractions and alkaline extracts, but did not change in the clay-size fractions. Delta ¹³C values were used to estimate the proportions of C derived from forest (Cdff) and from sugar cane (Cdfc). Carbon derived from sugar cane represented 17.3 ± 3.2% and 40.5 ± 2.2% of total C in T₁₂ and T₅₀, respectively. It reached its maximum value (67 ± 3.7%) in the coarse sand fraction of T₁₂ and T₅₀ and decreased with decreasing fraction size, to 13.8 ± 9.4% and 30.5 ± 6.5% in the fine clay fractions of T₁₂ and T₅₀, respectively. Thus, Cdff persisted mainly in the clay-size fraction.

Joint contribution from CENA, CNRS and ORSTOM. Partly funded by grant no. 85/3381-3 from Fundação de Apoio á Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil.

Received for publication July 17, 1987.

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