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Preservation of Plant Residues in Soils Differing in Unsaturated Protective Capacity

DLO Research Inst. for Agrobiology and Soil Fertility (AB-DLO), P.O. Box 129, 9750 AC Haren, the Netherlands

*Corresponding author (j.hassink{at}ab.dlo.nl).

ABSTRACT

This study tested the hypothesis that the decomposition of applied residue C in soil is not determined by soil texture per se but by the degree of saturation of the protective capacity of a soil. Soil protective capacity is defined as the maximum amount of C associated with clay and silt (<20 µm) in grassland and uncultivated soils. To test this hypothesis, ¹⁴C-labeled ryegrass (grown in a phytotron and continuously labeled with ¹⁴CO₂; specific activity 546 Bq mg^-1 C) was mixed with 11 soil samples differing in texture and saturation deficit, the latter being the difference between the actual and the maximum amount of C associated with the <20-µm fraction. After 3 d of incubation, the percentage of applied ¹⁴C that had respired showed a significant correlation (r = –0.85) with the saturation deficit. After 53 d of incubation, the amount of ¹⁴C respired showed a significant correlation with the saturation deficit of the fine-textured soils (r = –0.88), but not with those of coarse-textured soils. The correlation between ¹⁴CO₂ production and soil texture was weak. The results confirm the hypothesis that the degree of saturation of the protective capacity of a soil predicts the decomposition rate of residue C better than does soil texture alone.

Received for publication January 30, 1995.

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