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Chemical Composition of Crop Biomass Impacts Its Decomposition

USDA-Agricultural Research Service, North Central Soil Conserv. Res. Lab., 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, MN 56267

View larger version (25K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Percentage of plant C remaining based on cumulative CO2 flux and initial C input from plant tissue. Plant tissue was incubated in soil for 498 d at 25°C and 60% water-filled pore space. Vertical bars are SE, n = 4. Predicted lines calculated using two-pool, double exponential model (Wieder and Lang, 1982): Ct = Caexp(–kat) + (100 – Ca)exp(–kpt), where ka is the decomposition rate for Ca, which represents the rapidly decomposing or active plant litter, kp is the decomposition rate of (100 – Ca), which represents the slowly decomposing plant litter, and Ca is the percentage of C remaining in the active litter fraction, which assumes that adding plant tissue did not alter the decomposition of soil organic matter present in the soil.

View larger version (20K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Concentration of NO3– in soil measured 0, 15, 31, 66, 94, and 120 d after incubating plant tissue in soil at 25°C and 60% water-filled pore space to estimate N mineralization. Vertical bars are SE, n = 4.