Effects of different quality plant residues on soil carbon accumulation and aggregate formation in a tropical sandy soil in Northeast Thailand as revealed by a 10-year field experiment
2010
Samahadthai, P. | Vityakon, P. | Saenjan, P.
Particulate organic matter (POM) plays important role in soil organic carbon (SOC) retention and soil aggregation. This paper assesses how quality (chemical composition) of four different-quality organic residues applied annually to a tropical sandy loam soil for 10 years has affected POM pools and the development of soil aggregates. Water-stable aggregate size distribution (>2, 0·25-2, 0·106-0·25 mm) was determined through wet sieving. Density fractionation was employed to determine POM (light--LF, and heavy--HF fractions, 0·05-1 mm). Tamarind leaf litter showed the highest SOC (<1 mm) accumulation, while rice straw showed the lowest. LF-C contents had positive correlations with high contents of C and recalcitrant constituents, (i.e. lignin and polyphenols) of the residues. Dipterocarp, a resistant residue, showed the highest LF-C, followed by the intermediate residues, tamarind, and groundnut, whereas HF was higher in groundnut and tamarind than dipterocarp residues. Rice straw had the lowest LF- and HF-C contents. Tamarind had the highest quantity (51 per cent) of small macroaggregates (0·25-2 mm), while dipterocarp had the most (2·1 per cent) large macroaggregates (>2 mm). Rice straw had the lowest quantities of both macroaggregates. Similar to small-sized HF (0·05-0·25 mm), small macroaggregates had positive correlation with N and negative correlation with C/N ratios, while large macroaggregates had positive correlations with C and recalcitrant constituents of the residues. Tamarind, with intermediate contents of N and recalcitrant compounds, appears to best promote small macroaggregate formation. Carbon stabilized in small macroaggregates accounted for the tamarind treatment showing the largest SOC accumulation.
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