Bc. Liang et al., MANAGEMENT-INDUCED CHANGE IN LABILE SOIL ORGANIC-MATTER UNDER CONTINOUS CORN IN EASTERN CANADIAN SOILS, Biology and fertility of soils, 26(2), 1998, pp. 88-94
Soil samples taken from four experimental sites that had been cropped
to continuous corn for 3-11 years in Ontario and Quebec were analyzed
to evaluate changes in quantity and quality of labile soil organic car
bon under different nitrogen (N) fertility and tillage treatments. Add
i tion of fertilizer N above soil test recommendations tended to decre
ase amounts of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and microbial bioma
ss carbon (MBC). The quality of the WSOC was characterized by C-13 nuc
lear magnetic resonance and infrared spectrophotometry and the results
indicated that carbohydrates, long-chain aliphatics and proteins were
the major components of all extracts. Similar types of C were present
in all of the soils, but an influence of management was evident. The
quantity of soil MBC was positively related to the quantities of WSOC,
carbohydrate C, and organic C, and negatively related to quantities o
f long-chain aliphatic C in the soil. The quantity of WSOC was positiv
ely related to the quantities of protein C, carbohydrate C, and negati
vely related to the quantity of carboxylic C. The quantity of soil MBC
was not only related to quantities of soil WSOC but also to-the quali
ty of soil WSOC.