Ls. Koutika et al., Characterization of organic matter in topsoils under rain forest and pasture in the eastern Brazilian Amazon basin, BIOL FERT S, 29(3), 1999, pp. 309-313
In topsoils under forest and 7-, 12- and 17-year-old pastures, organic matt
er was characterized by analysing C and N distribution in particle-size fra
ctions, the C decomposition rates of soil and particle-size fractions and b
y employing density-fractionation of macro-organic matter (>150 mu m). The
C and N associated with clay fractions increased with increasing age of pas
ture. The weight (%) of macro-organic matter and its heavy fractions (>1.37
g cm(-3)) also increased with increasing age of pasture. However, in a lon
g-term incubation (100 days), these changes seemed to involve an increase i
n the C decomposition rate in the topsoil of the oldest pasture. Using the
C decomposition rates of particle-size fractions, it appeared that silt and
clay contributed differently to C decomposition in the whole soil. C assoc
iated with silt contributed to the C decomposition rate during the first 40
days of incubation, while C associated with clay contributed to C decompos
ition in the long-term incubation (after 40 days), especially when the clay
fraction appeared to reach saturation point with respect to its ability to
bind organic compounds and thus protect the soil from C loss.