Dynamics of multiple elements in fast decomposing vegetable residues (original) (raw)
Dynamics of organic-chemical components in leaf littersduring a 3.5-year decomposition
European Journal of Soil Biology, 2000
Changes in organic-chemical components of Abies needle and Betula leaf litters were studied over a 3.5-year period in a sub-alpine coniferous forest in Japan. During the 3.5-year incubation, mass loss of litters was 56 and 78 % for Abies needle and Betula leaf, respectively. Decomposition of carbon components were expressed by Olson's constant (k). Decomposition rates of extractives, holocellulose and lignin were 0.569, 0.274 and 0.143 for Abies needle and 0.547, 0.572 and 0.253 respectively for Betula leaf litter. Lignin underwent less decomposition in both litters compared with extractives and holocellulose. After a 3.5-year period of decomposition, the concentrations of extractives, holocellulose, and lignin were similar between the two litters. Over a 3.5-year period of decomposition, the sugar compositions reached similar levels between the two litter types at the later decomposition stage. Dendrogram analysis of sugar dynamics indicated two groups, the first group included galactose, xylose, glucose and rhamnose and the second group included mannose. A convergence in concentrations of organic components between two litter types was demonstrated at two levels, i.e. first level: major fractions such as extractives, holocellulose, and lignin; and the second level: sugars, such as arabinose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, xylose and mannose. © 2000 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS decomposition / lignin / holocellulose / sugar / Abies / Betula
Fate of particulate organic matter in soil aggregates during cultivation
European Journal of Soil Science, 1996
Particulate organic matter (POM) is a labile fraction of soil organic matter which is thought to be physically protected from biodegradation when within soil aggregates. We have developed a fractionation method to separate POM located outside stable soil macroaggregates (> 200 pm) and microaggregates (50-200 pm) from that within them, and applied it to a cultivation sequence of humic loamy soils. The natural abundance of 13C was used to determine the amounts of POM derived from forest and that derived from crop in the free and occluded fractions. In the forest soil the free and occluded POM fractions had the same composition, morphology and isotopic signature. On cultivation the amounts of POM decreased sharply. The loss of C in the POM from forest was mainly from POM outside the aggregates. The POM occluded within microaggregates was found to turnover slowly. This may be due either to its recalcitrant chemical nature or to its physical protection within microaggregates Dynamique des mati&res organiques particulaires dans les agrCgats de sol lors d'une mise en culture
Interactions between decomposition of plant residues and nitrogen cycling in soil
Plant and Soil, 1996
The processes of N mineralization and immobilization which can occur in agricultural soils during decomposition of plant residues are briefly reviewed in this paper. Results from different incubation studies have indicated that the amounts of N immobilized can be very important and that the intensity and kinetics of N immobilization and subsequent remineralization depend on the nature of plant residues and the type of decomposers associated. However, most of the available literature on these processes refer to incubations where large amounts of mineral N were present in soil.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 1999
On 12 occasions during a 2-y ®eld experiment, we determined the decomposition of barley straw, ryegrass foliage, white clover foliage, potato haulm and white cabbage leaves con®ned in buried mesh bags that were protected against leaching. After 1 y, 49, 18, 8, 25 and 5% of initial carbon in the ®ve crop residues remained, respectively. The corresponding ®gures for nitrogen were 105, 32, 8, 36 and 11%. The data were used to evaluate a simulation model developed during previous studies of crop residue C and N turnover under controlled temperature and moisture conditions. Description of plant residue degradability and model parameter values were taken from these studies. Rate-modifying functions were then added to take account of eects of measured soil temperature and moisture. The model gave a good overall description of crop residue degradation but underestimated C release and, to a greater extent, N release during the ®rst autumn and winter. The relatively rapid N loss during this period, suggested that low temperatures restricted microbial N immobilization more than it did gross decomposition. We hypothesized that this was caused by a reduced microbial growth yield eciency (E) at low temperatures. When we reduced the value of E from 0.5 (default value) to 0.2 at 28C and below, model ®t to C and N mineralization was improved substantially. Moreover, the model produced an excellent ®t to remaining wheat straw C and a gave good description of N mineralization in an independent experiment, indicating that reducing the value of E was justi®ed. The results suggested that crop residue degradability and the decomposer community were reasonably described in the model, that the rate-modifying functions of temperature, moisture and N availability were sound and that parameter values set under controlled conditions also represented ®eld conditions, possibly with the exception of E.
Soluble Elements Released from Organic Wastes to Increase Available Nutrients for Soil and Crops
Applied Sciences
Member States of the European Union must ban burning arable stubble by 2023 and improve the recycling of organic waste into fertilizers and organic farming practices by 2030. The current lack of nutrients from soils and crops leads to food insecurity, human malnutrition and diseases. Consequently, innovative solutions are required, as technosols are constructed by waste. The objective of this paper is to educate on the nutrients that some pruning residues can provide. This work characterizes elemental composition, nutrients soluble fraction and physical and chemical properties of the following organic wastes: almond tree pruning, commercial peat substrate, olive tree pruning, pine needle, date palm leaf pruning, sewage sludge compost and vine pruning. The results show significant differences between macro (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and micronutrient (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn) content and their solubility. Sewage sludge compost, olive pruning and pine needle are the three residues with the highest presen...
Trace element-rich litter in soils: influence on biochemical properties related to the carbon cycle
Journal of Soils and Sediments, 2012
The aim of this work was to study the effect of 'trace element-rich litter' on the properties of two reforested polluted soils of different pH values (acidic and neutral) in terms of (1) availability of trace elements and (2) chemical and biochemical properties of the soil at different pH. We hypothesized that this litter would affect several parameters related to the organic matter cycle in soils, depending on initial soil pH. Materials and methods The experiment was carried out in three different soils: a non-polluted soil (NP) and two trace element-polluted soils (PN, neutral soil, and PA, acidic soil). Soil samples were placed in 2,000-cm 3 microcosms and were incubated for 40 weeks in controlled conditions. Each soil was mixed with its corresponding litter, NP-L, PN-L and PAL , and soils without litter were also tested for comparison. Microbial properties such as microbial biomass carbon (MBC), β-glucosidase activity and chemical properties such as pH, CaCl 2-soluble heavy metal concentrations, total organic carbon and water-soluble carbon (WSC) were measured after 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 and 40 weeks of incubation. Parameters related to soil respiration (basal respiration (R B), substrate-induced respiration (Rs), growth rate (μ), lag time (t lag) and time from substrate addition until peak of maximum respiration rate (t peakmax)) were measured after 0, 24 and 40 weeks of incubation. Results and discussion Available trace elements did not increase during the incubation and were always higher in soil with acid pH. Litter increased values of WSC, MBC and β-glucosidase as well as R B and R S , especially at the beginning of the incubation. Organic matter mineralization rates, MBC and some parameters related to soil respiration (t lag and t peak) were strongly affected by soil pollution with and without litter. All these properties were strongly related with pH and, to a lesser extent, with a higher trace element bioavailability in soils. Conclusions Acidity and trace element availability strongly affect organic matter decomposition and parameters related with the C cycle, such as MBC and soil respiration. However, despite heavy metal addition through the litter in polluted soil, organic matter input from litter is more beneficial than the removal of leaves from the soil, due to the positive effects that this causes in all parameters related to the C cycle.