Total organic carbon, total nitrogen, microbial respiration and enzyme activity (β-glucosidase) were measured on several horizons of a Dayton silt loam (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic, Typic Albaqualf) soil cropped to annual ryegrass under two straw residue management systems. The study evaluated the effects of annual burning of straw residues or annual incorporation of straw residues on the content, distribution and bioavailability of soil organic carbon. Four fields were selected to represent the burn management system which have been annually burned for a minimum of 40 years. Four fields were selected to represent the straw incorportated system (mold board plow) which had been annually burned for approximately 30 years, followed by incorporation of straw residues into soil for a minimum of 10 years. One native site was selected to represent non-cultivation conditions. Straw management system strongly influenced both the total organic C and N and microbial activity the surface soil horizon. Soil organic C and N content were significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the Ap horizons of soils under the plowed management system than soils under the burned management system. The collective evidence suggests, however, that the significant differences observed between the two residue management systems are not due to greater losses of soil organic C and N as a result of burning but rather that organic C levels have increased as a result of a change in management. Soil C:N ratios are slightly higher in the Ap horizons of soils as a result of straw residue incorporation in comparison to burning of straw residues. When expressed on a mass soil basis, both C0₂ evolution from microbial respiration, during a 32 day incubation period, and enzyme activity were significantly greater (p < 0.10) for the Ap horizon of soils where straw residue had been incorporated than in soils where residues had been annually burned. When expressed on a per gram C basis, neither C0₂ evolution from microbial respiration or enzyme activity were significantly different between the two management systems. These results indicate that long-term annual burning of straw residues has not decreased the bioavailability of soil organic C. / Graduation date: 1992

The influence of tree species on forest soils has been the subject of study for at least a century. Of particular interest have been western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) and western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) – two of the most common tree species in coastal and southern British Columbia, but each with a different nutrient amplitude. It has generally been found that acid, mycogeneous Mor humus forms develop in hemlock stands, while less acid and more zoogenous Mormoder, Moder, or even Mull humus forms develop in redcedar stands. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of hemlock and redcedar, growing separately and together, on forest floor nutrient properties. The questions addressed were: (1) does each stand type have unique forest floor nutrient properties? and (2) can any forest floor nutrient property discriminate between stand types?

1. Ištirti skirtingo humusingumo glėjiškame rudžemyje alternatyviose intensyviajai žemdirbystės sistemose su daugiamečių žolių atolu ir tarpinių pasėlių biomase į dirvožemį įterptų biogeninių elementų kiekį ir jų poveikį sėjomainos augalų produktyvumui. 2. Įvertinti su trąšomis įterptų ir su derliumi prarastų biogeninių elementų NPK balansą ekologinės bei tausojamosios žemdirbystės sistemose ir nustatyti judriųjų fosforo ir kalio pokyčius dirvožemyje. 3. Nustatyti tausojamosios ir ekologinės žemdirbystės sistemose tarpiniuose pasėliuose augintų augalų biomasėje sukaupto azoto poveikį Nmin. dinamikai dirvožemyje. 4. Ištirti naudotų trąšų ir tarpinių pasėlių poveikį humuso ir jo sudėties pokyčiams ekologinės bei tausojamosios žemdirbystės sistemose. 5. Įvertinti ekologinės ir tausojamosios žemdirbystės sistemose naudotų agropriemonių poveikį pagrindinių dirvožemio fizikinių rodiklių stabilumui, agrofitocenozių dominantėms ir augaluose sukauptai bendrajai energijai. / 1. In the cropping systems alternative to the intensive cropping system, set up on a gleyic Cambisol with a different humus status, perennial grasses and biomass of catch crops are a significant reserve of biogenic elements for the productivity of crop rotation plants. 2. In the organic and sustainable cropping systems, farmyard manure and biogenic elements incorporated with it have a greater positive effect on the NPK balance and changes in available phosphorus and potassium in the soil compared with green manure. 3. Catch crops are important from the environmental viewpoint, since by accumulating nitrogen in their biomass they reduce Nmin. concentration in the soil and become a reserve of nutrients for succeeding plants. 4. In the soil with a different humus status, alternative cropping systems have a diverse effect on humus stability and changes in its quality. 5. In the sustainable and organic cropping systems, catch crops and their biomass play an important role for soil physical parameters, agrophytocenoses dominants and total energy.

[Truncated abstract] Relationships between the persistence of organic matter added to soil, the dynamics of soil organic carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) were examined in four experiments on lateritic soils of Western Australia. The main objective was to quantify the release of P following organic matter application in soils which have high P adsorbing capacity. Another objective was to confirm that due to its recalcitrant materials, the effect of peat lasted longer in soil than other sources of organic matter in terms of increasing plant-available P fractions. Three experiments were conducted under glasshouse conditions for various lengths of time, with nine- to twelve-month incubations to investigate these hypotheses. As expected, organic matter with lower C:N ratios than peat (lucerne hay) decomposed more rapidly compared with peat, and the most active mineralisation took place within the first three months of incubation. Soil organic-C (extracted by 0.5 M K2SO4) had a significant positive correlation with P extracted with 0.5 M NaHCO pH 8.53. For a higher application rate (120 ton ha-1), peat was better than wheat straw and lucerne hay in increasing extractable bicarbonate-P concentrations in soil, especially at incubation times up to 12 months. Throughout the experiment, peat was associated with a steady increase in all parameters measured. In contrast to peat, nutrient release from lucerne hay and wheat straw was rapid and diminished over time. There was a tendency for organic-C (either in the form of total extractable organic-C or microbial biomass-C) to steadily increase in soil with added peat throughout the experiment. Unlike wheat straw and lucerne hay, extractable organic-C from peat remained in soil and there was less C loss in the form of respiration. Therefore, peat persisted and sequestered C to the soil system for a longer time than the other source of organic matter. Freshly added organic matter was expected to have a greater influence on P transformation from adsorbed forms in lateritic soils than existing soil organic matter. By removing the existing soil organic matter, the effect of freshly applied organic matter can be determine separately from that of the existing soil organic matter for a similar organic-C content. In order to do this, some soil samples were combusted up to 450° C to eliminate inherent soil organic matter. The release of P was greater when organic-C from fresh organic matter was applied to combusted soils than in uncombusted soils that contained the existing soil organic matter. The exception only applied for parameters related to soil micro-organisms such as biomass-C and phosphatase. For such parameters, new soil organic matter did not create conditions favourable for organisms to increase in activity despite the abundance of organic matter available. More non-extractable-P was formed in combusted soils compared to bicarbonate-P and it contributed to more than 50% of total-P. As for the first experiment, peat also showed a constant effect in increasing bicarbonate extractable-P in the soil

Soil organic matter (SOM) is highly important for soil quality and the global carbon cycle. SOM content is influenced by a complex interplay of many different factors such as time, climate, parent material, vegetation, and others. The effect of time is often studied using the chronosequence approach using a set of study sites differing in age but comparable in other soil-forming factors. The effect of other factors can be studied by comparing two or more chronosequences. An important assumption of these approaches is that the SOM quantification methods produce comparable results both among sites of each sequence and among different sequences. In this thesis, I explored the key factors in SOM accumulation and dealt with SOM quantification methods. I studied SOM accumulation in two model situations - in post-mining sites after open-cast coal and oil shale mining and in landslides in the Western Carpathians. The results of this thesis are summarized in one book chapter accepted for publication and four papers, out of which three have been published and one is prepared for publication in an international journal with impact factor. The key factor affecting the rate of SOM accumulation after a major disturbance is time. The accumulation rates found in the first 40 to 100 years in both post-mining sites...

In dieser Untersuchung wurden Daten zur Nährstoff- und Humusversorgung sowie zur Fruchtfolgegestaltung von ökologisch wirtschaftenden Landwirtschaftsbetrieben im Freistaat Sachsen über einen Zeitraum von 6 Jahren gesammelt und ausgewertet. Insgesamt stand Datenmaterial von 810 ökologisch bewirtschaften Acker- und Grünlandschlägen und mehr als 4.800 Ernten zur Verfügung. Die Beurteilung des Nährstoff- und Humusmanagement erfolgte auf Schlag- und Betriebsebene für den pH-Wert und die Grundnährstoffe des Bodens. Ergänzend wurden Nährstoff- und Humusbilanzen sowie der Düngebedarf mit dem Programm BEFU, Teil Ökolandbau, berechnet. Für die Beurteilung des Fruchtfolgemanagements wurde ein geeignetes Bewertungsverfahren entwickelt und angewendet, mit dem der Erfüllungsgrad von Aufgaben und Regeln der Fruchtfolgegestaltung durch leicht erfass- und überprüfbare Kriterien abgeschätzt werden konnte.:1 Einleitung und Problemstellung 2 Material und Methoden 2.1 Datengrundlage 2.2 Bewertung des Nährstoff- und Humusmanagements 2.3 Bewertung der Fruchtfolgegestaltung 2.4 Statistische Verrechnung 3 Ergebnisse 3.1 Analyse des Nährstoff- und Anbaumanagements auf Betriebsebene 3.2 Schlagbezogene Bewertung des Nährstoff- und Anbaumanagements 3.3 Betriebsvergleich der schlagbezogenen Bewertung 4 Diskussion und Schlussfolgerungen 4.1 Methodik 4.2 Nährstoff- und Humusmanagement der Betriebe 4.3 Fruchtfolgegestaltung der Betriebe 5 Zusammenfassung 6 Literaturverzeichnis

No description available.

Auf repräsentativen Kippenstandorten des Niederlausitzer Braunkohlenrevieres wurden typische Forstökosysteme der ersten Generation analysiert. Gegenstand der Untersuchung waren mittelalte Bestände (46- bis 70 Jahre) der Rekultivierungsbaumarten Kiefer (n = 22) und Birke (n = 12) sowie 24- bis 45jährige Jungbestände der Baumarten Trauben- (n = 7) und Roteiche (n = 2). Die Roteichenbestände dienten primär vergleichenden Untersuchungen. Für altersspezifische und standortsvergleichende Betrachtungen wurden Ergänzungsbestände auf Kippenstandorten und Vergleichsbestände auf unverritzten Waldstandorten zusätzlich einbezogen. Die untersuchten Erstaufforstungen stocken auf Kippenkomplexen, die klimatisch, hydrologisch und geomorphologisch vergleichbar sind und baumartenweise weitestgehend identischen bodenmeliorativen Maßnahmen sowie waldbaulichen Behandlungsverfahren unterzogen wurden. Ziel der Untersuchung war die Qualifizierung der Wechselwirkungen zwischen Kippenstandort und aufstockendem Bestand. Als Leitgrößen für die Wirkung standörtlicher Merkmale auf die Baumarten dienten wachstums- (Leistungsparameter) und ernährungskundliche Kenndaten (Vitalitätsweiser). Quantität und Qualität der Humusauflage sowie die bodengenetische Entwicklung wurden als Indikatoren für die Rückwirkungen der bestandesbildenden Rekultivierungsbaumarten auf den Standort verwendet. Besondere Berücksichtigung fand das lokale Depositionsgeschehen.

Les fossiles moléculaires sont de puissants outils pour étudier l'origine, la transformation et le transfert de la matière organique dans les écosystèmes modernes et anciens. Marqueurs d'origine, ils livrent des informations sur le milieu de dépôt, en précisant notamment les sources de la matière organique et la place de leur précurseurs biologiques dans les chaînes alimentaires. De manière surprenante, la découverte de certains fossiles "orphelins" peut conduire à l'identification de nouvelles substances biologiques. L'analyse isotopique de marqueurs végétaux des sols permet d'étudier la dynamique de l'humus au niveau moléculaire. Marqueurs de processus, leur structure et leur composition isotopique révèlent la nature des réactions géochimiques opérant dans les milieux très complexes tels les sols et les sédiments. Marqueurs de maturité, les fossiles moléculaires mesurent l'intensité du stress thermique subi par la matière organique au cours de l'enfouissement dans les sédiments. À cet égard, ils s'avèrent utiles à la fois pour la recherche pétrolière et pour authentifier la présence de contamination pétrolière dans les écosystèmes modernes. Ainsi, le concept de marqueur moléculaire développé en géochimie pétrolière est à la base d'un domaine scientifique en émergence, la géochimie organique environnementale.

In the state of Sergipe, more precisely in the center-south region of the Coastal Plains serves as the stage for one of the largest citrus production in the country. The intensive cultivation of these soils reduces the content of organic matter that is the key component to ensure its quality. Thus, the use of alternate layering residues format, can be a viable alternative to the revitalization of citrus orchards. The objective of this study was the evaluation of the labile and stable soil organic matter, carbon management index and microbial activity in soil treated with organic waste and citrus cultivation in the state of Sergipe. Soil samples were collected in the layers 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm, and 10-15 cm in a citrus (Citrus sinensis, L. Osbeck) orchard treated either with organic residues or mineral fertilizer, or a combination of the two (conventional management, where the projection of the plant canopy was kept clean of weeds, and no mineral fertilization; humus residues; alternate layering residues (in situ made compost); alternate layering residues + NPK; only NPK; humus residues + NPK; and a native forest soil as reference). The results were submitted to analysis of variance and means were compared by the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability by the software SISVAR. To evaluate the microbial activity was also determined the coefficient of correlation (p . 5) via the computer application SAEG. The study of C in the labile and stable organic matter were more effective than isolated evaluation of total organic carbon (TOC) to check for changes in the dynamics of C in the soil. The C in particulate organic matter (C-POM) was more sensitive than the content of C in complexed organic matter (C-COM). Overall, the treatments that have provided incorporation of organic residues showed carbon management index (CMI) close to the native forest. The fulvic acids fraction (FAF) helped identify the changes in soil for different types of management. The humin fraction (HUMF) showed the highest levels of C relative to FAF and humic acids fraction (HAF). The incorporation of organic waste to the crowning of the orange zone also caused an increase in microbial respiration rates, in total content of organic matter, as well as the elevation of pH, P, Ca and Mg treatments when compared to native forest and conventional management. The ratio stratification was effective to evaluate the influence of different management practices between depths indicating treatments Humus, Humus + NPK and altenate layering residues + NPK as the most effective in increasing the organic matter content in the soil. The benefits caused to soil after the incorporation of organic waste show that the use of practices more conservationist contributes to the improvement of the soil. / No estado de Sergipe, mais precisamente no centro-sul, a regiao de Tabuleiros Costeiros serve de palco para uma das maiores producoes citricolas do pais. O cultivo intensivo feito de forma inadequada nesses solos reduz o teor de materia organica que e o componente fundamental para assegurar a sua qualidade. Dessa forma, o aproveitamento dos residuos organicos no formato de compostagem laminar, pode ser uma alternativa viavel para a revitalizacao de pomares citricolas. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi a avaliacao das fracoes labeis e estaveis da materia organica do solo, do indice de manejo do carbono e da atividade microbiana em solo tratado com residuos organicos e cultivado com citros no estado de Sergipe. Foram coletadas amostras de solo em tres profundidades (0-5, 5-10 e 10-15 cm) em area cultivada com laranja pera (Citrus sinensis, L. Osbeck) sob diferentes tratamentos (manejo convencional onde a area sob a copa da planta e mantida limpa e sem aplicacao de fertilizantes; humus, aplicado sob a copa da planta; compostagem laminar, com residuos organicos como restos culturais e estercos dispostos em camadas alternadas sob a copa da planta; compostagem laminar + NPK; NPK; humus + NPK; o mesmo solo sob mata nativa foi usado como referencia). Os resultados foram submetidos a analise de variancia e as medias foram comparadas pelo teste de Scott-Knott a 5% de probabilidade por meio do software SISVAR. Para avaliacao da atividade microbiana tambem foi determinado o coeficiente de correlacao de Pearson (p.5) atraves do aplicativo computacional SAEG. O estudo do C nas fracoes labeis e estaveis da materia organica foram mais eficazes do que avaliacao isolada do carbono organico total (COT) para verificar alteracoes na dinamica do C no solo. O C da materia organica particulada (CMOP) se mostrou mais sensivel do que o teor de C na materia organica complexada (CMOC). No geral, os tratamentos que tiveram incorporacao de residuos organicos proporcionaram indices de manejo de carbono (IMC) proximos ao da mata nativa. A fracao acidos fulvicos (FAF) ajudou a identificar as mudancas ocorridas no solo em funcao dos diferentes tipos de manejo. A fracao humina (FHUM) apresentou os maiores teores de C em relacao a FAF e a fracao acidos humicos (FAH). A incorporacao de residuos organicos a zona de coroamento da laranjeira tambem promoveu um aumento das taxas de respiracao microbiana, nos teores totais de materia organica, assim como, a elevacao de pH, P, Ca e Mg dos tratamentos quando comparados a mata nativa e ao manejo convencional. A relacao de estratificacao mostrou-se eficaz ao avaliar a influencia das diferentes praticas de manejo entre as profundidades indicando os tratamentos Humus, Humus + NPK e compostagem laminar + NPK como os mais eficazes em aumentar o teor de materia organica no solo. Os beneficios ocasionados ao solo, apos a incorporacao de residuos organicos demonstram que a utilizacao de praticas mais conservacionistas contribui em muito para a melhoria do solo.