Plant Soil Environ., 2009, 55(6):245-251 | DOI: 10.17221/87/2009-PSE

Labile fractions of soil organic matter, their quantity and quality

L. Kolář, S. Kužel, J. Horáček, V. Čechová, J. Borová-Batt, J. Peterka
Agricultural Faculty, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic

The objective of the present paper is to contribute to the evaluation of quantity and quality of non-humified part of soil organic matter (SOM). In samples of soil organic matter from the humus profile of Šumava forest soils and forest meadows, taxonomically designated as mor and moder forms, the fractions of labile soil carbon Ccws, Chws, CPM and fraction of stable carbon represented by carbon of humus acids CHA and CFA were determined. Organic matter of samples was fractionated according to the degrees of hydrolyzability by two different methods in particle-size fractions of 2.00-0.25 mm and < 0.25 mm. The quality of labile fraction Chws was expressed on the basis of reaction kinetics as the rate constant of biochemical oxidation Kbio and rate constant of chemical oxidation Kchem of the first order reaction from a reduction in the concentration of C-compounds. The highest values of labile forms of carbon were determined in samples with the least favorable conditions for transformation processes of SOM, and these samples also had the highest content of labile forms in hydrolyses by both methods and the most labile fractions at the same time. The degree of SOM humification was strictly indirectly proportional to the lability of SOM and its hydrolyzability. The quality of labile fraction Chws can be expressed by both Kbio and Kchem while the sensitivity of Kbio is higher but the reproducibility of Kchem is better. Kbio corresponds with the degree of SOM transformation, Kchem with the proportion of CPM in total Cox.

Keywords: primary soil organic matter; labile fraction; quality and quantity; degree of hydrolyzability; oxidation; reaction rate

Published: June 30, 2009  Show citation

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Kolář L, Kužel S, Horáček J, Čechová V, Borová-Batt J, Peterka J. Labile fractions of soil organic matter, their quantity and quality. Plant Soil Environ. 2009;55(6):245-251. doi: 10.17221/87/2009-PSE.
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