Short-Term Dynamic of Aggregate Fractions and their Organic Carbon Contents in a Calcareous Soil Treated with Plant Residues
Ali Akbar Safari Sinegani1, Monire Afzalpour2
Citation : Ali Akbar Safari Sinegani, Monire Afzalpour, Short-Term Dynamic of Aggregate Fractions and their Organic Carbon Contents in a Calcareous Soil Treated with Plant Residues International Journal of Research in Environmental Science 2015,1(2) : 38-47
The interrelation of aggregation and aggregate organic carbon (AOC) dynamics was studied in a calcareous soil. The soil treated with mild alfalfa, wheat and wood chips residues (>2mm), at a rate of 20 g kg1 and incubated for 120days under field capacity. The mean weight diameter (MWD) of aggregates, aggregation and AOC dynamic were strongly interrelated. The correlation coefficient between the percentage of macroaggregates in >2 mm fraction and the percentage of aggregates in < 1 mm fraction was negative and significant. During soil incubation the organic carbon (OC) content of aggregates in >2 mm fraction was higher in the soil treated with wood chips, but the OC content of aggregates in < 1mm fraction were higher in the soil treated with alfalfa. Organic carbon content of macroaggregates decreased during soil incubation in all the soil treated with 20 g kg-1. The aggregate MWD and the percentage of stable aggregates in >2 mm fraction were 0.8mm and 6.3 % respectively in the first day of the soil treated with wood chips. They increased continuously to 1.12 mm and 24.5 % in 120th day of soil incubation. But in the soil treated with alfalfa and wheat residues the highest ones were obtained in 20th day. They decreased continuously with decreasing soil active carbons and biological activities.