Biological, chemical and thermal indices of soil organic matter stability in four grassland soils

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1051-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain F. Plante ◽  
José M. Fernández ◽  
Michelle L. Haddix ◽  
J. Megan Steinweg ◽  
Richard T. Conant
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Thermal Indices ◽  
Grassland Soils

scholarly journals The Use of Radiocarbon to Measure the Effects of Earthworms On Soil Development

Radiocarbon ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 892-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
J D Stout ◽  
K M Goh
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Development ◽  
Plant Debris ◽  
Grassland Soils ◽  
Fresh Plant

Δ14C and δ13C values for organic matter in forest and grassland soils, in the presence or absence of earthworms, indicate that it should be possible to quantify the effects of earthworms on soil organic matter by this means. Without earthworms, both in forest and grassland soils, plant debris tends to accumulate on the surface of the mineral soil and little organic matter is incorporated into or is translocated down the soil profile. Where earthworms are present, there is much more marked incorporation of fresh plant debris in the mineral soil. This is shown especially by the pulse of ‘bomb’ carbon and also by the δ13C values.

Soil science on the Canadian prairies - Peering into the future from a century ago

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
H H Janzen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Soil Science ◽  
Good Time ◽  
Grassland Soils ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
The Future

Now, as a new century begins, may be a good time to reflect on the future of Soil Science on the Canadian prairies. One way to do that is to step back about one hundred years, to the turn of the previous century when our grassland soils were first cultivated. What questions perplexed scientists then? And how did they look for answers? My objective is to listen for our forebears’ thoughts in their writings, now largely buried. From this historical vantage may emerge insights, not only into where our science has been, but also into where it might yet go. Key words: Soil organic matter, crop rotation, grassland soils, history

The Carbon-Nitrogen Ratio of Soil Organic Matter

1930 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. McLean
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arable Soils ◽  
Grassland Soils ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon Nitrogen Ratio ◽  
Nitrogen Ratio ◽  
Soil Climate ◽  
Range Of Variation

1. The average carbon-nitrogen ratio for fifty British soils from widely distributed areas approximates to the figure 10: 1 given by other investigators. The range of variation is from 6·5 to 13·5: 1. Sixteen foreign samples gave C/N ratios varying from 2·0 to 23·0: 1.2. Soils from limited areas, whether high or low in organic carbon, give approximately constant ratios, but these ratios vary from place to place according to soil, climate, etc. It is suggested that the C/N ratios may be specific.3. The C/N ratios of arable soils do not differ appreciably from those of grassland soils. The percentages of carbon and nitrogen are somewhat higher in the grassland samples than in the arable samples.

DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIC MATTER AND PHOSPHORUS FRACTIONS IN A TOPOGRAPHIC SEQUENCE OF SOILS IN SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

1965 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. S. Floate
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Phosphorus ◽  
Inorganic Phosphorus ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Grassland Soils ◽  
Inorganic P ◽  
Parent Materials ◽  
C And N

In sequences of grassland soils on south-facing slopes and forested soils on north-facing slopes in southern British Columbia, pH decreased but C, N, and organic phosphorus (Po) increased with increase in elevation from 1800 to 7400 ft. At the highest elevations grassland and forested soils contained similar amounts of C, N, and Po. The surface horizons of grassland soils at the lowest elevations contained C and N in similar amount to forested soils between 4000 and 5000 ft. C, N, and Po decreased with depth in all profiles but the amount of H2SO4-soluble inorganic P (Pa) increased to its highest percentage of the total, up to 98%, in the parent materials. Although both C/N and C/Po ratios decreased with depth, the values for C/Po were not high and indicated that inorganic phosphorus supply is not limiting the accumulation of P in the soil organic matter. These properties were interpreted as the effects of climate, modified by elevation, aspect, and vegetation, on weakly weathered parent materials.

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