Fertilizer and residue quality effects on organic matter stabilization in soil aggregates

2009

English

This study examined the influence of organic residue quality and N fertilizer on aggregate-associated soil organic matter (SOM) in maize (Zea mays L.) cropping systems of southern Ghana. Six residue treatments of differing quality [Crotalaria juncea L., Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit, maize stover, sawdust, cattle manure, and a control with no residues added] were applied at 4 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 both with and without fertilizer N additions (120 kg N ha−1 season−1). Soils (0–15 cm) were sampled 3 yr after study implementation and wet sieved into four aggregate size classes (8000–2000, 2000–250, 250–53, and <53 μm). Small macroaggregates (2000–250 μm) were further separated into coarse particulate organic matter (>250 μm), microaggregates within macroaggregates (53–250 μm), and macroaggregate-occluded silt and clay (<53 μm). Nitrogen fertilizer additions reduced aggregate stability, as was evident from a 40% increase in the weight of the silt and clay fraction (P = 0.014) as well as a decrease in microaggregates across all residue types (P = 0.019). Fertilizer similarly affected C and N storage within these aggregate fractions, while the effects of residue quality were largely insignificant. Our results suggest that fertilizer effects on soil aggregation may have important implications for long-term SOM dynamics.

Fonte, S. O.; Yeboah, E.; Ofori, P.; Quansah, G. W.; Vanlauwe, B.; Six, J.