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Decomposition in a peaty soil improved for pastoral agriculture
Author(s) -
Hopkins D. W.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.1997.tb00566.x
Subject(s) - lolium perenne , soil water , agronomy , gleysol , decomposition , chemistry , environmental science , soil science , perennial plant , biology , organic chemistry
. The rates of CO 2 production and decomposition of 13 C‐enriched Lolium perenne leaves and roots in soil from the surface five cm of two upland stagnohumic gley soils were measured in laboratory experiments. One of the soils had been limed (pH 6.8) 13 years earlier. The other was unlimed (pH 3.7). Liming increased the rate of CO 2 release from soil to which no L. perenne had been added. About 30% of the 13 C in L. perenne leaves remained in both limed and unlimed soil after 224 days. By contrast, less 13 C‐remained in the limed soil amended with L. perenne roots (44%) than in the limed soils (55%). Although the daily rate of CO 2 from the plant material‐amended soils was initially greater in the improved than in the unimproved soil, it subsequently declined more rapidly.