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Relationship between Soil Aliphatic Fraction Extracted with Supercritical Hexane, Soil Microbial Biomass, and Soil Aggregate Stability
Author(s) -
Capriel P.,
Beck T.,
Borchert H.,
Härter P.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1990.03615995005400020020x
Subject(s) - fraction (chemistry) , hexane , supercritical fluid , chemistry , biomass (ecology) , aggregate (composite) , environmental chemistry , organic chemistry , agronomy , materials science , composite material , biology
Although the aliphatic component represents an important fraction of the soil organic matter, there is still a lack of information concerning its origin, chemistry, and role. The influence of agricultural management on the quality and quantity of the aliphatic fraction extracted with supercritical n ‐hexane and the correlation between this fraction, soil biomass, and soil aggregate stability was investigated. High correlation coefficients were found between the aliphatic fraction and soil biomass ( r = 0.91) and between the aliphatic fraction and soil aggregate stability ( r = 0.91), indicating a close relationship between soil biochemistry and soil physics. It appears that the hydrophobic fraction extracted with supercritical hexane contributes considerably to the water stability of soil aggregates. The 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier‐transform infrared spectra showed that the supercritical‐hexane extracts corresponding to different managements were chemically similar. Agricultural management influenced mainly the quantity of the aliphatic fraction extracted with supercritical hexane.