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The effects of agronomy on C and N distribution in soil organo-mineral fractions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

T. McM. Adams
Affiliation:
Agricultural and Food Chemistry Department, The Queen's University of Belfast and Agricultural and Food Chemistry Research Division, Department of Agriculture for Northern IrelandNewforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5PX

Summary

Soils from grass-arable cropping sequences and from an experiment where grassland had been treated with slurry were dispersed by shaking as a soil-water mixture, followed by ultrasonic treatment. Organo-mineral particle size fractions were separated by sieving and by sedimentation.

Generally, concentration of C and N in the fractions decreased with increasing particle size. However, when expressed as weight of C per fraction maximum contents were in the 2–10 μm range. With N, maximum contents occurred about 2 μm. Largest differences in C and N contents between soils were found in the 0·2–20 μm size range.

Identification of the source of the materials in the various fractions was attempted by interpretation of the C/N ratios, but was generally inconclusive.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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References

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