Abstract
Red clover root material confined in mesh bags was buried in three different limed and unlimed soils and incubated for 196 days at room temperature. Remaining amounts of organic matter, as well as concentrations of C and N of the decomposing material were determined three times during the incubation and finally the concentration of soil mineral N and pH of remaining roots was also assessed.
Liming only temporarily affected the decomposition rate of organic matter and N release, and at the end of the incubation no effects could be observed due to liming. A possible explanation is that the decomposing root residues provide a well buffered micro-environment for the decomposing microflora. Liming did not change the pH of the root residues even when 97–98% of dry mass had disappeared from the mesh bags.
Concentrations of mineral N were higher in limed than in unlimed soils.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Berg B, Müller M M and Wessen B 1987 Decomposition of red clover (Trifolium pratense) roots. Soil Biol. Biochem. 19, 589–593.
Cornfield A H 1952 The mineralization of the nitrogen of soils during incubation: influence of pH, total nitrogen, and organic carbon contents. J. Sci. Food Agric. 3, 343–349.
Cornfield A H 1959 Mineralization, during incubation, of the organic nitrogen compounds in soils as related to soil pH. J. Sci. Food Agric. 10, 27–28.
Edmeades D C, Judd M and Sarathchandra S U 1981 The effect of lime on nitrogen mineralization as measured by grass growth. Plant and Soil 60, 117–186.
Foy C D 1984 Physiological effects of hydrogen, aluminum, and manganese toxicities in acid soil.In Soil Acidity and Liming Ed. F Adams, pp 57–97. American Society of Agronomy, Madison.
Frercks W und Kosegarten E 1956 Die Bodenatmung von Moorböden, Heidesandböden und Sandmischkulturen in Abhängigkeit vom Kalkzustand. Z. Pflanzeneranaehr. Bodenkd. 75, 33–47. (In German)
Harmsen G W, and Van Schreven D A 1955 Mineralization of organic nitrogen in soil. Adv. Agron. 7, 299–397.
Howard P J A and Howard D M 1974 Microbial decomposition of tree and shrub leaf litter. 1. Weight loss and chemical composition of decomposing litter. Oikos 25, 341–352.
Jackman R H 1969 Organic matter stability and nutrient abailability in Taupo pumice. N. Z. J. Agric. Res. 3, 6–23.
Jenkinson D S 1977 Studies on the decomposition of plant material in soil. V. The effects of plant cover and soil type on the loss of carbon from14C labelled ryegrass decomposing under field conditions. J. Soil Sci. 28, 424–434.
Kappen H von, Hofer J and Grosse-Brauckmann E 1949 Über die Wirkung des Hüttenkalkes auf die Zerstörung der organischen Stoffe des Bodens und über eine einfache Methode zu ihrer Bestimmung. Z. Pflanzenernaehr. Bodenkd. 44, 6–33 (In German).
Keeney D R and Nelson D W 1982 Nitrogen inorganic forms.In Methods of Soil Analysis. Ed. A L Page, pp 643–698. American Society of Agronomy, Madison
Müller M M 1987 Leaching of subterranean clover-derived N from a loam soil. Plant and Soil 102, 185–191.
Müller M M, Sundman V, Soininvaara O and Meriläinen A 1988 Effect of chemical composition on the release of nitrogen from agricultural plant materials decomposing under field conditions in soil. Biol. Fert. Soils.In press.
Müller M M and Sundman V 1988 The fate of nitrogen (15-N) released from different plant materials during decomposition under field conditions. Plant and Soil 105, 133–139.
Nnadi L A and Balasubramanian V 1978 Root nitrogen content and transformation in selected grain legumes. Trop. Agric. 55, 23–32.
Nyborg M and Hoyt P B 1978 Effects of soil acidity and liming on mineralization of soil nitrogen. Can J. Soil Sci. 58, 331–338.
Nömmik H and Vahtras 1982 Retention and fixation of ammonium in soil.In Nitrogen in Agricultural Soils. Ed. F C Stevenson. Agronomy, series No 22, pp 123–171. American Society of Agronomy, Madison.
Turk L M and Millar C E 1936 The effect of different plant materials, lime, and fertilizers on the accumulation of soil organic matter. J. Am. Soc. Agron. 28, 310–324.
Uvarov A V 1982 Decomposition of clover green matter in an arable soil in the Moscow region. Pedobiol. 24, 9–21.
Wessen B and Berg B 1986 Long-term decomposition of barley straw: some chemical changes and ingrowth of fungal mycelium. Soil Biol. Biochem. 18, 53–59.
Wieder K R and Lang G E 1982 A critique of the analytical methods used in examining decomposition data obtained from litter bags. Ecology 63, 1636–1642.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Müller, M.M., Berg, B. Release of carbon and nitrogen from decomposing roots of red clover as affected by liming of soil. Plant Soil 105, 149–152 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371153
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371153