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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Plant Litter Quality Affects The Accumulation Rate, Composition, And Stability Of Mineral-Associated Soil Organic Matter, S. Carolina Córdova, Dan C. Olk, Ranae N. Dietzel, Kevin E. Mueller, Sotirios V. Archontouilis, Michael J. Castellano
Plant Litter Quality Affects The Accumulation Rate, Composition, And Stability Of Mineral-Associated Soil Organic Matter, S. Carolina Córdova, Dan C. Olk, Ranae N. Dietzel, Kevin E. Mueller, Sotirios V. Archontouilis, Michael J. Castellano
Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications
Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is a relatively large and stable fraction of soil organic matter (SOM). Plant litters with high rates of mineralization (high quality litters) are hypothesized to promote the accumulation of MAOM with greater efficiency than plant litters with low rates of mineralization (low-quality litters) because litters with high rates of mineralization maximize the synthesis of microbial products and most MAOM is microbial-derived. However, the effect of litter quality on MAOM is inconsistent. We conducted four repeated short-term incubations (46-d each) of four plant litters (alfalfa, oats, maize and soybean) in two low-carbon subsoils (sandy loam and silty …