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labile organic pools, soluble organic matter and soil microbial biomass are sensitive to changes in soil management and therefore good indicators of soil quality. Effects of a 17-year long-term fertilization on soil microbial biomass C (SMBC) and N (SMBN), soluble organic C, and soluble organic N during the maize growing season were evaluated in a loess soil (Eum-Orthic Anthrosol) in northwest China. The fertilization treatments included no fertilizer (CK), inorganic N, P, and K fertilizer (NPK), cattle manure plus NPK fertilizer (MNPK), and straw plus NPK fertilizer (SNPK). Our results showed that C storage in the 0-20 cm soil layer was 28% to 81% higher in the fertilized treatments compared to the unfertilized treatment. In the 0-10 cm soil layer, SMBC and SMBN in the three fertilized treatments were higher than in the unfertilized treatment on all sampling dates, while microbial biomass C and N in the 0−10 cm soil layers were the highest at grain filling. In the same soil layer, soil-soluble organic C generally decreased in the order MNPK > SNPK > NPK > CK, while soluble organic N was the highest in the MNPK followed by the SNPK treatment. There was no significant difference in soluble organic N in the NPK and CK treatments throughout most of the maize growing season. Changes in soluble organic N occurred along the growing season and were more significant than those for soluble organic C. Soluble organic N was the highest at grain filling and the lowest at harvest. Overall, our results indicated that microbial biomass and soluble organic N in the surface soil were generally the highest at grain filling when maize growth was most vigorous. Significant positive relationships were found between soluble organic C and SMBC and between soluble organic N and SMBN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]