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Soil pore network effects on organic matter turnover have, until now, been studied indirectly because of lack of data on the 3D structure of the pore network. Application of X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) to quantify the distribution of pore neck size and related pore sizes from undisturbed soil cores, with simultaneous assessment of carbon (C) mineralisation, could establish a relationship between soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition and soil pore volumes. Eighteen miniature soil cores (diameter 1.2 cm, height 1.2 cm) covering a range of bulk densities were incubated at 20°C for 35 days. Respiration was modelled with a parallel first- and zero-order kinetic model. The cores were scanned at 9.44 µm resolution using an X-ray CT scanner developed in-house. Correlation analysis between the slow pool C mineralisation rate, [k.sub.s], and pore volume per pore neck class yielded significant (P < 0.05) positive correlations: r = 0.572, 0.598, and 0.516 for the 150-250, 250-350, and >350 µm pore neck classes, respectively. Because larger pores are most probably mainly air-filled, a positive relation with [k.sub.s] was ascribed to enhanced aeration of smaller pores surrounding large pores. The weak and insignificant relationship between the smallest pore neck class ( Additional keywords: first- and zero-order kinetic C mineralisation model, image analysis, pore size distribution, SOM decomposition, 3D soil pore structure., Introduction The spatial distribution of soil organisms is not random (Nunan et al. 2003; O'Donnell et al. 2007; Young et al. 2008): rather, their location in the soil matrix depends, [...]

Intensive vegetable production systems throughout South East Asia are characterised by large nutrient inputs and low nitrogen (N) use efficiencies. In Indonesia, intensive vegetable production is concentrated on volcanic highland soils starting from an altitude of around 700 m above sea level. We measured potential N mineralisation from soil organic matter and from several representative organic materials in Andisols and Inceptisols with andic properties from Central Java, Indonesia. Unamended soils and soils amended with crop residues, animal manures, and compost were incubated during 3-4 months at 25°C in the laboratory, then we monitored N mineralisation. Relative N mineralisation was significantly smaller in the Andisols (average 3.6 ± 1.0%) than the Inceptisols (7.4 ± 2.9%), and was negatively related to oxalate-extractable aluminium ([Al.sub.ox]) (r = 4).749) and soil organic carbon (r = -0.705). This is probably due to the strong protection of organic matter (and organic N) by binding to active Al compounds. Net N mineralisation from the added organic materials was highly variable (ranging from 68.1% for the broccoli residues to 2.6% for tithonia compost), and was best related to the organic N content (r = 0.476). There were no significant correlations between net N mineralisation and biochemical fractions, which we attribute to the large variety of materials used in this study compared with previous studies. The data generated here on N mineralisation potential from soil organic matter, and from a variety of plant materials and animal manures that are commonly used in these intensive vegetable rotations, will allow for the rapid and efficient introduction of N fertiliser advice systems based on balance sheets. Additional keywords: (bio)chemical fractionation, mineralisation rate, organic material, soil organic matter, vegetable rotations., Introduction Vegetable fanning is an economically important agricultural sector in South East Asia. In Indonesia, intensive vegetable production has become the dominant cropping system in high elevation areas (>700 m [...]

Reduced tillage (RT) management may increase surface soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N), particularly due to accumulation of labile organic matter (OM). We investigated the effect of RT compared with conventional tillage (CT) on the distribution of SOC and N over different soil fractions from 7 pairs of fields with cereal-root crop rotations, in the Belgian loess belt. Surface soil samples (0-100 mm) were physically fractionated according to a sequential sieving and density separation method into stable microaggregates, silt and clay, and free and occluded particulate OM fractions. RT management was previously found effective in increasing the organic C and organic N content of the surface soil (0-100 mm) at these 7 sites. Here, physical fractionation showed that the difference in amount of organic C and N in free particulate OM (fPOM), intra-microaggregate particulate OM (iPOM), and silt and clay associated OM between the RT and CT soils contributed 34, 29, and 37% of the increase in SOC and 35, 32, and 33% of the increase in N. The contribution of OC and N in iPOM and fPOM increased significantly on a relative basis under RT management. Only a modest increase in iPOM and slight enhancement of microaggregation was observed in RT compared with CT soils. We suggest that the repeated disturbance of soil by harvest of root crops and repeated use of cultivators and harrows may limit the accumulation of physically protected POM under RT management of these Western European cereal-root crop rotations. Instead, most of the accumulated OC and N in the surface horizons under RT management is present as free unprotected POM, which could be prone to rapid loss after (temporary) abandonment of RT management. Additional keywords: soil organic matter, arable loess soil, conservation tillage, physical fractionation, long-term field experiment., Introduction Silty soils under arable crop rotations in the central Belgian loess belt, and by extension in north-western Europe, are prone to erosion and structural degradation because of their location [...]

We examined the effects of 10 yr of reduced tillage (RT) management, compared with conventional tillage (CT), on the chemical composition of soil organic matter (SOM) using a combination of physical fractionation and pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectroscopy (Py-FIMS). Surface soil samples (0-10 cm), which were collected from two adjacent CT and RT managed fields, were separated into particulate organic matter (POM) fractions and sand, silt, and clay size separates. Higher amounts of C (77%) and N (64%) were observed in all size separates of the RT soil and, in particular, the proportion of intramicroaggregate POM was two times as large as in the CT soil. The Py-FIMS spectra showed that larger proportions of free fatty acids, sterols, and N-containing compounds were present in the RT soil's sand fraction than in the CT soil. Similar observations were also made for both free and intramicroaggregate POM fractions. In the silt and clay size fractions, no substantial differences in SOM composition were measured between tillage treatments, except that the RT soil's clay fraction had a higher proportion of N-containing compounds and a lower proportion of alkylaromatics. Ratios of carbohydrate hexose to pentose subunits and of lignin monomers + phenols to lignin dimers confirmed a less decomposed character of the SOM in the silt and clay size fractions of the RT soil. These observations can be logically linked to the reduced mixing of crop residues and manure in the soil profile and higher surface soil microbial biomass under RT. Abbreviations: CT, conventional tillage; fPOM, free particulateorganic matter; iPOM, i ntramicroaggregate particulate organic matter; LE light fraction; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; OC, organic carbon; OM, organic matter; Py-FIMS, pyrolysis field ionization mass spectroscopy; RT, reduced tillage; SOC, soil organic carbon; SOM, soil organic matter; TII, total ion intensity.