HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Jenkinson, D. S. Articles by Ayanaba, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Jenkinson, D. S. Articles by Ayanaba, A. Agricola Articles by Jenkinson, D. S. Articles by Ayanaba, A.

Decomposition of Carbon-14 Labeled Plant Material Under Tropical Conditions¹

ABSTRACT

Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and maize (Zea mays) tissue uniformly labeled with ¹⁴C were mixed with soil and allowed to decompose under field conditions in the open or under shade. The incubations were done in the forest zone of Nigeria, using a range of contrasting Nigerian soils. Of the ryegrass Coriginally added to the soil, 20% remained after 1 year, falling to 14% after 2 years. After 1 year the soil retained slightly less maize C than ryegrass C, but the difference was small and the overall pattern of decomposition similar. There was little difference between the rate of decomposition under shade or in the open, even though soil temperatures were considerably greater in the open. A soil containing 6% clay (Apomu series) retained slightly less maize C after 1 year than a soil with 16% clay (Egbeda series), but in general the decomposition rates in the different soils were similar.

For ryegrass, the decomposition pattern was very similar under Nigerian conditions to that previously observed for the same plant material in England, except that the whole decomposition process was four times faster in Nigeria.

¹ Joint contribution from Rothamsted Exp. Stn. and the Int. Instit. of Tropical Agriculture. Part of this work was supported by the United Kingdom Ministry of Overseas Development, as part of Research Scheme R 2751.

² Principal Scientific Officer, Rothamsted Experimental Stn., Harpenden AL5 2JQ, England and Soil Microbiologist, Int. Instit. of Tropical Agriculture, Oyo Road, P.M.B. 5320, Ibadan, Nigeria, respectively.

Received for publication February 23, 1977. Accepted for publication April 12, 1977.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. M. Zibilske and J. M. Bradford Oxygen Effects on Carbon, Polyphenols, and Nitrogen Mineralization Potential in Soil Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., January 1, 2007; 71(1): 133 - 139. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. M. Zibilske and L. A. Materon Biochemical Properties of Decomposing Cotton and Corn Stem and Root Residues Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., March 1, 2005; 69(2): 378 - 386. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Shang and H. Tiessen Carbon Turnover and Carbon-13 Natural Abundance in Organo-Mineral Fractions of a Tropical Dry Forest Soil under Cultivation Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., November 1, 2000; 64(6): 2149 - 2155. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				R. Lal and R. LAL Managing the Soils of Sub-Saharan Africa Science, May 29, 1987; 236(4805): 1069 - 1076. [Abstract] [PDF]