INFLUENCE OF CROPPING TREATMENTS ON THE MONOSACCHARIDE CONTENT OF THE HYDROLYSATES OF A SOIL AND ITS AGGREGATE FRACTIONS

Abstract

The influence of three cropping treatments on the quantitative and qualitative composition of the carbohydrate fraction of a silt loam soil and its water-stable aggregates was assessed. Three cropping treatments were considered: bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) grown continuously for 15 yr (B15), grain-corn (Zea mays L.) grown continuously using conventional tillage for 15 yr (C15), and grain-corn grown continuously for 13 yr followed by 2 yr of bromegrass (B13C2). Six water-stable aggregate size fractions ranging from 8.00–4.70 to 0.25–0.10 mm in diameter were separated from the soil by wet sieving. The carbohydrate fraction was extracted by acid hydrolysis, reduced, acetylated to alditol acetates and analyzed by temperature-programmed capillary gas chromatography. Total carbohydrate content was not significantly influenced by cropping treatment but was observed to increase as aggregate size decreased irrespective of cropping treatment. The carbohydrate content in the different aggregate size fractions was positively correlated with both organic carbon and clay contents. With the exception of xylose and mannose, the monomeric sugars behaved similarly to total carbohydrates. Based on the magnitude of the ratio of the content of mannose to that of arabinose plus xylose, the contribution of plant carbohydrates to the total carbohydrate fraction increased as aggregate size decreased in the B15 treatment, but decreased in the C13B2 and C15 treatments. No significant correlations existed between either the total carbohydrate content or the content of individual sugars, and the stability of aggregates in the soils from the different cropping treatments. Key words: Wet aggregate stability, soil organic matter, soil structure, crop rotation, corn, bromegrass