Abstract
Background and aimsUnderstanding the structures and functions of carbon-based molecules in soils is an important goal in the context of soils as an ecosystem function of immense importance. Polysaccharides are implicated in maintaining soil aggregate status but have not been extensively dissected in terms of their structures and soil adhesion properties. This is largely because of the technical difficulties in identifying polysaccharide structures and quantifying any functional properties.MethodsHere, we describe the use of a novel nitrocellulose-based adhesion assay to determine the relative capacities for soil adhesion of over twenty plant and microbial polysaccharides that are likely to be present in soil and to contribute to organic matter content and properties. Weights of soil adhered to spots of known amounts of specific polysaccharides were quantified by scanning of the nitrocellulose sheets.ResultsThe most effective polysaccharides identified from this survey included chitosan, β-1,3-glucan, gum tragacanth, xanthan and xyloglucan. We also demonstrate that the soil adhesion assay is suitable to assess the soil-binding properties of plant exudates.ConclusionsThe soil adhesion assay will be useful for the functional dissection of the organic matter components of soils and also of the factors involved in soil attachment to plant roots and in rhizosheath formation.
Highlights
Soils are an extremely important compartment of Earth’s ecosystems being crucial for plant growth and for maintaining the abundant and diverse biota of the terrestrial biosphere
We included non-pectic, noncellulosic cell wall polysaccharides including heteroxylan, heteromannan and xyloglucan that are major components of plant debris and with heteroxylans been abundant in grass/cereal biomass
Available bacterial polysaccharides tested included xanthan, curdlan and levan and we included alginic acid that can be produced by Pseudomonas species (Chang et al 2007)
Summary
Soils are an extremely important compartment of Earth’s ecosystems being crucial for plant growth and for maintaining the abundant and diverse biota of the terrestrial biosphere. The organic components of soil that are central to mineral particle adhesion and aggregation remain poorly characterised, being challenging to dissect in terms of precise identification of the molecules involved and their functional contributions (Cheshire et al 1979; Lehmann and Kleber 2015). Polysaccharides have long been implicated in soil particle adhesion and aggregation but have not been dissected in detail due to the challenging nature of their diversity and structural complexities (Cheshire and Hayes 1990; Oades 1993). Polysaccharides are implicated in maintaining soil aggregate status but have not been extensively dissected in terms of their structures and soil adhesion properties. This is largely because of the technical difficulties in identifying polysaccharide structures and quantifying any functional properties
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
