Initial soil organic carbon concentration influences the short-term retention of crop-residue carbon in the fine fraction of a heavy clay soil

Abstract

Among factors controlling decomposition and retention of residue C in soil, effect of initial soil organic C (SOC) concentration remains unclear. We evaluated, under controlled conditions, short-term retention of corn residue C and total soil CO2 production in C-rich topsoil and C-poor subsoil samples of heavy clay. Topsoil (0–20 cm deep, 31.3 g SOC kg−1 soil) and subsoil (30–70 cm deep, 4.5 g SOC kg−1 soil) were mixed separately with 13C–15N-labeled corn (Zea mays L.) residue at rates of 0 to 40 g residue C kg−1 soil and incubated for 51 days. We measured soil CO2–C production and the retention of residue C in the whole soil and the fine particle-size fraction (<50 μm). Cumulative C mineralization was always greater in topsoil than subsoil. Whole-soil residue C retention was similar in topsoil and subsoil at rates up to 20 g residue C kg−1. There was more residue C retained in the fine fraction of topsoil than subsoil at low residue input levels (2.5 and 5 g residue C kg−1), but the trend was reversed with high residue inputs (20 and 40 g residue C kg−1). Initial SOC concentration affected residue C retention in the fine fraction but not in the whole soil. At low residue input levels, greater microbial activity in topsoil resulted in greater residue fragmentation and more residue C retained in the fine fraction, compared to the subsoil. At high residue input levels, less residue C accumulated in the fine fraction of topsoil than subsoil likely due to greater C saturation in the topsoil. We conclude that SOC-poor soils receiving high C inputs have greater potential to accumulate C in stable forms than SOC-rich soils.