Soil carbon and nitrogen organic fractions in degraded vs. non-degraded mollisols in Argentina

The use of no-tillage has notably increased in the Pampas region of Argentina during the last 10 yr. Two tillage experiments with contrasting previous agricultural use, degraded and non-degraded soils, were evaluated in the southeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The objectives were to: (i) quantify the effects of tillage and N fertilization on quantity and vertical distribution of C and N in the soil organic matter (SOM) and particulate organic matter (POM) fractions as well as potentially mineralizable N (PMN), and (ii) evaluate these fractions as indicators of soil quality. Tillage systems were conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and no-tillage (NT) (main plots), and N fertilization rates were 0, 120, and 150 kg ha(-1) (subplots). Total organic C (TOC), total N (TN), POM-C, POM-N, and PMN were measured at 0- to 7.5- and 7.5- to 15-cm soil depth. In Exp. I (degraded soil) TOC was greater under NT (27 g kg(-1)) than under CT (24 g kg(-1)) in the 0-N treatments. No differences in TOC and TN were found in Exp. II at 0 to 7.5 cm (non-degraded soil). Carbon in POM and POM-N were greater under NT in the fractions of 2112 to 2000 and 53 to 212 mum at 0 to 7.5 cm, but they were similar or greater under CT at 7.5- to 15-cm depth in Exp. I. Stratification of TOC, TN, and POM were observed under NT in Exp. I. Potentially mineralizable N was greater under NT (62 mg kg(-1)) in Exp. I, however, no differences in PMN were observed in Exp. II. Carbon in POM 212 to 2000 mum and PMN were the more sensitive indicators of tillage effects, mainly in Exp. I.