Soil organic matter in an oxisol under different corn production systems

A long-term field trial was carried out in the Jaboticabal county, Sao Paulo State. with the objective of estimating production system effects on the soil organic carbon and soil organic matter fractions. The tested treatments were corn under conventional sowing in the summer and no-tillage in the winter (C-Mi-P), maize under direct sowing in the summer and no-tillage in the winter (D-Mi-P), maize under direct sowing in the summer, Mucuna aterrina as green manure in the winter (D-Mi-Mu), maize under direct sowing in the summer, Cajanus cajan as green manure in the winter (D-Mi-Gu), conventional maize in summer crop rotation with soybean and no-tillage in the winters (C-Mi-P-So), maize under direct sowing in crop rotation with soybean and no tillage in the winters (D-Mi-P-So), and maize under direct sowing in the summer, and Crotalaria juncea as green manure in the winter (D-Mi-Cr). The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with four replicates. 60 days after plant emergence, soil samples were collected (at depths of 0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, and 0.10-0.20 m). Total organic carbon and organic carbon in the organic matter fractions (humic matter, water-soluble carbon/soluvel em agua, fulvic acid, humic acid, and humin) were determinated in the oven-dried soil samples. Direct sowing with no tillage or legume crops in the winter (Mucuna aterrina or Cajanus cajan) led to the highest total organic-C and organic-C in the humin fraction. The C-Mi-P-So treatment caused the highest water soluble carbon value in the 0.05-0.10 m layer. The treatments C-Mi-P-So and D-Mi-P-So presented the highest values for organic-C in the humic matter fraction of the soil organic matters. Maize monoculture in direct sowing system, followed by no tillage or legume crops in the winter (Mucuna aterrina or Cajanus cajan) apparently supported two processes: migration of the humic acid organic-C to deeper layers, reducing the humic material values in the superficial layers and a faster transformation of fulvic acid organic-C fraction to humic acid organic-C.