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Clay-organic complexes in a Polish loess soil
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Authors: | E. Czyż1, J. Rejman2, A. Dexter3, J. Jadczyszyn3, A. Rafalska-Przysucha2, J. Stanek-Tarkowska1 1Department of Soil Science, Environmental Chemistry and Hydrology, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 8b, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland 2Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland 3Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (IUNG-PIB), Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Puławy, Poland |
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Abstract : | Complexes formed between clay and soil organic matter are important for carbon sequestration and for soil physical quality. Here, we use samples of loessial soil from South-East Poland to explore the phenomenon of complexing in loess. Soil samples were collected from a single catchment 8 years after the introduction of strip tillage and their compositions were characterized by traditional methods. Complexing was characterized in terms of the content of non-complexed clay which was estimated in two ways: firstly, by measurement of the content of readily-dispersible clay (which was assumed to be the non-complexed clay); and secondly, by calculation using algorithms that had been developed and evaluated previously. The calculations were based on the concept that, at carbon saturation, the clay/organic carbon mass ratio is equal to n. The calculations were done with a range of values of n. It was assumed that the correct value of n was that which gave the greatest coefficient of correlation between the measured values of clay dispersion and the predicted values of non-complexed clay. For the loess used, the optimum value was n = 14. |
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Language : | English |