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In Germany, the systematics of humus forms has been developed, which is mainly based on morphological characteristics and has been proven via detailed long-term observation. The humus form systematics presented here is an update based on a new approach, clarifying the hierarchical structure into divisions, classes, types, and subtypes. New diagnostic horizons and transition horizons are introduced, uniquely characterising types and subtypes. This paper holds that the humus form is not only a product of decomposition, humification, and bioturbation but also serves as habitat for soil organisms. The processes and the habitat are shaped by soil-forming factors with the main factor being soil water conditions. Thus, on the first level of systematics, aeromorphic and aerohydromorphic as well as hydromorphic humus forms are differentiated. Many different features of the organic layers and the mineral topsoil can be observed in forests, open grasslands, the mountain zone above the tree line, and natural fens and bogs, as well as degraded peatlands. Features shaping the humus form, such as the proportion of organic fine material and packing of the organic matter as well as the structure of the mineral soil, have now been unambiguously described. However, site-specific soil-forming factors result in typical organic matter characteristics of individual horizons and typical combinations of different horizons. This relationship is illustrated using descriptions of distinct humus forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the hot and moist conditions of irrigated agriculture in the arid subtropics, turnover of organic matter is high, which can lead to considerable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses. Therefore, sustainable use of these soils requires regular manure application at high rates. To investigate the contribution of consecutive manure applications to an arid sandy soil to various soil N pools, goat manure was isotopically labeled by feeding 15N‐enriched Rhodes grass hay and applied to the soil during a two‐year field experiment. In the first year, soils received 15N‐labeled manure to distinguish between soil‐derived and manure‐derived N. In the second year, these plots were split for the application of either 15N‐labeled or unlabeled manure to discriminate N derived from previous (first year) and recent (second year) manure application. Soil samples (of control and 15N‐manured soil) were collected at the end of the first and the second year, and incubated in two laboratory experiments with labeled or unlabeled manure. At the beginning of Experiment 1, 7% of total N, 11% of K2SO4 extractable N, and 16% of microbial biomass N were derived from previously field‐applied manure. While the application of manure during incubation increased microbial biomass N by 225% and 410% in the control soil and the previously field‐manured soil, respectively, N2O emissions were more affected on the control soil, releasing considerable amounts of the soil N‐pool (80% of total emissions). In Experiment 2, 4% of total N, 7% of K2SO4 extractable N, and 7% of microbial biomass N derived from previously applied manure, and 4%, 8%, and 3% from recently applied manure, respectively. Microbial biomass N and N2O‐N derived from manure declined with time after manure application, whereas in Experiment 1 this tendency was only observed for microbial biomass N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On irrigated agricultural soils from semi-arid and arid regions, ammonia (NH3) volatilization and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission can be a considerable source of N losses. This study was designed to test the capture of 15N loss as NH3 and N2O from previous and recent manure application using a sandy, calcareous soil from Oman amended one or two times with 15N labeled manure to elucidate microbial turnover processes under laboratory conditions. The system allowed to detect 15N enrichments in evolved N2O-N and NH3-N of up to 17% and 9%, respectively, and total N, K2SO4 extractable N and microbial N pools from previous and recent 15N labeled manure applications of up to 7%, 8%, and 15%. One time manured soil had higher cumulative N2O-N emissions (141 µg kg−1) than repeatedly manured soil with 43 µg kg−1 of which only 22% derived from recent manure application indicating a priming effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amounts of C and N are returned to pasture soils by grazing animals in the form of urine and dung. Therefore, a field trial was carried out to investigate the mid-term effects of N-labeled excrements, produced by feeding a cow with N-labeled grass silage, on the soil microbial biomass. Simulating the deposition of excrements, N-labeled urine and dung were applied to a 0.09-m² area of a sandy pasture soil in October 2000 and 2001. Applied amounts of N were 1,030 and 1,052 kg ha, respectively. Soil was sampled at 0-15 cm depth, three times over 7 months and analyzed for total C and N, and microbial biomass C and N. Recovery of urine and dung N in microbial biomass was determined by N analysis of KSO extracts of pre-extracted fumigated and unfumigated soils. Under dung patches, microbial biomass C was 16% and 45% higher, and microbial biomass N was 24% and 57% higher than under the untreated soil in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Under urine patches, microbial biomass C was increased after 12 weeks and decreased after 27 weeks. Microbial biomass assimilated 7% to 17% and 10% to 21% of the N applied initially as urine and dung, respectively. These percentages were considerably higher than those for artificially with spiked N urea-created and labeled manures reported in previous experiments. An important reason may be that the naturally N-labeled N components behave differently in soil than urea spikes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]