Comparative Characterization of the Mineralizable Organic Matter Pool in the Soils of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems
Data on the potentially mineralizable carbon (Cpm) content in soils of natural and agricultural lands were generalized. It was shown that the content of Cpm in arable soils without systematic organic fertilization was significantly lower than that in natural soils, and that active carbon pool was more homogeneous. The key role of microbial biomass in the formation of the mineralizable soil organic matter pool was emphasized. It was found that the higher was the organic carbon content in the soil, the more was the Cpm content, but the lower was the potential mineralizability of soil organic matter.