title: Modification of soil humic matter after 4 years of compost application.
abstract: Two soil plots, 1 ha each, were amended yearly for 4 years, respectively, with 35.8 and 71.6 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) of mature compost (CM) obtained from food and vegetable residues. The compost, amended soils, and a control soil plot after 4 years (S4), were analyzed for humin (HUC), humic acid (HAC), fulvic acid (FAC), and non-humic carbon (NHC) content. Compared to S4, the amended soil contained more humified C (HAC, FAC and HUC) and less NHC. Further evidence of the effect of compost on soil organic matter was obtained by the analysis of the humic acid (HA) fractions isolated from both the compost and the soils. These were characterized by elemental analyses and Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transformed spectroscopy. The HAs isolated from CM and from S4 were significantly different. The HAs isolated from the amended plots were more similar to HA isolated from CM than to HA isolated from S4. The experimental data of this work indicate that the compost application may affect significantly the soil organic matter composition, and that the approach used in this work allows one to trace the fate of compost organic matter in soil.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Produzione Vegetale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy. fabrizio.adani@unimi.it
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Adani
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Genevini
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricca
authors.forename: Fulvia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tambone
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montoneri
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D006812:Humic Substances; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012987:Soil; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006812:Humic Substances; D012987:Soil