Fluorescence spectroscopy relies on the fluorescence emitted by rigid conjugated systems and thus can be used to assess the soil organic matter (SOM) humification. This technique is generally applied to solution samples of humic substances, and so far no information exists about its applicability to whole untreated soil samples. The laser‐induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy is proposed as a novel technique to assess the organic matter humification in whole soil samples. We sampled the 0‐ to 2.5‐, 2.5‐ to 5‐, 5‐ to 10‐, 10‐ to 15‐, and 15‐ to 20‐cm layers of three Oxisols of long‐term experiments located in two sites of the Brazilian Cerrado. The humification index based on LIF spectroscopy (HLIF) of whole soil samples showed a close correlation with the humification indexes A4/A1, I465/I399, and A465 obtained after fluorescence spectroscopy analysis of the dissolved humic acids. The HLIF in soils under native cerrado or subjected to no‐tillage increased from the top to the deepest layer, which is consistent with the deposition of labile organic matter from plant residues on the soil surface. The soils subjected to conventional tillage, however, showed relatively constant HLIF along the profile, possibly because homogenization imparted by disturbance of the arable layer. Accordingly, for the two top layers, the soils under no‐tillage showed a lower HLIF than for conventionally tilled soils. Laser‐induced fluorescence spectroscopy is a promising technique to assess humification in whole soil samples, particularly in Oxisols, which due to high concentration of Fe3+ are not feasible to electron spin resonance (ESR) and Carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) spectroscopy, unless previous treatment is employed.
We examined the influence of land use change, tillage system and soil texture on organic carbon (C) stocks and on organic matter composition of tropical and subtropical soils from Brazil at four long-term experiments (11-25 years) based on fine-and coarse-textured soils. Soil samples were collected from the 0-5, 5-10 and 10-20 cm layers of conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) plots, and of the adjoining soil under native vegetation (NV) of Cerrado (tropical) or grassland (subtropical). Conversion of NV to CT resulted in losses of 7-29% of the original C stock of 0-20 cm; conversion to NT increased this C stock by 0-12% compared with CT. Organic matter composition of the 0-5 cm layer, assessed by solid state CPMAS-13 C-NMR, ESR and laser induced fluorescence spectroscopies, was affected by land use and tillage systems. Conversion of NV to CT decreased O-alkyl and increased aromatic, carbonyl, aromatic/O-alkyl ratio, free radicals concentration and fluorescence signal. The opposite trend was observed when NT replaced CT. The relative losses and gains of C and qualitative changes resulting from land use and tillage were less evident in fine-than in coarse-textured soils, suggesting a greater resistance and a smaller resilience of fine-compared with coarse-textured soils. The direct relation between increase in C stock and increase in potentially labile moieties (e.g. O-alkyl) and the decrease in more recalcitrant moieties (e.g. aromatics) in NT soils suggests that spatial inaccessibility by aggregates is playing a major role, compared with selective preservation, in promoting C accumulation in NT soils.
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