TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT DEGRADATION OF SOIL ORGANIC MATTER IN FARMLANDS AND PASTURES.

To determine the rates of soil organic matter degradation in farmlands and pastures and their temperature dependency, soil samples collected in Aomori, Japan, were sieved and incubated at different temperatures (10, 20 and 30°C) for 700 d, with amounts of respired CO2 being measured during the incubation period. Results were analysed using a three-compartment model (active, intermediate and resistant compartment), and the decomposition rates of the two labile compartments were approximated using an exponential decay function. The Arrhenius equation was applied to the decay function rate constant to obtain rate constants at the examined temperatures. The estimated degradation rate constants of the most active compartment in pasture soil were more sensitive to temperature than the corresponding value in farmland. The seasonal changes in rate constants were consistent with each soil temperature. At both fields, it is estimated that the degradation of soil organic matter occurred from April to October.