Department of Soils, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab
*Present address: Deparment of Soils, Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar
The kinetics of carbon mineralization in an Aridisol mixed with plant residues was investigated. The bulk of the added residues was mineralized in 14 days and the biodegradation of the residues during a total period of 109 days involved two concurrent first-order reactions. The degree of mineralization of the plant residues in the Aridisol followed the decreasing order: green gram, black gram, pigeon pea, cowpeas, rice. Kinetics parameters like mineralization potential and mineralization rate constants differed significantly in the various treatments. The half-period of the mineralization process and the time required for mineralization to begin was shortest in the soil mixed with green gram (5 days and 10.8 hours, respectively) and longest for rice (7.7 days and 18 hours).
Plant residue, biodegradation, concurrent first-order reactions, mineralization potential
