Initial soil organic carbon concentration influences the short-term retention of crop-residue carbon in the fine fraction of a heavy clay soil

Among factors controlling decomposition and retention of residue C in soil, effect of initial soil organic C (SOC) concentration remains unclear. We evaluated, under controlled conditions, short-term retention of corn residue C and total soil CO2 production in C-rich topsoil and C-poor subsoil samples of heavy clay. Topsoil (0-20 cm deep, 31.3 g SOC kg(-1) soil) and subsoil (30-70 cm deep, 4.5 g SOC kg(-1) soil) were mixed separately with C-13-N-15-labeled corn (Zea mays L.) residue at rates of 0 to 40 g residue C kg(-1) soil and incubated for 51 days. We measured soil CO2-C production and the retention of residue C in the whole soil and the fine particle-size fraction (< 50 mu m). Cumulative C mineralization was always greater in topsoil than subsoil. Whole-soil residue C retention was similar in topsoil and subsoil at rates up to 20 g residue C kg(-1). There was more residue C retained in the fine fraction of topsoil than subsoil at low residue input levels (2.5 and 5 g residue C kg(-1)), but the trend was reversed with high residue inputs (20 and 40 g residue C kg(-1)). Initial SOC concentration affected residue C retention in the fine fraction but not in the whole soil. At low residue input levels, greater microbial activity in topsoil resulted in greater residue fragmentation and more residue C retained in the fine fraction, compared to the subsoil. At high residue input levels, less residue C accumulated in the fine fraction of topsoil than subsoil likely due to greater C saturation in the topsoil. We conclude that SOC-poor soils receiving high C inputs have greater potential to accumulate C in stable forms than SOC-rich soils.