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Article: Changes in chemical nature of soil organic carbon in Vertisols under wheat in south-eastern Queensland.
- Article from:
- Australian Journal of Soil Research
- Article date:
- March 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 CSIRO Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Cultivation and crop production can have profound effects on the C levels of soils. Prolonged cultivation invariably leads to a decline in C and N levels in soil, particularly when virgin land is first brought under cultivation (Dick 1983; Dormaar 1983; Dalal and Mayer 1986b). In Australia, these C and N losses from the surface horizon of soils have been highly variable (Russell and Williams 1982; Dalal and Mayer 1986b; Russell and Jones 1996). In addition, long-term cultivation also leads to degradation of other soil properties associated with soil organic matter including soil fertility, leading to decline in crop yields (Dalal and Mayer 1986a).
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