Optical Properties of the Extractable Organic Matter Fractions in Typical Chernozems of Long-Term Field Experiments

The extractable fractions of organic matter (OM) differing in their mobility-water-extractable organic matter, labile humic substances, and humic substances-have been isolated from different-sized aggregates of a typical chernozem (Haplic Chernozem (Loamic, Pachic)). The first two fractions characterize the active OM pool, and the latter fraction characterizes the slow OM pool. Overall, the extractable OM fractions make it possible to assess the content and qualitative composition of the active and slow OM pools and, in an indirect manner, of the passive OM pool. The content of dissolved organic carbon in the extracts is used to quantify the yield of fractions, and the spectral characteristics of light absorption in the ultraviolet and visible ranges attest to their qualitative composition. The main attention is focused on the OM recovery in the chernozems after an extreme regime (permanent tilled fallow) and on the differences in the OM of soil aggregates in dependence on their size. A large part of plant residues entering the soil during the recovery of the chernozem after the extreme conditions of tilled fallow is fixed in the passive OM pool. The qualitative composition of active pools is restored much faster than their quantity typical of the undisturbed cenoses. The optical descriptorsE(2)/E(3)of labile humic substances andE(4)/E(6)of humic substances significantly depends on the size of aggregates.