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New Zealand Mathematics Colloquium 1999
July 6-9, 1999
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand

Organizers
Doris Barnard, Therese Boustead, Chris Price, Bruce Robson, Gunter Steinke, Graeme Wake, Allan Willms

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Organic matter dynamics in a range of New Zealand soils under contrasting environmental conditions
by
Aroon Parshotam
Landcare Research (NZ)
Coauthors: Surinder Saggar (Landcare Research), Roger Parfitt (Landcare Research)

Recent studies were conducted in New Zealand over a 5-year period, and focussed on plant litter decompositon in soils. The influence of contrasting soil types, clay content and mineral composition, and rainfall and temperature regimes on the decomposition of 14C-labelled plant material, was assessed. Decomposition was characterised by estimating mean residence times (MRTs) for microbial biomass and humic fractions, from estimates of first-order rate coefficients in a simple, three compartment model. A range of residence times was obtained for decomposition of plant material in New Zealand soils under natural conditions.

Date received: June 4, 1999

Copyright © 1999 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # cacc-37.