Soil Humic and Fulvic Acids from Different Land-Use Systems Evaluated By E4/E6 Ratios

Changes in land-use systems such as the introduction of trees on agricultural land can give rise to changes in the physicochemical properties of the soils, also affecting the quantity and quality of organic matter incorporated into the system. The present study assesses humic substances (HS) in the soil such as humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) by looking at the relationship between the optic densities determined at 465 and 665 nm (E4/E6 ratio). Topsoil samples (0–20 cm) from pine woodlands 60 years of age were compared with agricultural soils of similar age in the central-south region of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The pH of the topsoil from beneath the pine trees was highly acidic (5.0 vs. 6.2) and a significant increase in the level of organic carbon (OC) was registered. The carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio was also higher (by one order of magnitude) beneath the pine trees, although the humification conditions of the soil organic matter (SOM) were good in the soils of both studied land-use systems. The E4/E6 ratio was higher in the HA and FA 2º (second extraction) beneath the pines, indicating a smaller molecular size of the HS bound to the clay minerals. This fact can be attributed to the higher concentration of hydrogen ions beneath the pines and consequently the loss of polyvalent cations, mainly calcium. The most labile organic molecules (FA 1º – first extraction) were of a larger size in soils beneath the pines, most likely owing to a specific characteristic of the Pinus genus, although the fraction in question constitutes a minority fraction among the HS. Clear differences were established between the E4/E6 ratios in HA and FA, making this a highly useful method for determining molecular changes in HS as a result of changes in land use.