Changes in organic matter input to soil during pedogenesis as a driver of soil organic matter sequestration

Soil organic matter is an integral part of the soil representing a reservoir of nutrients for plant and soil organisms, especially in accumulation of a biogenic element carbon (C). The accumulation and stabilisation of soil organic matter depends on several mechanisms. The input source for the creation of SOM is the plant organic matter consisting mainly of the litter and above-ground part of the plant herbal biomass. The accumulation of SOM and carbon sequestration is primarily influenced by the chemical composition and amount of OM entering the soil. In this work, the entry of OM into the soil was experimentally verified at locations with an older naturally formed soil type and man-made soil (post-mining sites). As part of the research, other types of forest cover represented by spruce and alder stand were compared. From the measured data of the individual influencing factors, it was found that the composition and quantity of OM is determinated significantly with the species composition of the forest. More plant OM was observed in the alder trees area stands on both soil types with a lower C:N ratio, whic describes better decomposable OM. By contrast, there were no statistically significant differences between areas on young and old soils. The results suggest increased concentrations of..