Influence of selected maize cultivation technologies on changes in the labile fraction of soil organic matter sandy-loam cambisol soil structure

•Sensitive indicators of the state of soil organic matter function in a short-term experiment.•The no-till technology contributes to the protection of soil organic matter from decomposition.•Nitrogen of particulate organic matter is a sensitive indicator of changes in soil organic matter. Disc cultivators are a commonly used method in soil processing when growing maize in Central Europe. However, the slope of the land leads to soil losses through water erosion. Therefore, conservation technologies for soil treatment—strip-till and no-till—are recommended. The aim of this research was to assess these technologies in terms of the labile fractions of soil organic matter and the structural state of the soil. Another goal of the work was to find the most sensitive indicators of change in the labile fractions of soil organic matter, which would indicate changes even over a relatively short-term experiment (three years). The experiment was conducted in Central Bohemia, Czech Republic on plots of sandy-loam cambisol. Changes in soil structure and carbon and nitrogen content in various soil fractions were monitored. The obtained results of two soil conservation technologies (strip-till, no-till) were compared with the results for a commonly used technology (disc cultivation). The strip-till technology led to the highest accumulation of a very labile fraction of organic soil matter and the most sensitive indicator of change was the content of water-extractable organic carbon. The no-till technology protected the soil organic matter from decomposition by physical protection in soil aggregates. Most of the soil organic matter remained un-decomposed. Sensitive indicators of change were the nitrogen content in particulate organic soil matter and the content of water-extractable organic nitrogen. It was found that changes in the labile fraction of soil organic matter can be monitored through suitable indicators during a short-term experiment. Furthermore, we found that no-till technology contributes to the protection of unstable soil organic matter against decomposition, especially through physical protection in soil aggregates. In terms of the content of labile fractions of soil organic matter and their possible effect on the potential soil fertility, it was shown in this short-term experiment that strip-till technology was optimal.