Formation efficiency of soil organic matter from plant litter is governed by clay mineral type more than plant litter quality

[Display omitted] •SOM was mostly derived from plant litter rather than microbial residues.•SOM was associated with vermiculite via surface adsorption.•SOM was associated with illite and kaolinite through pore entrapment.•More plant carbohydrates were associated with 2:1 rather than 1:1 clay minerals.•SOM formation efficiency was affected by clay mineral type more than by plant litter type. Plant litters incorporated in soils are decomposed by microorganisms and partially transformed into soil organic matter (SOM) through mineral-organic association and physical protection in soil aggregates. Few studies have linked the effects of clay mineralogy and plant litter quality on controlling the formation efficiency of SOM. Using model soils, the objectives of this study were (1) to determine the effects of clay mineral type and plant litter quality on soil respiration dynamics, and formation efficiency of SOM, physical fractions, and chemical and microbial compositions of SOM at the end of a 120-day incubation; (2) to unravel SOM protection mechanisms and extents by specific clay minerals; and (3) to understand the key role of clay minerals relative to plant litter quality in controlling SOM formation. The changes in X-ray diffraction peak intensity (in terms of peak height) of the clay minerals during incubation and after H2O2 treatment provided evidence for surface adsorption by vermiculite and pore entrapment by kaolinite and illite assemblages. The SOM protection extent parameter, defined based on accumulative soil respiration dynamics, explained well the variation of the formation efficiency of mineral associated SOM (MAOM) and, to a lesser extent, that of occluded particulate SOM (oPOM) in aggregates. 90–96% of plant litter-derived C was protected in the vermiculite material and 33–60% in the pure kaolinite and illite materials. The pure vermiculite material showed the greatest fractions of MAOM and oPOM, the highest relative abundances of O–alkyls and anomeric from carbohydrates in the MAOM fraction.