Summary
At altitudes between 300 ft and more than 1,000 ft in Northern England the decomposition of white clover, ryegrass and Nardus litters was strongest in brown earths with mull. It was much weaker in brown earths with mor and weakest of all in gley soils. Decomposition also varied with the fibrosity of the litters and their method of placement, activity of the soil populations and pH.
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References
Crompton, E., Grow the soil to grow the grass. Agriculture60, 301–8 (1953).
Barratt, B. C., An Investigation of the Morphology and Development of some Grassland Humus Forms. Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. of Durham (1960).
Barratt, B. C., A classification of humus forms and microfabrics of temperate grasslands. J. Soil Sci.15, 2 (1964).
Quincey, F. J., Microbiological Studies on Preliminary Stages of Humification. B.Sc. Thesis, Univ. of Durham (1958).
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Barratt, B.C. Decomposition of grass litters in three kinds of soil. Plant Soil 23, 265–269 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01358353
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01358353