Resistant ultralaminae in soils

Eric Lichtfouse (1) , Claire Chenu (2) , François Baudin (3)

1 ASD - Agronomy for Sustainable Development
2 Bioemco - Biogéochimie et écologie des milieux continentaux
3 Paléobiodiversité et paléoenvironnements

Observation of a chemically resistant organic residue from maize crop soils by transmission electron microscopy reveals the occurrence of thin laminae with 10-50 nm thickness, similar to resistant, highly aliphatic biopolymers found in kerogens and microbes. This discovery shows evidence for a novel and alternative mode of formation of soil organic matter by selective preservation of resistant biopolymers from soil microbes, in addition to the classical recondensation pathway proposed by the French chemist Maillard in 1917.

Mots clés: soil biopolymer; transmission electron microscopy; soil organic matter; TEM; Mailard reaction

Domaines: Science des sols; Chimie analytique; Géochimie; Pétrographie; Agronomie

Eric Lichtfouse, Claire Chenu, François Baudin. Resistant ultralaminae in soils. Organic Geochemistry, 1996, 25 (3/4), pp.263-265. ⟨10.1016/S0146-6380(96)00126-X⟩. ⟨hal-00192980⟩