Microbial Community Structure and Litter Decomposition in Stratified Soils of a Long Term Reduced Tillage Experiment

The aim of the present study was to examine decomposition of plant material (maize straw, green and rooibos tea) in stratified soils of the long-term tillage experiment, established in 1999 and shifted from conventional to organic farming system in 2015. The plowing in conventional tillage (CT) has been done by moldboard plow 20 cm deep, while in minimum tillage (MT), soil disturbance has been up to 10 cm deep by a Special disc harrow. More than 15 years of long term Minimum tillage, with reduced soil disturbances and improved residue management, resulted in stratification of soil organic carbon and nutrients with highest concentrations in the very topsoil.