PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 23: Soil Ecology
Wednesday, August 10, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Patterns of recovery of Bradford total protein (glomalin) from Appalachian soils: Effects of land use, depth and extraction reagent.

Gonzalez, Javier^*,1, Halvorson, Jonathan¹, ¹ Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center, USDA-ARS, Beaver, WV

ABSTRACT- Total protein, determined by the Bradford assay is thought to represent glomalin, an important soil glycoprotein related to aggregation and soil carbon storage. We measured Bradford reactive protein (BRP) in soil from pastures, hayfields, cultivated fields or natural areas in southwestern West Virginia. We found highest concentrations of BRP near the soil surface, decreasing significantly with depth. Soil from natural areas contained highest concentrations of BRP compared to pastures, hayfields, or cultivated fields. Extracting soil with several different reagents indicated differences in BRP recovery efficiency possibly related to net electrical charge of the extractant and more apparent in cultivated soils than in natural areas.

Key words: glomalin, glycoprotein, soil carbon