Fractionation and characterization of humic acids from organic amended rice paddy soils

Humic acids (HAs), mixture of several complex-structured aromatic and aliphatic compounds, are ubiquitous in the terrestrial environment. In this study, HAs were fractionated on the basis of their polarity (degree of humification). The fractions namely 200P, 300P and 400P were comparatively more humified than fractions like 800P and 800S. The application of organic amendments significantly increased concentrations of HA fractions especially the more humified fractions in rice paddy soils. Among the different fractions, 300P fraction was the most abundant in rice paddy soils and its concentration was significantly increased due to compost application. The compounds like methyl ketone and 3-phenylprop-2-enal contributed almost 90% of 300P fraction.