Microbial activity and soil structural properties of a waterlogged silty clay low in organic C were investigated following addition of various amounts of humic and fibric peat materials. The incorporation of the fibric material increased the microbial activity in proportion to the amount of material added, whereas the humic material had an opposite effect. Both materials increased the cohesion of aggregates due to the non-water-dispersible cements. The fibric materials was predominantly composed of polysaccharides, and large quantities were required to produce positive effect. The humic material was mainly lipids, and the effect on aggregate stability was associated with the time of incubation rather than the amount of material added. Principal-component analysis showed that the humic material was more effective at stabilizing soil aggregates than the fibric material, although the fibric material had a greater positive effect on the resistance of aggregates to slaking forces.
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Dinel et al. (1991) studied this question.