Soil fauna modifies the recalcitrance-persistence relationship of soil carbon pools

Traditional models of soil organic matter decomposition predict that soil carbon pools with high chemical stability and large physical structure are more resistant against degradation than chemically labile and fine-grained material. We investigated whether soil fauna, by its direct and indirect effects on carbon turnover, would reinforce or counteract this general trend.The effects of four major faunal groups on carbon pools of differing recalcitrance were studied in an extensive microcosm experiment. Ninty-six microcosms were inoculated with nematodes, enchytraeids, collembola, and lumbricids in three densities, including combinations of groups. Bare agricultural soil and soil covered with maize litter were used as substrates. The microcosms were kept under constant conditions at 12 °C and 50% water holding capacity for 60 days. At the end of the experiment, soil particles were separated into size classes (<63 μm, 63-250 μm, >250 μm) and carbon pools were separated into solubility fractions (K₂SO₄-soluble, pyrophosphate-soluble, insoluble), by means of ultrasonic dispersion and subsequent stepwise solubilisation.Both in bare soil and in soil with litter, the carbon pools with the highest chemical stability (insoluble) and the larger particle sizes (>63 μm) were degraded more intensively than all other pools in the presence of lumbricids. The pools of intermediate chemical stability (pyrophosphate-soluble) underwent simultaneous degradation and neoformation brought about by different animal groups. The chemically most labile pool (K₂SO₄-soluble) remained largely unaffected by the fauna. Fixation of carbon in microbial biomass was increased by nematodes in bare soil and by enchytraeids in soil with litter. The results illustrate in detail how, under the influence of soil fauna, soil carbon pools are decomposed in a cascade-like process where carbon is transferred from the stable to the more labile pools, while simultaneously a proportion is fixed in microbial biomass and another part is lost as CO₂. Thereby, the relationship between a substrate's persistence and its chemical stability and physical size is substantially modified. We summarize the mechanisms that most likely are responsible for the different effects of the investigated faunal groups.     

樱桃根际土壤酶活性与土壤养分动态变化及其关系研究

通过盆栽试验研究了樱桃根际脲酶、磷酸酶活性与氮、磷、钾动态变化及其相互关系。结果表明,生长季前期樱桃根际脲酶、磷酸酶活性明显提高,根际酶活性显著高于根外,随物候期进展土壤酶活性及R/S值逐渐降低。氮、磷、钾元素在年生长周期内整体上呈下降趋势,生长季前期根际全氮、碱解氮及全磷亏缺明显,而根际有效磷、速效钾明显富集,这种作用亦随物候期进展逐渐减弱。土壤脲酶、磷酸酶活性与氮磷钾土壤营养元素含量间存在着一定的相关性,以春梢停长期相关程度最高。     

Amino-N compounds found in soil organic matter hydrolysates of a loamy sand using an immobilized protease reactor column

Summary Soil organic matter (OM) from seven different fertility plots of a loamy sand was extracted and fractionated into high- and low-molecular-weight (HMW, LMW) fractions using gel filtration. The fractions were acid-hydrolyzed to determine the amino sugar and amino acid contents. The same fractions were hydrolyzed with an immobilized protease reactor column. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify the soil amino-N compounds. With the HMW fraction as substrate, the enzyme released less than 1% of 11 amino-N compounds determined by acid hydrolysis. Phenylalanine and leucine, however, were recovered in quantities of 2% and 4%, respectively. Immobilized protease hydrolysis of the LMW fraction recovered considerably more amino-N compounds compared with acid hydrolysis of the same fractions. Each system of hydrolysis produced some amino-N compounds not found in the other. We conclude that an immobilized enzyme reactor column will allow a researcher to perform time-course hydrolysis, so that hydrolysis intermediates, e.g. peptides, can be separated and identified.     

Changes in soil aggregation and microbial community structure control carbon sequestration after afforestation of semiarid shrublands

Changes in plant cover after afforestation induce variations in litter inputs and soil microbial community structure and activity, which may promote the accrual and physical-chemical protection of soil organic carbon (SOC) within soil aggregates. In a long-term experiment (20 years) we have studied the effects, on soil aggregation and SOC stabilization, of two afforestation techniques: a) amended terraces with organic refuse (AT), and b) terraces without organic amendment (T). We used the adjacent shrubland (S) as control. Twenty years after stand establishment, aggregate distribution (including microaggregates within larger aggregates), sensitive and slow organic carbon (OC) fractions, basal respiration in macroaggregates, and microbial community structure were measured. The main changes occurred in the top layer (0–5 cm), where: i) both the sensitive and slow OC fractions were increased in AT compared to S and T, ii) the percentage and OC content of microaggregates within macroaggregates (Mm) were higher in AT than in S and T, iii) basal respiration in macroaggregates was also higher in AT, and iv) significant changes in the fungal (rather than bacterial) community structure were observed in the afforested soils (AT and T) – compared to the shrubland soil. These results suggest that the increase in OC pools linked to the changes in microbial activity and fungal community structure, after afforestation, promoted the formation of macroaggregates – which acted as the nucleus for the formation and stabilization of OC-enriched microaggregates.     

保护性耕作对土壤微生物特性和酶活性的影响

保护性耕作是以秸秆覆盖地表、免少耕播种、深松及病虫草害综合控制为主要内容的现代耕作技术体系。大力提倡和推行保护性耕作,对提高土壤质量和改善生态环境具有重要意义。本文回顾了保护性耕作的发展历程,概括和分析了保护性耕作对土壤微生物活性和垂直分布、微生物群落结构以及土壤酶活性的影响,也探讨了保护性耕作的发展前景。     

不同土壤改良物质对越桔叶片酶活性影响的研究

黑土中加入有机物料和硫磺粉(S),对越桔叶片的过氧化氢酶、过氧化物酶、硝酸还原酶都产生显著影响,不同处理有较大差异,其中,加入苔藓、苔藓和草炭及只加入1.5kgS-2kgS的处理,叶片的过氧化氢酶活性较高,过氧化物酶和硝酸还原酶活性较低,叶片生长发育良好。     

黄瓜有机营养土栽培中土壤酶活性、肥力动态变化及其相互关系

稻草与土按1:1(处理A)、2:1(处理B)的比例混合,经过堆积高温腐熟后在日光温室中栽培黄瓜,试验结果表明:有机营养土中稻草比例高的,脲酶、转化酶、纤维素酶活性升高,碱解氮、速效P、速效K含量增加,分别是处理B>处理A>对照,但过氧化氢酶活性呈降低趋势,变化大小为对照>处理A>处理B。脲酶、转化酶和纤维素酶与速效P呈极显著相关,与速效K显著相关。碱解氮含量与脲酶极显著性相关,与纤维素酶和转化酶显著性相关,但过氧化氢酶活性与碱解氮、速效P、速效K含量呈负相关,因此脲酶、转化酶、纤维素酶活性可以作为评价有机营养土肥力的标准。     

Agronomic Evaluation of Manure Ashes: Changes in Soil Phosphorus Fractions,Maize (Zea mays) Yield,and Phosphorus Uptake

ABSTRACT

In order to reduce bulkiness and concentrate its nutrients, manures were burnt to ashes, and the effect of manures and their ashes on soil phosphorus fractions and maize performance in laboratory incubation, screenhouse, and field experiments was evaluated. Treatments were control, dried poultry manure (DPM), poultry manure ash, dried cattle manure (DCM), cattle manure ash (CMA), dried goat manure, goat manure ash and NPK 15-15-15, each applied at 120 kg P ha^?1. Periodic data were taken from soil P fractions, maize yield, and P uptake. Results showed that manures and their ashes increased soil P fractions in incubation, screenhouse, and field experiments. Available P and Ca-P increased with application of DPM while CMA only increased labile P, Al-P, and Fe-P at later weeks. Dry matter yield and P uptake increased with the application of manures and ashes while available P was positively correlated with P uptake. The impact of manure ashes was comparable to manures, hence recommended for use as alternatives, thereby getting rid of the problems of manure bulkiness and offensive odors.     

Microbial activity and biomass in mixture treatments of soil and biogenic municipal refuse compost

An incubation experiment was performed to determine how the mixing of soil with municipal organic refuse compost affects C mineralization, growth of the microbial biomass, and changes in organic components, especially in the fractions of amino acids and amino sugars. Compost and soil differed in almost every parameter measured, with the organic C content of the compost representing only 10.8% of the dry weight. The fractions of K₂SO₄-extractable organic C and of non-hydrolyzable C were larger in the compost (1.24 and 62.9% of organic C, respectively) than in the soil (0.56 and 41.6% of organic C). These two fractions increased in proportion to the addition of compost, in contrast to amino sugar and amino acid C which were identified overproportionately in the mixture treatments, especially in the 30% compost treatment. Overproportionate increases in the microbial biomass C content and CO₂ evolution rate were also measured in this treatment. The adsorption of compost colloids on the surface of regular soil silicates increased both the availability for microbial enzymes and the detectability for chemical analysis.     

宣城市岗坡地土壤养分特征及其与颗粒组成关系

对宣城市岗坡地土壤养分特征及其与颗粒组成关系进行了分析,结果表明:⑴不同土地利用类型中,林地土壤有机质和全氮含量显著高于其它3种土地利用类型;耕地和新耕地土壤全磷、速效养分含量都高于林地和灌丛;土壤有机质、速效氮和速效磷含量与土地利用类型有显著的相关性。⑵土壤有机质、全氮含量中、上坡位都显著高于下坡位,全磷和速效养分的含量随坡位下降呈显著增加趋势;有机质、全磷和速效磷与坡位有显著的相关性。⑶土壤有机质与粘粒(<0.002 mm)和粉粒(0.002~0.02 mm)的含量均呈显著的正相关,与砂粒(0.02~2 mm)含量呈显著负相关,全氮与粉粒含量呈现显著正相关,全磷与粉粒、砂粒含量显著正相关。     

Soil C and N changes on conservation reserve program lands in the Central Great Plains

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was initiated to reduce water and wind erosion on marginal, highly erodible croplands by removing them from production and planting permanent, soil-conserving vegetation such as grass. We conducted a field study at two sites in Wyoming, USA, in order to quantify changes in soil C and N of marginal croplands seeded to grass, and of native rangeland plowed and cropped to wheat–fallow. Field plots were established on a sandy loam site and a clay loam site on wheat–fallow cropland that had been in production for 60+ years and on adjacent native rangeland. In 1993, 6 years after the study was initiated, the surface soil was sampled in 2.5 cm depth increments, while the subsurface soil was composited as one depth increment. All soil samples were analyzed for total organic C and N, and potential net mineralized C and N. After 60+ years of cultivation, surface soils at both study sites were 18–26% lower (by mass) in total organic C and N than in the A horizons of adjacent native range. Six years after plowing and converting native rangeland to cropland (three wheat–fallow cycles), both total and potential net mineralized C and N in the surface soil had decreased and NO₃–N at all depths had increased to levels found after 60+ years of cultivation. We estimate that mixing of the surface and subsurface soil with tillage accounted for 40–60% of the decrease in surface soil C and N in long-term cultivated fields; in the short-term cultivated fields, mixing with tillage may have accounted for 60–75% of the decrease in C, and 30–60% of the decrease in N. These results emphasize the need to evaluate C and N in the entire soil solum, rather than in just the surface soil, if actual losses of C and N due to cultivation are to be distinguished from vertical redistribution. Five years after reestablishing grass on the sandy loam soil, both total and potential net mineralized C and N in the surface soil had increased to levels equal to or greater than those observed in the A horizon of the native range. On the clay loam soil, however, significant increases in total organic C were observed only in the surface 2.5 cm of N-fertilized grass plots, while total organic N had not significantly increased from levels observed in the long-term cultivated fields.     

Soil microbial community characteristics along an elevation gradient in the Laguna Mountains of Southern California

We sampled soil at four sites in the Laguna Mountains in the western Sonoran Desert to test the effects of site and sample location (between or beneath plants) on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and carbon substrate ulilization (Biolog) profiles. The four sites differed in elevation, soil type, plant community composition, and plant percent cover. Soil pH decreased and plant density increased with elevation. Fertile islands, defined as areas beneath plants with greater soil resources than bare areas, are present at all sites, but are most pronounced at lower elevations. Consistent with this pattern, fertile islands had the greatest influence on FAME and Biolog profiles at lower elevations. Based on the use of FAME biomarker and principal components analyses, we found that soil microbial communities between plants at the lowest elevation had proportionally more Gram-negative bacteria than all other soils. At the higher elevation sites there were few differences in FAME profiles of soils sampled between vs. beneath plants. Differences in FAME profiles under plants among the four sites were small, suggesting that the plant influence per se is more important than plant type in controlling FAME profiles. Since microbial biomass carbon was correlated with FAME number (r=0.85,P<0.0001) and with FAME named (r=0.88,P<0.0001) and total areas (r=0.84,P<0.0001), we standardized the FAME data to ensure that differences in FAME profiles among samples were not the result of differences in microbial biomass. Differences in microbial substrate utilization profiles among sampling locations were greatest between samples taken under vs. between plants at the two lower elevation sites. Microbial substrate utilization profiles, therefore, also seem to be influenced more by the presence of plants than by specific plant type.     

施用有机肥和化肥对菜田土壤酶动态特性的影响

通过露地田间栽培黄瓜试验,研究施用有机肥和化肥对土壤中性磷酸酶、脲酶、过氧化氢酶和转化酶动态特性的影响。结果表明,露地菜田土壤酶活性随土层的加深而减弱,0～10cm土层酶活性明显高于10～20cm。菜田耕层土壤酶活性季节性变化明显,作物旺盛生长期土壤酶活性高,而作物生长初期和末期,土壤酶活性较低。施用有机肥、化肥在一定条件下可以改变土壤酶活性。施用半腐熟有机肥,生育初期酶活性低,生育后期逐渐升高;施用氮肥,在黄瓜各个生育期均不同程度地降低了酶的活性,而增施磷、钾肥却不同程度地提高了酶的活性。     

Changes in the Amino Acid Composition of Decomposing Plant Materials in Soil: Species and Depth Effects

Abstract

This project studied the amino acid composition of samples taken from an experiment of in situ incubation of plant debris, mixed with mineral earth, to identify changes during decomposition. Medicago sativa debris, and Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus halepensis ground litter, were mixed with a OM‐poor mineral earth, and buried in the soil at 5, 20, and 40 cm depth, for 2 years. The total amino acid composition of the final samples was compared with that of the initial ones. The amino acid composition of the several initial mixtures was quite similar. Also, the differences between initial and incubated samples were small, but still large enough to detect consistent changes. The pattern of change was consistent for only nine amino acids: Gly consistently increased, whereas Lys, His, Leu, and (to a lesser extent) Arg, Tyr, Phe, Ser, and Tau consistently decreased. The ratio Gly/(Lys+His+Leu+Arg+Tyr+Phe+Ser) is taken as the amino acid signature (AaS). This ratio increased from about 0.30–0.35 in the undecomposed mixtures, to about 0.55–0.60 after 2 years of field decomposition, and the comparison with data from other authors suggests that it could be a useful indicator of the degree of biochemical evolution of nitrogen compounds in soil samples. In contrast, changes in the traditional groups of amino acids, i.e., acid, basic, neutral, and sulfur (S)‐containing, were hardly detectable.     

江河源区高寒嵩草草甸土壤氨基酸成分和含量特征分析

通过高效液相色谱技术分析了青海省果洛州达日县窝赛乡原生嵩草草甸、严重退化草地及人工草地三类植被土壤中各种氨基酸成分及含量。结果表明:(1)三种类型土壤中都检测出19种常见氨基酸:精氨酸、天冬氨酸、丝氨酸、谷氨酸、苏氨酸、丙氨酸、甘氨酸、氨基丁酸、脯氨酸、蛋氨酸、缬氨酸、苯丙氨酸、异亮氨酸、亮氨酸、胱氨酸、组氨酸、鸟氨酸、赖氨酸、酪氨酸;(2)测定结果表明原生嵩草草甸土壤的氨基酸总量显著高于人工恢复重建草地和严重退化土壤氨基酸,而后两者之间差异不显著。原生高寒草地的土壤(6316.28μgg-1)严重退化草地土壤(2977.10μgg-1)人工恢复重建草地土壤(2975.90μgg-1)。(3)原生高寒草地土壤氨基酸总体呈现下降趋势:5月氨基酸含量最高,随后6月7月的显著下降,8月稍微有所回升,9月氨基酸含量到达最低;严重退化草地土壤与人工恢复重建草地土壤氨基酸含量季节变化相似,氨基酸总量在6月份到达最高点,随后7月8月显著下降,9月份稍微有所回升。     

短期免耕对黑土有机碳、全氮和速效养分的影响

对中层黑土上连续监测了6年的玉米免耕和秋翻两种耕作处理下的耕层土壤有机碳、全氮和速效氮、磷、钾进行了分析。结果表明:耕作处理对土壤养分的影响主要表现在不同的土壤深度上,免耕造成了土壤有机碳和全氮的分层化,即表层0~5 cm有机碳和全氮含量明显高于亚表层,而秋翻土壤有机碳和全氮分布则比较均匀。免耕处理的速效养分均表现为表层与亚表层存在明显差异。免耕处理下有机碳、全氮和速效氮、磷、钾在土壤表层发生明显富集。     

河北省唐山地区水稻产量的土壤养分限制因子研究

采用田间试验的方法研究了唐山地区水稻产量的土壤养分限制因子,分析了水稻产量构成因素对其产量的影响。田间试验结果显示,在唐山地区缺氮施肥处理对水稻产量影响较大,与全素处理相比,有效穗数为7个,减少9个,相对产量为40.2%,减产量达5700kghm-2,差异达到显著水平。这表明:氮主要通过减少水稻的有效穗数而影响水稻产量,是水稻产量的主要土壤养分限制因子。     

Soil C, N and crop yields in Alabama's long-term ‘Old Rotation' cotton experiment

The Old Rotation cotton experiment at Auburn, Alabama, is the oldest, continuous cotton experiment in the world (cf. 1896). Long-term cropping systems provide a unique opportunity to observe the effects of 100 years of cropping on soil organic carbon (SOC). The objective of this paper was to summarize limited data on SOC and N cycling in this historic experiment. Soil organic C has been measured on the 13 plots (6 cropping systems) in 1988, 1992 and 1994. Long-term planting of winter legumes with no other source of N applied resulted in higher SOC (9.5 g C kg⁻¹) in the plow layer (0–20 cm depth) compared to continuous cotton with no winter cover crops (4.2 g C kg⁻¹). A 3-year rotation of cotton–winter legumes–corn–small grain–soybean resulted in 12.1 g C kg⁻¹. There was a significant (P<0.05), quadratic cotton yield response (R²=0.54) to increasing SOC. Winter legume cover crops supplied between 90 and 170 kg N ha⁻¹. Where no N has been applied in fertilizer or from a legume crop, annual N removal in the cotton crop is around 13 kg ha⁻¹, about the same as that fixed in precipitation.     

Effect of long-term manuring and fertilizers on carbon pools,soil structure,and sustainability under different cropping systems in wet-temperate zone of northwest Himalayas

We investigated C management index (CMI; an indicator of sustainability of a management system and is based on total and labile C) and soil aggregation in medium-textured soils (silt loam and silty clay loam) under different cropping systems as follows: maize-wheat (M-W), rice-wheat (R-W), soybean-wheat (S-W), Guinea grass, and Setaria grass. Field experiments were 6–32 years long and were located in the wet-temperate zone of northwest Himalayas. The plant nutrients were applied through chemical fertilizers (urea, superphosphate, and muriate of potash) with or without organic materials (FYM, wheat straw, and Lantana spp.). The content of total C (C_T), labile C (C_L), CMI, mean weight diameter (MWD), and aggregate porosity varied significantly under different cropping systems. The range was 1.59 (R-W)–4.29% (Setaria) for C_T, 1.23 (R-W)–3.89 mg/kg (Guinea grass) for C_L, 52.09 (R-W)–129.77 (Guinea grass) for CMI, 0.90 (R-W)–5.09 (Guinea grass) for MWD, and 41.5 (R-W)–56.8% (S-W) for aggregate porosity. Aggregate porosity was highest (56.8%) under S-W, followed by grasses (50.1–51.2%), and M/R-W (41.5–50.0%). As per these data, (a) continuous use of N alone as urea lowered soil sustainability over control (no fertilizers); (b) use of NPK at recommended rates improved soil productivity over control; (c) the NPK + organic amendments further improved soil sustainability; and (d) the sustainability under different cropping systems followed the order: perennial grasses > soybean-wheat > maize-wheat > rice-wheat.     

关于平衡施肥中土壤供肥性能的研究

以田间试验所设的缺素区产量代替无肥区产量 ,所建立的定产式更接近实际 ,增加了土壤供肥量的计算量 ,减少施肥量。缺素区产量及其养分吸收量是计算土壤供肥量、土壤有效养分校正系数和相对产量等的基础参数。文中讨论的确定土壤供肥量的三种方法精度均较高 ,吻合度均大于 90 %。使平衡施肥建议施肥量达到定量水平