Soil organic matter,microbial properties,and aggregate stability under annual and perennial pastures

The use of annually sown pastures to provide winter forage is common in dairy farming in many regions of the world. Loss of organic matter and soil structural stability due to annual tillage under this management may be contributing to soil degradation. The comparative effects of annual ryegrass pastures (conventionally tilled and resown each year), permanent kikuyu pastures and undisturbed native vegetation on soil organic matter content, microbial size and activity, and aggregate stability were investigated on commercial dairy farms in the Tsitsikamma region of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. In comparison with soils under sparse, native grassy vegetation, those under both annual ryegrass and permanent kikuyu pasture had higher soil organic matter content on the very sandy soils of the eastern end of the region. By contrast, in the higher rainfall, western side, where the native vegetation was coastal forest, there was a loss of organic matter under both types of pasture. Nonetheless, soil organic C, K₂SO₄-extractable C, microbial biomass C, basal respiration, arginine ammonification and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis rates and aggregate stability were less under annual than permanent pastures at all the sites. These results reflect the degrading effect of annual tillage on soil organic matter and the positive effect of grazed permanent pasture on soil microbial activity and aggregation. Soil organic C, microbial biomass C, K₂SO₄-extractable C, basal respiration and aggregate stability were significantly correlated with each other. The metabolic quotient and percentage of organic C present as microbial biomass C were generally poorly correlated with other measured properties but negatively correlated with one another. It was concluded that annual pasture involving conventional tillage results in a substantial loss of soil organic matter, soil microbial activity and soil physical condition under dairy pastures and that a system that avoids tillage needs to be developed.     

耕作对土壤有机物和土壤团聚体稳定性的影响

Agricultural sustainability relates directly to maintaining or enhancing soil quality. Soil quality studies in Canada during the 1980‘s showed that loss of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil aggregate stability was standard features of non-sustainable land management in agroecosystems. In this study total soil organic carbon (SOC), particulate organic matter (POM), POM-C as a percentage of total SOC, and aggregate stability were determined for three cultivated fields and three adjacent grassland fields to assess the impact of conventional agricultural management on soil quality. POM was investigated using solid-state ^13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to determine any qualitative differences that may be attributed to cultivation. Results show a highly significant loss in total SOC, POM and aggregate stability in the cultivated fields as compared to the grassland fields and a significant loss of POM-C as a percentage of total SOC.Integrated results of the NMR spectra of the POM show a loss in carbohydrate-C and an increase in aromatic-C in the cultivated fields, which translates to a loss of biological lability in the organic matter. Conventional cultivation decreased the quantity and quality of SOM and caused a loss in aggregate stability resulting in an overall decline in soil quality.     

Influence of microbial populations and residue quality on aggregate stability

Soil structure mediates many biological and physical soil processes and is therefore an important soil property. Physical soil processes, such as aggregation, can be markedly influenced by both residue quality and soil microbial community structure. Three experiments were conducted to examine (i) the temporal dynamics of aggregate formation and the water stability of the obtained aggregates, (ii) the effect of residue quality on aggregation and microbial respiration, and (iii) the effect of fungi and bacteria on aggregation.In the first experiment, 250 μm sieved air-dried soil, mixed with wheat straw, was incubated for 14 days to allow formation of water-stable macroaggregates (>250 μm). Aggregate stability was measured by wet sieving after four different disruptive treatments: (i) soil at field capacity; (ii) soil air-dried and slowly wetted; (iii) soil air-dried and quickly wetted; (iv) 8 mm sieved soil, air-dried and immersed in water (slaking). After 14 days of incubation, maximum aggregation for soil sieved at field capacity was reached; however, these newly formed aggregates were not yet resistant to slaking.During the second experiment, the effect of low-quality residue (C/N: 108) (with or without extra mineral nitrogen) and high-quality residue (C/N: 19.7) (without extra mineral nitrogen) on macroaggregate formation and fungal and bacterial populations was tested. After 14 days, aggregation, microbial respiration, and total microbial biomass were not significantly different between the low-quality (minus mineral nitrogen) and high-quality residue treatment. However, fungal biomass was higher for the low-quality residue treatment compared to the high-quality residue treatment. In contrast, bacterial populations were favored by the high-quality residue treatment. Addition of mineral N in the low-quality residue treatment resulted in reduced macroaggregate formation and fungal biomass, but had no effect on bacterial biomass. These observations are not conclusive for the function of fungal and/or bacterial biomass in relation to macroaggregate formation. In order to directly discern the influence of soil microflora on aggregation, a third experiment was conducted in which a fungicide (captan) or bactericide (oxytetracycline) was applied to selectively suppress fungal or bacterial populations. The direct suppression of fungal growth by addition of fungicide led to reduced macroaggregate formation. However, suppression of bacterial growth by addition of bactericide did not lead to reduced macroaggregate formation. In conclusion, macroaggregate formation was positively influenced by fungal activity but was not significantly influenced by residue quality or bacterial activity.     

Impact of tillage and crop rotation on light fraction and intra-aggregate soil organic matter in two Oxisols

It is well known that no-tillage (NT) practices can promote greater stocks of soil organic matter (SOM) in the soil surface layer compared to conventional tillage (CT) by enhancing the physical protection of aggregate-associated C in temperate soils. However, this link between tillage, aggregation and SOM is less well established for tropical soils, such as Oxisols. The objective of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of SOM stabilization in Oxisols as affected by different crop rotations and tillage regimes at two sites in southern Brazil. Soils were sampled from two agricultural experiment sites (Passo Fundo and Londrina) in southern Brazil, with treatments comparing different crop rotations under NT and CT management, and a reference soil under native vegetation (NV). Free light fraction (LF) and intra-aggregate particulate organic matter (iPOM) were isolated from slaking-resistant aggregates. Of the total C associated with aggregates, 79–90% was found in the mineral fraction, but there were no differences between NT and CT. In contrast, tillage drastically decreased LF-C concentrations in the 0–5 cm depth layer at both sites. In the same depth layer of NT systems at Londrina, the concentrations of iPOM-C were greater when a legume cover crop was included in the rotation. At Londrina, the order of total iPOM-C levels was generally NV > NT > CT in the 0–5 cm depth interval, but the difference between NT and CT was much less than in Passo Fundo. At Passo Fundo, the greatest concentrations and differences in concentrations across tillage treatments were found in the fine (53–250 μm) iPOM fractions occluded within microaggregates. In conclusion, even though no aggregate hierarchy exists in these Oxisols, our results corroborate the concept of a stabilization of POM-C within microaggregates in no-tillage systems, especially when green manures are included in the rotation.     

The influence of organic matter on aggregate stability in some British soils

The stability of aggregates from 26 soils selected from agricultural areas was measured by wet-sieving and the results correlated with sand, silt, clay, nitrogen, organic matter and iron contents and with cation exchange capacity. Highly significant correlations were obtained for the relationships between aggregate stability and organic matter and some properties associated with it. No other soil constituent investigated had a significant relationship with aggregate stability, indicating that organic matter is mainly responsible for the stabilization of aggregates in these soils. The relationships between aggregate stability, and organic matter content plus some of its component fractions were examined in more detail using 120 soils. Total organic matter, total carbohydrate and humic material extracted by various reagents each gave highly or very highly significant correlations with aggregate stability. However, whilst it was not possible to distinguish whether any one organic component was more important than another, the results indicate that soil organic matter levels can be used diagnostically to identify soils which may show problems of structural instability.     

Influence of the rhizosphere on microbial biomass and recently formed organic matter

We have aimed to quantify the effect of roots on the size of the soil microbial biomass, and their influence on the turnover of soil organic matter and on the extent of the rhizosphere. We sampled a sandy clay loam topsoil from two subplots with different treatment histories. One had a normal arable fertilization record, the other had received only inorganic nitrogen fertilizer but no phosphorus and potassium for 30 years. Glucose labelled with ¹⁴C was added to both samples which were then incubated for 4 weeks before the soil was packed in cylinders and planted with ryegrass. In both soils, microbial biomass at the root surface doubled during the first 8 days. At day 15, the microbial biomass had further increased in the fertile soil, and the rhizosphere effect had extended 2.5 mm into the fertile soil, but to only 1 mm in the infertile soil. The microbial ¹⁴C increased threefold near the roots in the fertile soil as a result of assimilation of previously formed microbial residues, but in the infertile soil there was no increase. There was a close relation between the increase in microbial ¹⁴C and a decrease in ¹⁴C soluble in 2 m KCl, indicating that the microbial residues were more weakly adsorbed in the fertile soil. We conclude that the increased microbial population living near the root surfaces re‐assimilated part of the ¹⁴C‐labelled microbial residues in the fertile soil. In the infertile soil, microbial residues resisted decomposition because they were more strongly sorbed on to soil surfaces.     

Soil organic matter distribution and microaggregate characteristics as affected by agricultural management and earthworm activity

Stable microaggregates can physically protect occluded soil organic matter (SOM) against decomposition. We studied the effects of agricultural management on the amount and characteristics of microaggregates and on SOM distribution in a marine loam soil in the Netherlands. Three long‐term farming systems were compared: a permanent pasture, a conventional‐arable system and an organic‐arable system. Whole soil samples were separated into microaggregates (53–250 µm), 20–53 µm and < 20 µm organo‐mineral fractions, sand and particulate organic matter, after complete disruption of macroaggregates. Equal amounts of microaggregates were isolated, irrespective of management. However, microaggregates from the pasture contained a larger fraction of total soil organic C and were more stable than microaggregates from the two arable fields, suggesting greater SOM stabilization in microaggregates under pasture. Moreover, differences in the relative contribution of coarse silt (> 20 µm) versus fine mineral particles in the microaggregates of the different management systems demonstrate that different types of microaggregates were isolated. These results, in combination with micromorphological study of thin sections, indicate that the great earthworm activity under permanent pasture is an important factor explaining the presence of very stable microaggregates that are relatively enriched in organic C and fine mineral particles. Despite a distinctly greater total SOM content and earthworm activity in the organic‐ versus the conventional‐arable system, differences in microaggregate characteristics between both arable systems were small. The formation of stable and strongly organic C‐enriched microaggregates seems much less effective under arable conditions than under pasture. This might be related to differences in earthworm species' composition, SOM characteristics and/or mechanical disturbance between pasture and arable land.     

抛荒对冷浸稻田土壤团聚体及有机碳稳定性的影响

冷浸稻田是长江流域重要的低产稻田类型之一,近年来抛荒严重,而抛荒对冷浸稻田土壤团聚体的影响并不清楚。本研究以连年种植的冷浸稻田(CWC)、抛荒3年的冷浸稻田(CWA3)和抛荒6年的冷浸稻田(CWA6)为对象,分析抛荒后冷浸稻田土壤团聚体特征以及有机碳稳定性,以期为准确评估抛荒对长期淹水土壤的结构和有机碳的影响提供数据支持。结果表明,不论是0~25 cm土层还是25~50 cm土层,冷浸稻田土壤53μm粒级团聚体占总团聚体比例均超过40%;0~25 cm土层土壤250μm团聚体比例超过35%;53~250μm粒级团聚体比例低于20%。抛荒使0~25 cm土层53μm粒级团聚体占总团聚体比例显著增加,53~250μm粒级比例显著降低。在0~25 cm土层,抛荒使有机碳活性指数Ⅰ(LIc-Ⅰ)在53μm粒级和250μm粒级上升高,有机碳活性指数Ⅱ(LIc-Ⅱ)在53~250μm和250μm粒级上降低;而有机碳难降解指数(RIc)在53μm和53~250μm粒级上降低。土壤总有机碳随抛荒时间延长而增加。     

Soil aggregate stability and organic matter as affected by land-use change in central Iran

This study aimed to evaluate the soil aggregate stability and selected soil quality indicators in various land uses in a semiarid region in central Iran. Random soil sampling was used to collect soil samples from surface (0–5 cm) and subsurface (5–25 cm) soil layers in rangelands of different condition classes, dry farmland and abandoned land. The aggregate size distribution indices including mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD) and median diameter (D₅₀) of water-stable aggregates in the collected soil samples were measured. Our findings showed that percent of macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) of the surface and subsurface layers in rangelands of different condition classes were significantly higher than dry farmlands and abandoned lands (P < 0.05). Results showed that the trend of changes in soil organic matter was similar to soil aggregate stability in different land uses in both soil layers as follows: rangeland with good condition > rangeland with poor condition > abandoned land > dry farmlands. The structural stability indices (i.e. MWD, GMD and D₅₀) of rangelands with good condition were significantly greater than other land uses (P < 0.05). This highlights the importance of maintaining native rangeland to prevent organic matter loss, structure deterioration and soil erosion.     

Soil organic matter content and chemical composition under two rotation management systems in a Mediterranean climate

The crop rotation system in organic farming is a determinant factor to accumulate and preserve soil organic matter (SOM), and in depth knowledge on its effects is still lacking. Tillage intensity in particular is crucial to maintain soil aggregates and protect SOM from degradation. The evolution of SOM was tested in two adjacent fields under two different rotation cropping systems (low-intensity tillage and high-intensity tillage), and the effect of a further cultivation of legume in both fields was evaluated using ¹³carbon (C)-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and elemental analysis of samples isolated through combined aggregate size and density fractionation. The two adjacent fields had been managed using the following organic farming methods for 13 seasons since 1998: i) alfalfa-based, with nitrogen (N) enrichment and low-frequency tillage with alfalfa (Medicago sativa) (9 seasons), winter wheat (Triticum durum) (3 seasons), and broad bean (Vicia faba) (1 season) and ii) cereal-based, with N depletion and annual tillage with barley (Hordeum vulgare) (7 seasons), sunflower (Helianthus annuus) (2 seasons), broad bean (Vicia faba) (3 seasons), and bare fallow (1 season). Soil sampling was carried out at the end of the 13-year rotation (T0, November 2011) and after winter wheat and chickpea cultivation in both fields over two subsequent years (T1, July 2013). Bulk organic C was significantly higher in the alfalfa-based system than in the cereal-based system at both T0 and T1, with SOM occluded in soil aggregates and associated with mineral particles. In terms of the macroaggregates heavy fraction at T0, the alfalfa-based field contained twice the organic C of that in the cereal-based field, as well as three times the organic C in the occluded particulate organic matter (POM). The occluded POM (oPOM) had a lower aryl/O-alkyl C ratio in the alfalfa-based system than in the cereal-based system, suggesting that oPOM undergoes a lower degree of decomposition during low-intensity management. The aryl/O-alkyl C ratios of the macro-and microaggregate oPOM decreased from T0 to T1 in the cereal-based system, suggesting increased protection of these fractions by soil aggregates. Thus, including legumes in crop rotation appears to positively affect the accumulation of SOM associated with mineral particles and within soil aggregates.     

Short-term impact of spent coffee grounds over soil organic matter composition and stability in two contrasted Mediterranean agricultural soils

Purpose

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) is a biowaste which arouse great interest as soil organic amendment due to the huge amount produced around the world. However, the impact of this residue on soil organic matter (SOM) functionality and stability has been barely studied. Thus, the aim of this work is to study the short-term effects of SCG on the quantity and quality of SOM in two Mediterranean agricultural soils (Vega soil, SV and Red soil, SR) in microcosm conditions.

Materials and methods

The in vitro assay was performed with two fresh SCG doses (2.5 and 10% w/w), two incubation times (30 and 60 days) and two agricultural soils (SV and SR). SOM fractionation to obtain total extractable carbon, humic acids, fulvic acids, humins and hot water soluble carbon (HWSC) was determined. Spectroscopic UV-Vis and Mid-IR, thermogravimetric and simultaneous differential thermal analysis, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were also applied in this study.

Results and discussion

SCG increased all SOM fractions, especially the levels of more labile SOM (HWSC, increased 600–700%) and total extractable carbon (increased to around 200%). SCG also increased humic acids and fulvic acids around 200%, but the functionality of humic acids was affected by a reduction of the functional groups with more recalcitrant and stable character. The tested soils are different from each other (the SV has a more clayish texture and a higher smectite clay content than the SR) which made the behaviour of these soils different. The degree of incorporation of SCG into the soils structure and the interaction between soil and SCG particles (observed by SEM) affected carbon retention under stable forms, increasing carbon stabilization in SV with respect to SR.

Conclusions

The short-term effect of SCG on SOM composition and functionality demonstrate that this bioresidue could be used as soil organic amendment, being a valuable alternative use of a polluting waste. Soil type is a key factor since it influences the soil-SCG interaction and consequently SOM stability. To deepen the study of those effects, it would be necessary to analyze the long-term effects, field studies and to test in a greater number of soil types.

     

有机肥质量分数对土壤导水率稳定性的影响

饱和导水率是水循环和土壤侵蚀模型中的重要参数,也是土壤结构改善的重要指标.通过室内土柱模拟实验研究有机肥添加量对风沙土和壤土导水率的影响.土壤添加有机肥的比例设置为0％、5％、10％、15％、20％、25％、30％7个水平,土壤密度设3个水平,各处理5个重复.结果表明：1）土壤饱和导水率随有机肥质量分数的增加呈降低趋势,风沙土的饱和导水率随有机肥质量分数的增加呈直线下降趋势,而壤土饱和导水率的降低趋势随有机肥质量分数的增加减缓;2）有机肥质量分数的增加对土壤密度的降低作用可以抵消有机肥增加导致的饱和导水率的降低;3）低土壤密度下土壤导水率随时间变化不稳定,土壤密度增大后随时间变化稳定.随着有机肥质量分数的增加,土壤导水率的测定过程趋于稳定,但是测定时间延长.     

Influence of biological aggregating agents associated with microbial population on soil aggregate stability

In this study, we investigated the effects of plant residue decomposition and biological aggregating agents (microbial extracellular polysaccharides and fungal hyphae) on soil aggregate stability and determined the microbial population at different stages of soil aggregate stabilization. Experiments were conducted in a 40 days incubation period with the following six treatments: the control (soil only), soil + fungicide, soil + bactericide, soil + maize residues, soil + maize residues + fungicide, and soil + maize residues + bactericide. The maize residues treatments greatly enhanced the formation of macroaggregates. In the residue treatments, the addition of fungicide led to a significant suppression of fungal biomass and activity as well as a reduction of soil aggregate stability, which demonstrated the profound influence of fungal activity on aggregate formation. The addition of bactericide also significantly reduced soil aggregate stability, indicating that bacterial activity also played an important role in the macroaggregate formation. However, the effect of microbial extracellular polysaccharides on soil aggregate stability was not significant, which might be attributable to the fast wet sieving method used for aggregate separation. For the treatments of soil + residues and soil + residues + bactericide, the temporal variations of soil aggregate formation with two peak values suggested that other factors, such as hydrophobic compounds and phenolic acids, might be involved in the soil aggregate stabilization process.     

Influence of moisture on the stability of soil organic matter and plant residues

The effect of three levels of soil moistening on the organic matter mineralization was assessed for three arable soils and wheat straw in the course of a 150-day-long incubation experiment. It was found that the intensity of the organic matter mineralization increased in parallel to soil moistening in the podzolized chernozem and dark-chestnut soil and remained stable in the gray forest soil, which was explained by the low content of easily mineralizable fractions of active organic matter in the latter soil. The mineralization of wheat straw depended on the soil moistening rather than on soil properties.     

土壤有机质含量对土壤入渗能力及参数影响的试验研究

基于土壤质地为壤土的大田水分入渗试验,分析了有机质含量对大田土壤水分入渗能力和考斯加科夫入渗模型参数的影响。研究表明：土壤有机质对大田土壤入渗能力和入渗模型参数的影响都比较明显,土壤累积入渗量随着土壤有机质含量的增加而增大;入渗模型参数k和α值随土壤有机质含量的增加而减小。研究结果对于土壤入渗能力预测模型的建立和地面灌水技术参数的优化具有一定价值。     

小麦秸秆焚烧对土壤有机质积累和微生物活性的影响

【目的】焚烧作物秸秆是常见的处理农业废弃物减少病虫害和增加土壤养分的方法。但秸秆焚烧污染大气,妨碍农业健康发展。前人对秸秆焚烧造成大气污染已研究颇多,而对土壤环境所受影响的探究较少。本文选取焚烧不同小麦秸秆量的耕层土壤为研究对象,分析秸秆焚烧在短期内对土壤有机质积累和土壤微生物活性的影响。【方法】利用田间试验,设置对照(CK)、秸秆减量焚烧(0.24 kg/m2,A1)、全量焚烧(0.48 kg/m2,A2)和增量焚烧(0.72 kg/m2,A3)4种处理。将秸秆均匀覆盖在地表进行焚烧,并对残留较多的部分进行补充焚烧,以确保秸秆焚烧完全。焚烧完成5 h后,待土壤温度恢复正常,采集0—5 cm、5—10 cm、10—20 cm土壤样品,分析各层次土壤有机质含量、含水量、微生物数量和土壤酶活性。【结果】秸秆焚烧对0—5 cm土层的有机质含量、含水量、微生物数量及土壤酶活性影响显著,各处理均表现出减少的趋势。有机质含量下降了6.37%~19.47%,含水量减少22.15%~39.19%;细菌数量减少52.26%~75.25%,真菌减少45.21%~63.29%,放线菌减少46.87%~68.26%。蔗糖酶活性降低14.19%~30.75%,脲酶活性降低7.81%~25.48%,过氧化氢酶活性降低9.63%~39.53%,磷酸酶活性降低11.36%~40.44%;各处理与CK间大多呈显著差异。5—20 cm土层中各指标无显著变化。焚烧处理各指标的减少量均表现出A3A2A1的趋势,不同秸秆焚烧量之间大多差异显著。相关性分析表明,秸秆焚烧量与有机质含量、含水量、土壤微生物数量和酶活性之间呈显著负相关关系。【结论】小麦秸秆焚烧在短期内显著降低了0—5 cm土层中的有机质含量和微生物活性,而对5—20 cm土层的土壤影响不显著。小麦秸秆焚烧对土壤环境的影响强度随秸秆量的增多而加大。焚烧量与有机质含量、含水量、土壤微生物数量和酶活性之间呈显著负相关关系。鉴于秸秆焚烧对土壤肥力的长期效应以及对土壤理化性质影响的复杂性,焚烧对土壤有机质积累和微生物群落的影响还需要长期定位试验来探讨。     

有机质含量对人造技术土水分结构性质的影响

Constructed Technosols may be an alternative for creating urban green spaces. However, the hydro-structural properties emerging from the assembly of artefacts have never been documented. The soil shrinkage curve (SSC) could provide relevant structural information about constructed Technosols, such as the water holding capacity of each pore system (macropores and micropores). The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate the SSC and water retention curve (WRC) to describe the structure of constructed Technosols and (ii) to understand the influence of organic matter content on soil hydro-structural properties. In this study, Technosols were obtained by mixing green waste compost (GWC) with the material excavated from deep horizons of soil (EDH). The GWC was mixed with EDH in six different volumetric percentages from 0% to 50% (GWC/total). The GWC and EDH exhibited highly divergent hydro-structural properties: the SSC was hyperbolic for GWC and sigmoid for EDH. All six mixture treatments (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% GWC) exhibited the classical sigmoid shape, revealing two embedded levels of pore systems. The 20% GWC treatment was hydro-structurally similar to the 30% and 40% GWC treatments; so, a large quantity of expansive GWC is unnecessary. The relation with the GWC percentage was a second-degree equation for volumetric available water in micropores, but was linear for volumetric available water in macropores and total volumetric available water. Total volumetric available water in the 50% GWC treatment was twice as high as that in the 0% GWC treatment. By combining SSCs and WRCs, increasing the GWC percentage increased water holding capacity by decreasing the maximum equivalent size of water-saturated micropores at the shrinkage limit and increasing the maximum equivalent size of water-saturated macropores, resulting in an increased range of pore diameter able to retain available water.     

Temperature sensitivity of organic matter decomposition in two boreal forest soil profiles

Controversial conclusions from different studies suggest that the decomposition of old soil organic matter (SOM) is either more, less, or equally temperature sensitive compared to the younger SOM. Based on chemical kinetic theory, the decomposition of more recalcitrant materials should be more temperature sensitive, unless environmental factors limit decomposition. Here, we show results for boreal upland forest soils supporting this hypothesis. We detected differences in the temperature sensitivity 1) between soil layers varying in their decomposition stage and SOM quality, and 2) inside the layers during a 495 day laboratory incubation. Temperature sensitivity increased with increasing soil depth and decreasing SOM quality. In the organic layers, temperature sensitivity of decomposition increased during the early part of a 495 day laboratory incubation, after respiration rate and SOM quality had notably decreased. This indicates that decomposition of recalcitrant compounds was more temperature sensitive than that of the labile ones. Our results imply that Q₁₀ values for total heterotrophic soil respiration determined from short-term laboratory incubations can either underestimate or overestimate the temperature sensitivity of SOM decomposition, depending on soil layer, initial labile carbon content and temperature range used for the measurements. Using Q₁₀ values that ignore these factors in global climate models provides erroneous estimates on the effects of climate change on soil carbon storage.     

Influence of agricultural practices on soil microbial activity measured by microcalorimetry

To investigate the influence of different agricultural practices and vegetations on soil microbial activity and diversity, soil samples from different habitats were studied with their microbial activities measured by the microcalorimetric technique. Seven soil samples were collected in Wuhan, China from different locations with primary and regeneration forest, nursery and crop land, and uncultivated land. The number of microorganisms in soils was measured by viable count, and some physicochemical parameters were determined. Power–time curves were recorded for soil samples supplemented with glucose and ammonium sulphate, and the total heat changes of the microbial growth reaction, Q_total (Jg⁻¹) and the microbial growth rate constant, k (min⁻¹) were calculated from the curves. All power–time curves presented typical changes of microbial activity. The curves of soil samples could be divided into two groups differing in agricultural practices and vegetations. The same grouping could also be reached according to the values of peak time (t_max). The most soil samples showed a higher correlation between the values of k and the counted bacterial numbers. The Q_total correlated well with vegetation abundance and probably with microbial diversity. In conclusion, microbial activity of the soil samples determined by microcalorimetry reflected differences in soil vegetation and agricultural management.