铜污染土壤微生物群落结构及酶活性研究

The microbial community structure and enzyme activities of seven paddy soils with different Cu concentrations were investigated in the vicinity of a Cu smelter in Fuyang County,Zhejiang Province in Southeast China.The microbial community structure was analyzed using the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and multiplex-terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (M-TRFLP) techniques.There was no clear dose-response relationship between Cu pollution and soil enzyme activity except for urease.Both PLFA and M-TRFLP methods showed that Cu contamination had a large effect on the soil microbial community structure.PLFA indicators of Gram-positive bacteria (16:0i,15:0i) and fungi (18:2w6,9) relatively decreased with increasing Cu concentration,whereas indicators of Gram-negative bacteria (19:0cy,16:1w7) increased.The M-TRFLP results suggested that there was a dose-dependent response between Cu pollution and bacterial community or fungal community.The fungal community was more sensitive to Cu pollution than the bacterial community.There were no significant differences in archaeal community structure between the different Cu pollution plots and archaea might be more tolerant to Cu pollution than both bacteria and fungi.     

干旱热带地区土地利用变化对土壤微生物群落组成及有机碳含量的影响

Restoration of forests poses a major challenge globally,particularly in the tropics,as the forests in these regions are more vulnerable to land-use change.We studied land-use change from natural forest (NF) to degraded forest (DF),and subsequently to either Jatropha curcas plantation (JP) or agroecosystem (AG),in the dry tropics of Uttar Pradesh,India,with respect to its impacts on soil microbial community composition as indicated by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers and soil organic carbon (SOC) content.The trend of bacterial PLFAs across all land-use types was in the order:NF ＞ JP ＞ DF＞ AG.In NF,there was dominance of gram-negative bacterial (G-) PLFAs over the corresponding gram-positive bacterial (G+) PLFAs.The levels of G-PLFAs in AG and JP differed significantly from those in DF,whereas those of G+ PLFAs were relatively similar in these three land-use types.Fungal PLFAs,however,followed a different trend:NF ＞ JP ＞ DF =AG.Total PLFAs,fungal/bacterial (F/B) PLFA ratio,and SOC content followed trends similar to that of bacterial PLFAs.Across all land-use types,there were strong positive relationships between SOC content and G-,bacterial,fungal,and total microbial PLFAs and F/B PLFA ratio.Compared with bacterial PLFAs,fungal PLFAs appeared to be more responsive to land-use change.The F/B PLFA ratio,fungal PLFAs,and bacterial PLFAs explained 91％,94％,and 73％ of the variability in SOC content,respectively.The higher F/B PLFA ratio in JP favored more soil C storage,leading to faster ecosystem recovery compared to either AG or DF.The F/B PLFA ratio could be used as an early indicator of ecosystem recovery in response to disturbance,particularly in relation to land-use change.     

北美中部大平原半干旱农业生态系统中覆盖作物和灌溉对土壤微生物群落和酶活性的影响

Cover crops can have beneficial effects on soil microbiology by increasing carbon (C) supply, but these beneficial effects can be modulated by precipitation conditions. The objective of this study was to compare a fallow-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation to several cover crop-winter wheat rotations under rainfed and irrigated conditions in the semiarid US High Plains. Experiments were carried out at two sites, Sidney in Nebraska and Akron in Colorado, USA, with three times of soil sampling in 2012--2013 at cover crop termination, wheat planting, and wheat maturity. The experiments included four single-species cover crops, a 10-species mixture, and a fallow treatment. The variables measured were soil C and nitrogen (N), soil community structure by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles, and soil β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, and phosphodiesterase activities. The fallow treatment, devoid of living plants, reduced the concentrations of most FAMEs at cover crop termination. The total FAME concentration was correlated with cover crop biomass (R = 0.62 at Sidney and 0.44 at Akron). By the time of wheat planting, there was a beneficial effect of irrigation, which caused an increase in mycorrhizal and protozoan markers. At wheat maturity, the cover crop and irrigation effects on soil FAMEs had subsided, but irrigation had a positive effect on the β-glucosidase and phosphodiesterase activities at Akron, which was the drier of the two sites. Cover crops and irrigation were slow to impact soil C concentration. Our results show that cover crops had a short-lived effect on soil microbial communities in semiarid wheat-based rotations and irrigation could enhance soil enzyme activity. In the semiarid environment, longer time spans may have been needed to see beneficial effects of cover crops on soil microbial community structure, soil enzyme activities, and soil C sequestration.     

土壤微食物网对旱改水不同稻作年限土地利用变化的响应

Land use changes affect belowground ecosystems.During the past few decades,land use in Northeast China has changed considerably,and the area of paddy fields has increased rapidly from upland.In this study,soil characteristics and soil biotic community in paddy fields with different years of rice cultivation were measured to examine the effects of land use change from upland to paddy fields on soil micro-food web.The upland maize fields were selected as control and the microbial community composition was characterized using phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) analysis.The microbial biomass (total PLFA),bacteria biomass,and fungi biomass were higher in the 20-40-year (late-stage) than 1-10-year (early-stage) paddy fields.The abundances of total nematodes and bacterivores were lower in the early-stage than late-stage paddy fields.The abundance of herbivores was the highest in the early-stage paddy fields but that of omnivore-predators was the highest in the late-stage paddy fields.Structural equation model indicated that soil food web was developed and structured after 20 years of paddy cultivation.Our results suggested that soil micro-food web may be a good indicator for soil development and stabilization of paddy fields following land use change.     

蚯蚓与黑麦草相互作用对土壤中荧蒽去除的影响

Earthworms can promote the bioremediation of contaminated soils through enhancing plant growth and microorganism development. The individual and combined effects of earthworms and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) on the removal of fluoranthene from a sandy-loam alluvial soil were investigated in a 70-d microcosm experiment. The experiment was set up in a complete factorial design with treatments in four replicates: without earthworms or ryegrass (control, CK), with earthworms only (E), with ryegrass only (P), and with both earthworms and ryegrass (EP). The residual fluoranthene, microbial biomass C, and polyphenol oxidase activity in the soil changed significantly (P<0.01) with time. In general, the residual concentration of fluoranthene in the soil decreased sharply from 71.8-88.7 to 31.7-37.4 mg kg 1 in 14 d, and then decreased gradually to 19.7-30.5 mg kg 1 on the 70th d. The fluoranthene concentration left in the soil was the least with both earthworms and ryegrass, compared to the other treatments at the end of the experiment. Half-life times of fluoranthene in the E, P, and EP treatments were 17.8%-36.3% smaller than that of CK. More fluoranthene was absorbed by earthworms than ryegrass. However, the total amounts of fluoranthene accumulated in both the ryegrass and earthworms were small, only accounting for 0.01%-1.20% of the lost fluoranthene. Therefore, we assumed that microbial degradation would play a dominant functional role in fluoranthene removal from soil. We found that earthworms significantly increased microbial biomass C and polyphenol oxidase activity (P<0.01) in the presence of ryegrass at the end of the experiment. Furthermore, microbial biomass C and polyphenol oxidase activity were significantly (P<0.05) and negatively related to the residual fluoranthene concentration. This implied that earthworms might promote the removal of fluoranthene from soil via stimulating microbial biomass C and polyphenol oxidase activity.     

重复添加植物残体后土壤微生物活性和生物量对盐度的响应特征

Microbial adaptation to salinity can be achieved through synthesis of organic osmolytes,which requires high amounts of energy;however,a single addition of plant residues can only temporarily improve energy supply to soil microbes.Therefore,a laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the responses of soil microbes to increasing salinity with repeated additions of plant residues using a loamy sand soil with an electrical conductivity in saturated paste extract（EC_e） of 0.6 dS m^-1.The soil was kept non-saline or salinized by adding different amounts of NaCl to achieve EC_e of 12.5,25.0 and 50.0 dS m^-1.The non-saline soil and the saline soils were amended with finely ground pea residues at two rates equivalent to 3.9 and 7.8 g C kg^-1 soil on days 0,15 and29.The soils receiving no residues were included as a control.Cumulative respiration per g C added over 2 weeks after each residue addition was always greater at 3.9 than 7.8 g C kg^-1 soil and higher in the non-saline soil than in the saline soils.In the saline soils,the cumulative respiration per g C added was higher after the second and third additions than after the first addition except with3.9 g C kg^-1 at EC_e of 50 dS m^₁.Though with the same amount of C added(7.8 g C kg^-1),salinity reduced soil respiration to a lesser extent when 3.9 g C kg^-1 was added twice compared to a single addition of 7.8 g C kg^-1.After the third residue addition,the microbial biomass C concentration was significantly lower in the soils with EC_e of 25 and 50 dS m^₁ than in the non-saline soil at3.9 g C kg^-1,but only in the soil with EC_e of 50 dS m^-1 at 7.8 g C kg^-1.We concluded that repeated residue additions increased the adaptation of soil microbial community to salinity,which was likely due to high C availability providing microbes with the energy needed for synthesis of organic osmolytes.     

利用复合方法对不同耕作系统中的土壤微生物活性进行分析

Cropping activities may affect soil microbial activities and biomass,which would affect C and N cycling in soil and thus the crop yields and quality.In the present study,a combination of microcalorimetric,enzyme activity(sucrase,urease,catalase,and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis),and real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) analyses was used to investigate microbial status of farmland soils,collected from 5 different sites in Huazhong Agriculture University,China.Our results showed that among the 5sites,both positive and negative impacts of cropping activities on soil microbial activity were observed.Enzyme activity analysis showed that cropping activities reduced soil sucrase and urease activities,which would influence the C and N cycles in soil.Much more attentions should be given to microbial status affected by cropping activities in future.According to the correlation analysis,fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis showed a significantly(P 0.05) negative correlation with the time to reach the maximum power output(R ——0.898),but a significantly(P 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number(R = 0.817).Soil catalase activity also showed a significantly(P 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number(R = 0.965).Using combined methods would provide virtual information of soil microbial status.     

黄土高原某些耕作土壤中土壤微生物生物量C、N与矿化N的关系

The chloroform fumigation-incubation method was used to measure the soil microbial biomass C (SMBC) and N (SMBN) in 16 loessial soils sampled from Ansai, Yongshou and Yangling in Shaanxi Province. The SMBC contents in the soils ranged from 75.9 to 301.0 μg C g^-1 with an average of 206.1 μg C g^-1, accounting for 1.36%~6.24% of the total soil organic C with an average of 3.07%, and the SMBN contents from 0.51 to 68.40 μg N g^-1 with an average of 29.4 μg N g^-1, accounting for 0.20%~5.65% of the total N in the soils with an average of 3.36%. A close relationship was found between SMBC and SMBN, and they both were positively correlated with total organic C, total N, NaOH hydrolizable N and mineralizable N. These results confirmed that soil microbial biomass had a comparative role in nutrient cycles of soils.     

中国土壤微生物量的大小

The microbial biomass C, N and P of soils all over China were determined in this study to study their affecting factors. The results, about 100-417 mg C kg^-1 soil, 18-51 mg N kg^-1 soil and 4.4-27.3 mg P kg^-1 soil, showed the biomass C, N and P in linear relationship with the soil total organic C, toal N and soil organic P. The ratios of C: N and C:P, ranging from 5.6 to 9.6 and from 11.2 to 48.4 respectively, were affected by soil pH, texture, crop rotation, macroclimate, etc. The ratio of C:N in soil biomass increases gradually from the north to the south in China.     

黄土高原中国松人工林演替过程中的土壤微生物和酶活性

Successional and seasonal effects on soil microbial and enzymatic properties were studied in Chinese pine (Pinus tabu- laeformis) plantations in an age sequence of 3-, 7-, 13-, 21- and 28-year-old in northern Ziwuling region in the middle of Loess Plateau, China. The results indicated that plantation age and season affected soil microbial and enzymatic parameters significantly. Soil organic C, total N, microbial biomass C, microbial quotient, basal respiration, dehydrogenase, N-α-benzoyl-L-argininamide (BAA)-protease, urease and β-glucosidase increased quickly and tended to be highest at PF21 (21-year plantation), thereafter they remained nearly at a constant level, whereas the metabolic quotient (qCO 2 ) showed an initial increase and then decreased gradually. Measures of these soil properties showed significant seasonal fluctuations except for organic C and total N, which were found to be relatively stable throughout the study period, and the seasonal distributions were autumn spring summer winter for microbial biomass C, microbial quotient, dehydrogenase, and β-glucosidase; autumn summer spring winter for BAA-protease and urease; and summer autumn spring winter for basal respiration and qCO 2 . Significant season × age interaction was observed for biomass C, basal respiration, dehydrogenase and BAA-protease.     

Effects of methyl bromide fumigation,chloropicrin fumigation and steam sterilization on soil nitrogen dynamics and microbial properties in a pot culture experiment

Abstract

The effects of steam sterilization (SS), methyl bromide (MeBr) fumigation and chloropicrin (CP) fumigation on soil N dynamics and microbial properties were evaluated in a pot experiment. All disinfection treatments increased the NH⁺ ₄-N level and inhibited nitrification. The additional NH⁺ ₄-N in the CP treatment probably originated from the decomposition of microbial debris by surviving microbes, while that in the SS treatment was attributable to deamination processes of soil organic N occurring in a less labile fraction in addition to the decomposition of microbial debris. The MeBr fumigation increased the level of NH⁺ ₄-N without changing the soil microbial biomass. Based on the determinations of soil microbial biomass, substrate utilization activity (Biolog method) and microbial community structure (phospholipid fatty acid method), the effects of the MeBr, CP and SS treatments on the microbial community were compared. The MeBr fumigation had relatively mild and short-term effects on microbial biomass and activity, but altered the community structure drastically by promoting the growth of gram-positive bacteria. The CP fumigation had large and long-term impacts on microbial biomass and activity; the community structure remained unaffected except for the gram-negative bacteria. Steam sterilization had severe and persistent effects on all parameters. The severity of the effects decreased in the order SS ≥ CP > MeBr.     

土壤微生物群落对高剂量的新鲜橄榄油厂废水的响应

An incubation experiment was designed in order to determine the further microbiological response to an addition (500 m³ ha^-1) of fresh olive mill wastewater (FOMWW) in a soil that has been frequently amended with uncontrolled doses of OMWW since 90s in an active disposal site (ADS soil). To achieve this aim, the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles, microbial biomass C (C_mic), and dehydrogenase (DHA) and urease activities (URA) were monitored at the beginning (T₀), 3 h (T₁) and 97 d (T_f, i.e., the end) of incubation after FOMWW addition. After the FOMWW addition, an increase in the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs was observed in ADS soil. Moreover, a relative increase of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) with respect to saturated fatty acids (SATFA) was found in the ADS soil. An increase of the Gram-positive to Gram-negative ratio was observed in this soil at the end of the incubation. While DHA and Cmic increased in the ADS soil after FOMWW addition, URA showed a decrease. Fungi and Gram-positive bacterial biomass experienced an increase after addition of a high dose of FOMWW in laboratory conditions.     

不同施肥模式对设施菜田土壤微生物量碳、氮的影响

【目的】 本文利用天津日光温室蔬菜不同施肥模式定位试验,研究了不同施肥模式对设施菜田土壤微生物量碳、氮含量的影响,为设施蔬菜高效施肥和菜田土壤可持续利用提供依据。 【方法】 调查在第 9 茬蔬菜 (秋冬茬芹菜) 和第 10 茬蔬菜 (春茬番茄) 进行。定位试验设 8 个处理,分别为:1) 不施氮;2) 全部施用化肥氮 (4/4CN);3) 3/4 化肥氮 + 1/4 猪粪氮 (3/4CN + 1/4PN);4) 2/4 化肥氮 + 2/4 猪粪氮 (2/4CN + 2/4PN);5) 1/4 化肥氮 + 3/4 猪粪氮( 1/4CN + 3/4PN);6) 2/4 化肥氮 + 1/4 猪粪氮 + 1/4 秸秆氮 (2/4CN + 1/4PN + 1/4SN);7) 2/4 化肥氮 + 2/4 秸秆氮 (2/4CN + 2/4SN);8) 农民习惯施肥 (CF),除不施氮肥和农民习惯施肥外,其余处理为等氮磷钾处理。在不同生育时期,采 0—20 cm 土壤样品,测定土壤微生物量碳、氮含量,并分析其与蔬菜产量之间的关系。 【结果】 两茬蔬菜不同施肥模式土壤微生物量碳、氮含量总体上均随生育期的推进呈先增后降的趋势。芹菜季较高土壤微生物量碳含量出现在定植后 90 d,土壤微生物量氮较高含量出现在定植后 60 d;番茄季分别出现在定植后 20～80 d 和 60 d。芹菜季 5 个有机无机肥料配施模式土壤微生物量碳、氮含量分别在 185.0～514.6 和 34.3～79.1 mg/kg 之间,较化肥(4/4CN)模式平均分别增加 15.1%～81.7% 和 24.5%～100.0%,其中以配施秸秆模式土壤微生物量碳、氮含量相对较高,平均分别增加 62.0%～81.7% 和 81.1%～100.0%;番茄季 5 个有机无机肥料配施模式土壤微生物量碳、氮含量分别在 120.7～338.0 和 25.5～68.8 mg/kg 之间,较 4/4CN 模式平均分别增加 16.9%～86.9% 和 12.2%～109.3%,又以配施秸秆模式土壤微生物量碳、氮含量最高,平均分别增加 61.4%～86.9% 和 78.2%～109.3%。两季蔬菜不同生育期土壤微生物量碳、氮含量与当季蔬菜产量和定位试验开始以来蔬菜总产量之间均呈极显著正相关关系。 【结论】 同等养分投入量下,有机无机肥料配合施用提高土壤微生物量碳、氮的效果显著好于单施化肥,又以化肥配施秸秆效果更佳;土壤微生物量碳、氮含量与设施蔬菜产量之间呈极显著正相关关系。证明有机无机肥配施,特别是配施一定量的秸秆可有效提高土壤微生物量碳、氮含量,维持较高的菜田土壤肥力,有利于设施蔬菜的可持续和高效生产。      

Combined microbial community level and single species biosensor responses to monitor recovery of oil polluted soil

Understanding the effects of oil contamination on the composition and function of soil microbiota entails investigation of the effects of a mixture of hydrocarbons at the community level in a complex environmental matrix. One approach to this difficult problem is to ally a community-level fingerprinting approach with bioassays that have a physiological or functional implication. Two contrasting refined oils (paraffin and motor oil) were used to contaminate soil microcosms, and a simulated bioremediation treatment with nutrient-addition was applied. The indigenous microorganisms were monitored over 103 d using complementary community-level techniques (carbon source physiological profiling using Biolog^® microplates, and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling). Changes in the toxicity of the applied oils were monitored using luminescent bacterial bioassays, including Vibrio fischeri and a hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudomonas putida strain. Distinct shifts in microbial community structure and C source utilization profiles were observed as a result of oil contamination. There was some evidence that bioremediated soils were returning to control values by the end of the experiment. This was supported by the bioassay results which showed an initial increase in toxicity as a result of the oil addition which had then decreased by the conclusion of the experiment. The two oils exhibited markedly different toxicity towards the bioassay organisms, with species-specific differences in response. This oil-specific difference was also found in the PLFA profiles which showed the two oil types selected different microbial communities.     

New quality of assessment of microbial diversity in arable soils using molecular and biochemical methods

New molecular and biomarker approaches allow now a better understanding of the microbial diversity in soils. Examples are presented to demonstrate the new performance of these approaches and the quality of results. Investigations of the diversity of a bacterial indicator genus as well as studies of the whole microbial community structure are presented. Genotypes of Ochrobactrum were isolated by immunotrapping and characterized by PCR — fingerprinting. On a fallow land no significant changes in the intragenus diversity of this indicator bacterium was observed over a period of one year. In contrast, crop rotation was accompanied by a shift in the dominant genotypes of Ochrobactrum, while the genetic potential was not affected. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA)-pattern revealed significant shifts in the structure of the whole microbial community in a soil of a hop plantation as compared to a similar soil with crop rotation. The quantity of anaerobic bacteria, represented by the non-ester linked fatty acids were lower in soil samples derived from crop rotation as compared to a former hop plantation soil, which was contaminated with copper. In contrast, the ester linked fatty acids which are present in a wide range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, exhibited a reverse relation. Soil samples of the hop plantation contained low amounts of saturated ester linked fatty acids branching on the 10^th C atom. This indicates that actinomycetes are present in relative small proportions in the hop plantation soil.     

废弃农耕地自然演替过程中微生物群落与土壤特性间的关系

The changes of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) and microbial community in the topsoil of the abandoned agricultural land on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in China during the natural succession were evaluated to understand the relationship between microbial community and soil properties. MBC and MBN were measured using fumigation extraction, and microbial community was analyzed by the method of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The contents of organic C, total N, MBC, MBN, total FAME, fungal FAME, bacterial FAME and Gram-negative bacterial FAME at the natural succession sites were higher than those of the agricultural land, but lower than those of the natural vegetation sites. The MBC, MBN and total FAME were closely correlated with organic C and total N. Furthermore, organic C and total N were found to be positively correlated with fungal FAME, bacterial FAME, fungal/bacterial and Gram-negative bacterial FAME. Natural succession would be useful for improving soil microbial properties and might be an important alternative for sustaining soil quality on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in China.     

不同栽培方式对温室连作黄瓜土壤微生物量碳氮和作物产量的影响

以连作8年温室连作黄瓜土壤为材料,试验设5个不同轮作方式处理, 1）早春茬黄瓜夏茬休闲秋冬茬黄瓜（CK）; 2）早春茬黄瓜夏茬休闲秋冬茬黄瓜间作大蒜（CS1）; 3）早春茬黄瓜夏茬茼蒿秋冬茬黄瓜（CS2）; 4）早春茬番茄夏茬菠菜秋冬茬黄瓜（CS3）; 5）早春茬黄瓜夏茬大蒜秋冬茬黄瓜(CS4),进行了5年的盆栽试验,采用后3年的数据,评价不同栽培方式对土壤微生物量碳氮和主栽作物产量的连年影响,探讨栽培方式对连作黄瓜土壤的修复效果。研究结果表明,相对CK,CS3在第三和四年早春茬显著增加微生物量碳、 氮以及碳/氮,CS2和CS3在三至五年夏茬显著增加微生物量碳和碳/氮, CS2显著增加三至五年早春茬、 早春茬+秋冬茬产量,CS4显著增加第3和4年早春茬、 早春茬+秋冬茬产量和第三至五年秋冬茬产量; 微生物量碳和碳/氮与秋冬茬产量呈显著正相关,与早春茬+秋冬茬产量呈极显著正相关; 处理与季节均对微生物量碳和碳/氮产生极显著影响,且两者有极显著交互作用; 季节、 处理季节对微生物量氮有显著影响,处理、 季节、 处理季节对作物产量有极显著影响。总之,CS2提高微生物量碳、 碳/氮、 作物产量效果最佳。     

红壤水稻土微生物生物量氮与总氮矿化的关系

通过田间采样并布置室内培育试验,研究了红壤水稻土微生物生物量N和总N的矿化动态及其相互关系。结果表明,红壤水稻土微生物生物量N矿化速率和矿化量随培养时间延长而降低,随水稻土肥力水平提高而增加。12周培养期内,红壤水稻土微生物生物量N的一半以上被矿化,其中约1/2的矿化量出现在前4周;不同熟化程度红壤水稻土的累积矿化N量为73.0～127.8mg/kg,平均矿化速率为6.09～10.7mg/(kg·wk)。用双指数方程和一级动力学方程可以很好地模拟红壤水稻土微生物生物量N和总N的矿化过程。微生物生物量N和总N的矿化过程均可分为快速和缓慢2个阶段,培养的前8周是快速矿化阶段。2个模拟方程参数的比较表明,微生物生物量N矿化量占总N矿化量的比例为10.8%～49.5%,其矿化潜力大,持续矿化时间长,对保证土壤N素的持续供应有积极作用。     

Near‐infrared spectroscopy for rapid estimation of microbial properties in reclaimed mine soils

Several chemical and microbial properties of mine soils need to be measured for comprehensive assessment of the reclamation success. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of NIR spectroscopy to predict organic C (C_org), total N (N_t), and several microbial properties of mine soils reclaimed for forestry. Soils samples (n = 154) were collected at two reclaimed areas in central and S Poland, and their spectra in the NIR region (including the visible range, 400–2500 nm) were recorded. A half of the samples was used to develop calibration equations, and another half was used for validation. The modified partial least squares regression was applied to build calibration equations using the whole spectrum (0 to 2nd derivative). The best predictions were obtained for C_org and N_t (ratio of standard deviation to standard error of prediction in the validation stage [RPD] = 3.4 and 4.1; the regressions coefficients [a] of linear regression [measured against predicted values] = 0.94 and 0.96; correlation coefficients [r] = 0.96 and 0.97, respectively). Very well predictive models applicable for quantitative measurements were obtained also for microbial biomass, basal respiration, and the activities of dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase (RPD = 2.3–2.5, a = 0.90–0.99, r = 0.90–0.92). Prediction of urease activity was slightly worse (RPD = 2.1, a = 0.88, r = 0.87) but sufficient for rough estimation. The obtained results indicated the ability of NIR spectroscopy to predict complex soil microbial properties. Therefore, application of this analytical method may improve the assessment of recovery of microbial functions in reclaimed post‐mining barrens.