Soil organic matter quantity and quality in mountain soils of the Alay Range, Kyrgyzia, affected by land use change

 Changes in soil management practices influence the amount, quality and turnover of soil organic matter (SOM). Our objective was to study the effects of deforestation followed by pasture establishment on SOM quantity, quality and turnover in mountain soils of the Sui Checti valley in the Alay Range, Kyrgyzia. This objective was approached by analysis of total organic C (TOC), N, lignin-derived phenols, and neutral sugars in soil samples and primary particle-size soil fractions. Pasture installation led to a loss of about 30% TOC compared with the native Juniperus turkestanica forests. The pasture soils accumulated about 20% N, due to inputs via animal excrement. A change in land use from forest to pasture mainly affected the SOM bound to the silt fraction; there was more microbial decomposition in the pasture than in the forest silt fraction, as indicated by lower yields of lignin and carbohydrates, and also by a more advanced oxidative lignin side-chain oxidation and higher values of plant : microbial sugar ratios. The ratio of arabinose : xylose was indicative of the removal of carbohydrates when the original forest was replaced by pasture, and we conclude that this can be used as an indicator of deforestation. The accumulation of lignin and its low humification within the forest floor could be due to the extremely cold winter and dry summer climate. Received: 10 March 1999     

Nitrogen mineralization in soil layers, soil particles and macro-organic matter under grassland

 A study was conducted to determine mineralization rates in the field and in different soil layers under three grassland managements (viz. a reseeded sward, a permanent sward with a conventional N management, and a long-term grass sward with 0 N (0-N) input). Potential mineralization rates of soil particles (sand, silt and clay) and macro-organic matter fractions of different sizes (i.e. 0.2–0.5, 0.5–2.0 and >2 mm) were also determined in the laboratory. In the reseeded plots, net mineralization was unchanged down to 40 cm depth. In the undisturbed conventional-N swards, mineralization rates were substantially higher in the top layer (0–10 cm) than in the deeper layers. In plots which had received no fertilizer N, mineralization was consistently low in all the layers. There was more macro-organic matter (MOM) in the 0-N plots (equivalent to 23 g kg^–1 soil for 0–40 cm) than in the two fertilized plots (i.e. conventional-N and reseeded) which contained similar amounts (ca. 15 g kg^–1 soil). C and N contents of separated soil particles did not differ amongst the treatments, but there were large differences with depth. Potential mineralization in the bulk soil was greatest in the 0–10 cm layers and gradually decreased with depth in all the treatments. Separated sand particles had negligible rates of potential mineralization and the clay component had the highest rates in the subsurface layers (10–40 cm). MOMs had high potential rate of mineralization in the surface layer and decreased with soil depth, but there was no clear pattern in the differences between different size fractions. Received: 17 November 1997     

Soil organic matter quality as influenced by tillage,lime, and phosphorus

In Eastern Canada, cereal yields are often restricted by soil acidity and low fertility. Continuous cereal production can also lead to soil structural degradation. The addition of lime and fertilizers and the adoption of conversation tillage practices are proposed solutions which may have a positive impact on soil quality. The objective of the present work was to assess the impact of 3 years of different tillage practices and P additions, and of a single lime addition on organic C and total N, microbial biomass C, and on N mineralization at the surface layer (0–7.5 cm) of a Courval sandy clay loam (Humic Gleysol). The easily mineralizable N, total amount of N mineralized in 22.1 weeks, the rate of N mineralization, and microbial biomass C were significantly greater in the minimum tillage than in the moldboard plow treatment. Chisel plow treatment showed intermediate values. The ratios of potentially mineralizable N and of easily mineralizable to total soil N were also significantly larger under minimum tillage and chisel plowing than under moldboard plowing. The lime and P treatments had no significant effect on the measured soil quality parameters. The total amount of N mineralized per unit of biomass C decreased as the tillage intensity increased, suggesting a decrease in the efficiency of the biomass in transforming organic N into potentially plant-available forms and thus a loss in soil organic matter quality. The results of this study indicate that conservation tillage practices such as rototilling and chisel plowing are efficient ways of maintaining soil organic matter quality when old pastures are brought back into cultivation.     

The impact of a low humus level in arable soils on microbial properties, soil organic matter quality and crop yield

 In arable soils in Schleswig-Holstein (Northwest Germany) nearly 30% of the total organic C (TOC) stored in former times in the soil has been mineralized in the last 20 years. Microbial biomass, enzyme activities and the soil organic matter (SOM) composition were investigated in order to elucidate if a low TOC level affects microbial parameters, SOM quality and crop yield. Microbial biomass C (C_mic) and enzyme activities decreased in soils with a low TOC level compared to soils with a typical TOC level. The decrease in the C_mic/TOC ratio suggested low-level, steady-state microbial activity. The SOM quality changed with respect to an enrichment of initial litter compounds in the top soil layers with a low TOC level. Recent management of the soils had not maintained a desirable level of humic compounds. However, we found no significant decrease in crop yield. We suggest that microbial biomass and dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase activities are not necessarily indicators of soil fertility in soils with a high fertilization level without forage production and manure application. Received: 12 December 1997     

Nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen uptake by maize as influenced by light and heavy organic matter fractions

On a sandy tropical soil, organic materials (prunings of Leucaena leucocephala, Senna siamea and maize stover) with contrasting C/N ratio (13, 18 and 56, respectively) were applied at the rate of 15 t ha^?1a^?1 in order to increase the amount of soil organic matter. Two light fractions (LF1 = LF > 2 mm and LF2 = 0.25 mm < LF < 2 mm) and the heavy fraction (HF) of the soil organic matter pool were determined by means of a combined density/particle size fractionation procedure and data obtained were related to soil nitrogen mineralization under controlled conditions and to nitrogen uptake by maize under field conditions. Under controlled conditions and when the LF1 fraction was excluded, nitrogen mineralization was found not to be correlated to total organic carbon content in the soil (R²=0.02). The R²-value of the linear regression increased considerably, when amount and C/N ratio of the LF2 fraction was taken into account in the regression analysis (R² = 0.88). Under field conditions, a multiple linear regression with amount and C/N ratio of HF, LF1 and LF2 better explained variation in crop nitrogen content and nitrogen uptake of maize (R² = 0.78 and 0.94) than a simple linear regression with total organic carbon (R² = 0.48 and 0.76). The results illustrate the importance of the two light and heavy organic matter fractions for estimating soil nitrogen mineralization. Determination of light and heavy soil organic matter fractions by density/particle size fractionation seems to be a promising tool to characterize functional pools of soil organic matter.     

Influence of soil compaction on carbon and nitrogen mineralization of soil organic matter and crop residues

 We studied the influence of soil compaction in a loamy sand soil on C and N mineralization and nitrification of soil organic matter and added crop residues. Samples of unamended soil, and soil amended with leek residues, at six bulk densities ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 Mg m^–3 and 75% field capacity, were incubated. In the unamended soil, bulk density within the range studied did not influence any measure of microbial activity significantly. A small (but insignificant) decrease in nitrification rate at the highest bulk density was the only evidence for possible effects of compaction on microbial activity. In the amended soil the amounts of mineralized N at the end of the incubation were equal at all bulk densities, but first-order N mineralization rates tended to increase with increasing compaction, although the increase was not significant. Nitrification in the amended soils was more affected by compaction, and NO₃ ^–-N contents after 3 weeks of incubation at bulk densities of 1.5 and 1.6 Mg m^–3 were significantly lower (by about 8% and 16% of total added N, respectively), than those of the less compacted treatments. The C mineralization rate was strongly depressed at a bulk density of 1.6 Mg m^–3, compared with the other treatments. The depression of C mineralization in compacted soils can lead to higher organic matter accumulation. Since N mineralization was not affected by compaction (within the range used here) the accumulated organic matter would have had higher C : N ratios than in the uncompacted soils, and hence would have been of a lower quality. In general, increasing soil compaction in this soil, starting at a bulk density of 1.5 Mg m^–3, will affect some microbially driven processes. Received: 10 June 1999     

Interactions between soil organic matter status, cropping history, method of quantification and sample pretreatment and their effects on measured aggregate stability

 The effects of sample pretreatment (field-moist, air-dried or tension rewetted) on aggregate stability measured by wet sieving or turbidimetry were compared for a group of soil samples ranging in organic C content from 20 to 40 g C kg^–1. Concentrations of total N, total and hot-water-extractable carbohydrate and microbial biomass C were linearly related to those of organic C. Aggregate stability measured by wet sieving using air-dried or field-moist samples and that measured by turbidimetry, regardless of sample pretreatment, increased curvilinearly with increasing soil organic C content. However, when tension-rewetted samples were used for wet sieving, aggregate stability was essentially unaffected by soil organic C content. Measurements of aggregate stability (apart from wet sieving using rewetted soils) were closely correlated with one another and with organic C, total and extractable carbohydrate and microbial biomass C content of the soils. The short-term effects of aggregate stability were also studied. Soils from under long-term arable management and those under long-term arable followed by 1 or 3 years under pasture had similar organic C contents, but aggregate stability measured by turbidimetry and by wet sieving using air-dried or field-moist samples increased with increasing years under pasture. Light fraction C, microbial biomass and hot-water-extractable carbohydrate concentrations also increased. It was concluded that both total and labile soil organic C content are important in relation to water-stable aggregation and that the use of tension-rewetted samples to measure stability by wet sieving is unsatisfactory since little separation of values is achieved. Received: 6 January 1999     

Corn biomass,uptake and fractionation of soil phosphorus in five soils amended with organic wastes as P fertilizers

Abstract

Sustainable food production includes mitigating environmental pollution and avoiding unnecessary use of non-renewable mineral phosphate resources. Efficient phosphorus (P) utilization from organic wastes is crucial for alternative P sources to be adopted as fertilizers. There must be predictable plant responses in terms of P uptake and plant growth. An 18-week pot experiment was conducted to assess corn (Zea mays L.) plant growth, P uptake, soil test P and P fractionation in response to application of organic P fertilizer versus inorganic P fertilizer in five soils. Fertilizers were applied at a single P rate using: mono-ammonium phosphate, anaerobically digested dairy manure, composted chicken manure, vegetable compost and a no-P control. Five soils used varied in soil texture and pH. Corn biomass and tissue P concentrations were different among P fertilizers in two soils (Warden and Quincy), with greater shoot biomass for composted chicken manure and higher tissue P concentration for MAP. Plant dry biomass ranged from highest to lowest with fertilizer treatment as follows: composted chicken manure?>?AD dairy?=?MAP?=?no-P control?=?vegetable compost. Soil test P was higher in soils with any P fertilizer treatment versus the no-P control. The loosely bound and soluble P (2.7?mg P kg^?1) accounted for the smallest pool of inorganic P fractions, followed by iron bound P (13.7?mg P kg^?1), aluminum bound P (43.4?mg P kg^?1) and reductant soluble P (67.9?mg P kg^?1) while calcium bound P (584.6?mg P kg^?1) represented the largest pool of inorganic P.     

Urease activity and its relation to soil organic matter, microbial biomass nitrogen and urea-nitrogen assimilation by maize in a Brazilian Oxisol under no-tillage and tillage systems

 We studied the relationship between urease activity (UA) and soil organic matter (SOM), microbial biomass N (N_biom) content, and urea-N fertilizer assimilation by maize in a Dark Red Latosol (Typic Haplustox) cultivated for 9 years under no-tillage (NT), tillage with a disc plough (DP), and tillage with a moldboard plough (MP). Two soil depths were sampled (0–7.5 cm and 7.5–15 cm) at 4 different times during the crop cycle. Urea was applied at four different rates, ranging from 0 to 240 kg N ha^–1. The levels of fertilizer N did not affect the UA, SOM content, and N_biom content. No significant difference between the treatments (NT, DP, and MP) was observed for SOM during the experiment, probably because the major part of the SOM was in recalcitrant pools, since the area was previously cultivated (conventional tillage) for 20 years. The N_biom content explained 97% and 69% of the variation in UA in the upper and deeper soil layer, respectively. UA and biomass N were significantly higher in the NT system compared to the DP and MP systems. The highest maize productivity and urea-N recovery was also observed for the NT system. We observed that the increase in urea-N losses under NT, possibly as a consequence of a higher UA, was compensated for by the increase in N immobilized in the biomass. Received: 2 July 1999     

Changes in microbial community metabolism and labile organic matter fractions as early indicators of the impact of management on soil biological quality

 Changes to the metabolic profiles of soil microbial communities could have potential for use as early indicators of the impact of management or other perturbations on soil functioning and soil quality. We compared the relative susceptibility to management of microbial community metabolism with a number of soil organic matter (OM) and microbial parameters currently used as indicators of changes in soil biological quality. Following long-term cereal cropping, plots were subjected to a 16-month treatment period consisting of either a mixed cropping sequence of vetch, spring barley and clover or a continuous grass-clover ley which was periodically mown and mulched. The treatments had no effect on soil biomass N or respiration of microbial populations inoculated into Biolog Gram negative (GN) plates. After 16 months there were no management-induced changes to total OM, light-fraction OM C and N, labile organic N or water-soluble carbohydrates. However, patterns of substrate utilization by the soil microbial population following inoculation into Biolog GN plates were found to be highly sensitive to management practice. In the mixed cropping sequence, substrate utilization changed markedly following plough-in of the vetch crop, with a smaller change occurring after harvesting of the barley. In the ley treatment, substrate utilization was not affected until the onset of mowing, when the pattern changed to become similar to that in the mixed cropping sequence. Metabolic diversity of the Biolog-culturable microbial population was increased by the ley treatment, but was not affected by the cropping sequence. We conclude that patterns of microbial substrate utilization and metabolic diversity are more sensitive to the effects of management than are OM and biomass pools, and therefore have value as early indicators of the impacts of management on soil biological properties, and hence soil quality. Received: 7 April 1999     

Effects of long-term waste water irrigation on soil organic matter, soil microbial biomass and its activities in central Mexico

 The effect of long-term waste water irrigation (up to 80 years) on soil organic matter, soil microbial biomass and its activities was studied in two agricultural soils (Vertisols and Leptosols) irrigated for 25, 65 and 80 years respectively at Irrigation District 03 in the Valley of Mezquital near Mexico City. In the Vertisols, where larger amounts of water have been applied than in the Leptosols, total organic C (TOC) contents increased 2.5-fold after 80 years of irrigation. In the Leptosols, however, the degradability of the organic matter tended to increase with irrigation time. It appears that soil organic matter accumulation was not due to pollutants nor did microbial biomass:TOC ratios and qCO₂ values indicate a pollutant effect. Increases in soil microbial biomass C and activities were presumably due to the larger application of organic matter. However, changes in soil microbial communities occurred, as denitrification capacities increased greatly and adenylate energy charge (AEC) ratios were reduced after long-term irrigation. These changes were supposed to be due to the addition of surfactants, especially alkylbenzene sulfonates (effect on denitrification capacity) and the addition of sodium and salts (effect on AEC) through waste water irrigation. Heavy metals contained in the sewage do not appear to be affecting soil processes yet, due to their low availability. Detrimental effects on soil microbial communities can be expected, however, from further increases in pollutant concentrations due to prolonged application of untreated waste water or an increase in mobility due to higher mineralization rates. Received: 28 April 1999     

Chemical and biological characteristics of alkaline saline soils from the former Lake Texcoco as affected by artificial drainage

 Soils from the former Lake Texcoco are alkaline saline and were artificially drained and irrigated with sewage effluents since the late 1980s. Undrained soil and soil drained for 1, 5 and 8 years were sampled, characterized and incubated aerobically for 90 days at 22±1  °C while production of CO₂, available P and concentrations of NH₄ ⁺, NO₂ ^– and NO₃ ^– were monitored. Artificial drainage decreased pH_H2O, water holding capacity, organic C, total N, and Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, B, Cl^– and SO₄ ^2– concentrations, increased inorganic C and Ca²⁺ concentrations more than 5-fold while total P was not affected. Microbial biomass C decreased with increased length of drainage but bacteria, actinomycetes, denitrifiers and cellulose-utilizing bacteria tended to show opposite trends. CO₂ production was less in soils drained ≥5 years compared to undrained soil but more than in soils drained for 1 year. Emission of NH₃ was negligible and concentrations of NH₄ ⁺ remained constant over time in each soil. Nitrification, as witnessed by increases in NO₃ ^– concentrations, occurred in soil drained for 8 years. NO₂ ^– concentrations decreased in soils drained ≤1 year in the first 7 days of the incubation and remained constant thereafter. It was found that artificial drainage of soils from the former Lake Texcoco profoundly affected soil characteristics. Decreases in pH and Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^– and SO₄ ^2– concentrations made conditions more favourable for plant growth, although low concentrations of inorganic N and available P might be limiting factors. Received: 1 December 1999     

Changes in mineral nitrogen, soil organic matter fractions and microbial community level physiological profiles after application of digested pig slurry and compost from municipal organic wastes to burned soils

In this study, mineralization of digested pig slurry and compost from municipal organic wastes in burned soils was followed for 60 days. The effects of amendments on organic matter fractions and microbial community level physiological profiles (CLPP) were also investigated at the end of the incubation period. Soil from a forest 10 days after a fire had a greater basal respiration, and more organic matter that a nearby soil that was not affected by fire, presumably as a consequence of black ash addition following the wildfire. Nitrification was inhibited in soils treated at 105 and 250 °C in the laboratory, but amendment application allowed nitrification to take place in the latter soil, and led to significant flushes of mineralization. Slurry amendment resulted in greater increases in mineral N compared with compost. Soil treated at 250 °C had the greatest content of water-extractable compounds (WE) at the expense of acid-extractable compounds (AE), but during the incubation the variations in these two fractions had an opposite trend, i.e. soil gained AE and lost WE fractions. The variation in N-acetyl-glucosamine-induced respiration was different between compost- and slurry-amended soils, with the greater values in the former. The effect of amendments could be further differentiated by principal component (PCA) and cluster analyses based on the variations in organic matter fractions and CLPP between the beginning and the end of the incubation period. Amendment application led to shifts on the PCA maps that depended both on the amendment and soil treatment. In fresh soil and in that treated at 250 °C, the unamended, compost- and slurry-amended treatments remained relatively close on the PCA maps and had linkage distances <1.0. In contrast, amendment application to other soils led to large shifts on the PCA maps and to linkage distances >1.0. Pig slurry led to the greatest changes in burned soil, while compost induced the greatest shifts in soil treated at 105 °C.This study suggests that an application of organic amendments after a severe fire event may contribute to a faster recovery of soil functions.     

Changes in soil organic matter and net nitrogen mineralization in heathland soils,after removal,addition or replacement of litter from Erica tetralix or Molinia caerulea

Summary The effects of different litter input rates and of different types of litter on soil organic matter accumulation and net N mineralization were investigated in plant communities dominated by Erica tetralix L. or Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench. Plots in which the litter on the soil had repeatedly been removed were compared with plots in the same plant community in which litter had been added to the soil. In another treatment, litter was removed and replaced by litter from the other plant community. Net N mineralization was measured in situ after 5 years. Less soil organic matter and soil N was found in plots in which litter had been removed, compared with control plots, or plots to which litter had been added, but these differences were significant for the Erica sp. soils only. Plots in which litter had been replaced and control plots did not differ significantly in the amount of soil organic matter. However, in both plant communities, the differences agreed with the faster decomposition rate of Molinia sp. litter compared with Erica sp. litter. The gravimetric soil moisture content was correlated positively with the amount of soil organic matter, both in the Erica sp. soils and the Molinia sp. soils. Net N mineralization rates (g N m^-2) differed significantly between treatments for Erica sp. soils but no for Molinia sp. soils. For Erica sp. soils, net N mineralization rates increased with increasing amounts of soil organic matter and soil N. Replacing the litter with Molinia sp. litter (which differs in chemical composition) had no clear additional effect on the net N mineralization rate.