土壤微生物量作为土壤肥力指标的探讨

对不同利用方式19个黑土样品的微生物量和养分进行了分析,结果表明林地的微生物量明显高于玉米地和大豆地,但玉米地和大豆地之间未表现出显著差异,土壤微生物量和土壤养分含量大体上都呈现出林地>大豆地>玉米地的一致的趋势;同时土壤微生物量与土壤有机质、全氮、全磷、速效钾和碱解氮呈现出显著或极显著正相关关系,分析结果还表明土壤微生物量碳作为评价土壤肥力指标比土壤微生物量氮更为灵敏。因此,土壤微生物量可以作为评价不同利用方式的黑土肥力水平的一个生物指标。     

LONG‐TERM LAND USE INFLUENCES SOIL MICROBIAL BIOMASS P AND S,PHOSPHATASE AND ARYLSULFATASE ACTIVITIES,AND S MINERALIZATION IN A BRAZILIAN OXISOL

Land use choices differentially affect soil physical and biological properties. Tillage choices in particular affect soil erosion, the retention of soil organic matter, and the biological activity that organic matter supports. The present study evaluated the consequences of different cropping and tillage systems (undisturbed forest, coffee plantation, conventional, and no‐tillage row cropping) for soil microbial indicators and sulfur mineralization after 24 years of cropping on an Oxisol (Typic Haplorthox) in an experimental area at Londrina, Brazil. Soil samples were taken at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm depths and evaluated for microbial biomass P and S, S mineralization, and phosphatase and arylsulfatase activities. Land use affected microbial biomass P and S, and enzyme activity at all depths studied. The cultivated sites had lower values of microbial activity than the undisturbed forested site. Although the coffee site was not tilled and had high organic carbon content, there was low microbial activity, probably due to higher soil acidity and Al content. The estimates of pool stock for microbial P and annual P flux through the soil microbial biomass suggest that these pools are large enough to significantly affect plant nutrient availability. The greater microbial biomass and activity under forested and no‐tillage sites may be attributed, at least partially, to higher organic matter content. The soil microbial variables examined proved to be strong indicators of soil sustainability. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

小麦-玉米轮作体系不同旋耕和深耕管理对潮土微生物量碳氮与酶活性的影响

【目的】通过研究黄淮平原潮土区两年不同轮耕模式下土壤微生物量碳氮、酶活性的差异和变化特征,为该地区选择适宜的耕作制度提供理论依据。【方法】2016-2018年采用裂区设计进行田间小麦–玉米轮作系统下的轮耕试验。主处理为小麦季旋耕(RT)和深耕(DT),3个副处理为玉米季免耕(NT)、行间深松(SBR)、行内深松(SIR),共6个处理。2017、2018年玉米收获后,每10 cm一个层次,测定了0-50 cm土层土壤有机质、全氮、速效养分、微生物量碳(SMBC)、微生物量氮(SMBN)和脲酶、蔗糖酶、中性磷酸酶活性。【结果】各处理土壤有机质、全氮、速效养分、SMBC、SMBN及酶活性均随土层深度的增加而降低,40-50cm土层不受耕作方式的影响。小麦季深耕和玉米季深松对表层土壤有机质和全氮影响不明显,但显著提高了深层土壤有机质和全氮含量。小麦季旋耕显著增加了玉米季0-10 cm土层中速效养分含量,而小麦季深耕条件下的DT-SBR和DT-SIR处理则显著增加了20-40 cm土层中的速效养分含量。在0-20 cm土层,小麦季旋耕条件下的RT-NT、RT-SBR和RT-SIR处理的SMBC明显高于小麦季深耕条件下的DT-NT、DT-SBR和DT-SIR处理,但在20-40 cm土层,SMBC和SMBN均表现为小麦季深耕处理显著高于旋耕处理,且以DT-SIR处理SMBC (67.99 mg/kg)和SMBN (45.96 mg/kg)最高。小麦季深耕处理提高了深层(30-40 cm)土壤微生物量氮/全氮值,但降低了表层(0-20 cm)土壤中的微生物熵。玉米季深松处理(RT-SBR、RT-SIR、DT-SBR和DT-SIR)较免耕处理(RT-NT和DT-NT)均提高了土壤酶活性,其中,在0-20 cm土层,RT-SBR和RT-SIR处理土壤脲酶活、蔗糖酶和中性磷酸酶活性较高;而DT-SBR和DT-SIR处理则提高了深层(20-40 cm)土壤中这三种酶的活性。【结论】在本试验期内,小麦季旋耕–玉米季深松处理(RT-SBR和RT-SIR)能明显提高0-10 cm土壤速效养分含量、0-20 cm土壤微生物量碳含量,而小麦季深耕–玉米季深松处理(DT-SBR和DT-SIR)则提升了20-40 cm土层土壤有机质、全氮、速效养分、微生物量碳和氮含量;小麦季深耕处理提高了深层(30-40 cm)微生物量氮/全氮比,但降低了表层(0-20 cm)土壤微生物熵。     

Early changes due to sorghum biofuel cropping systems in soil microbial communities and metabolic functioning

Evaluation of biofuel production cropping systems should address not only energy yields but also the impacts on soil attributes. In this study, forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) cropping systems were initiated on a low organic matter soil (<0.9 %) with a history of intensively tilled low-input cotton production in the semiarid Southern High Plains of the U.S. Sorghum cropping systems were evaluated in a split-plot design with sorghum cultivar as the main plot and the combination of irrigation level (non-irrigated and deficit irrigated) and aboveground biomass removal rate (50 % and 100 %) as the split plot. The sorghum cultivars used varied in yield potential and lignin content, which are important features for feedstock-producing crops. Within 1 year, the transition from long-term cotton cropping systems to sorghum biofuel cropping systems resulted in increased soil microbial biomass C (16 %) and N (17 %) and shifts in the microbial community composition as indicated by differences in fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles. Additionally, enzyme activities targeting C, N, P and S cycles increased 15–75 % (depending on the enzyme) after two growing seasons. Increased enzyme activities (16–19 %) and differences in FAME profiles were seen due to irrigation regardless of aboveground biomass removal rate. Biomass removal rate and the cultivar type had little effect on the soil microbial properties during the time frame of this study. Early results from this study suggest improvements in soil quality and the sustainability of sorghum biofuel cropping for low organic matter agricultural soils.     

Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in Soils of Northeastern Brazil Converted to Irrigated Agriculture

The productivity of agricultural areas in semi‐arid regions can be improved through the use of irrigation. However, the intensive cropping of such soils can have detrimental effects, especially with regard to soil organic matter (SOM) pools. The goal of this work was to evaluate soil organic carbon and nitrogen stocks of different irrigated agricultural systems and compare these to preserved natural ecosystems adjacent to each of the cropping systems. We selected four cropping systems: banana, a maize/bean succession (MB), pasture (P) and guava (G), as well as areas covered by native vegetation. Stocks of total soil organic carbon (TOC), amounts of unprotected and protected soil organic carbon, carbon and nitrogen in microbial biomass and microbial respiration were quantified. Surface soil TOC stocks under banana, G and P grass were significantly greater than under native vegetation and MB system. The most intensive management system was the MB, and the least intensive systems were P and G. The least intensive cropping systems were grouped on the basis of similarities in TOC, POC, total soil nitrogen and N in microbial biomass stocks. These results show that the degree of soil degradation resulting from changes in land use systems increases with the intensity of the land use systems themselves. This confirms the established hypothesis that the extent of degradation of soil properties and changes in some SOM fractions depend on the intensity of soil use. Furthermore, the adoption of conservation practices may remediate soil degradation and increase SOM stocks, mainly at the soil's surface. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

生物有机肥提高设施土壤生产力减缓黄瓜连作障碍的机制

【目的】针对土壤连作障碍问题，探索高强度连作条件下生物有机肥在减缓土壤连作障碍发生、平衡土壤养分、调控土壤酶活性等方面的作用机制，为生物有机肥在改良土壤、防控黄瓜连作障碍、促进农业可持续发展等方面的应用奠定基础。【方法】以如皋市农业科学研究所设施蔬菜种植基地为试验平台，采用田间定位试验的方法，设置CK (空白对照)、B10 (生物有机肥施用量为10 t/hm2)、B20 (生物有机肥施用量为20 t/hm2) 3个处理，于第一季黄瓜种植前将生物有机肥一次性施入试验小区，于2016年12月5日、2017年6月28日和2017年11月26日，连续三季，在黄瓜成熟采集0—20 cm土壤样品。将土壤样品分成两份，一份放于4℃冰箱冷藏保存，用于测定土壤生物学性质；另一份风干后过筛处理，以供土壤理化性状分析。同时，调查黄瓜产量。【结果】随着黄瓜连续种植季数增加，CK处理中土壤容重和电导率呈增加趋势，土壤各肥力指标、酶活性、微生物量碳氮含量及黄瓜产量呈下降趋势；在同一季黄瓜成熟期，与CK相比，施用生物有机肥可降低土壤容重和电导率，增加土壤总孔隙度、pH、有机质、全氮、硝态氮和速效磷含量，其中连续种植3季黄瓜过程中，土壤有机质、速效磷和硝态氮含量分别增加了39.3%～83.9%、5.98～14.2%和10.0～22.0%，而土壤电导率降低了8.57%～12.7%。同一季黄瓜成熟期，不同处理中土壤脲酶、过氧化氢酶、蔗糖酶和磷酸酶活性由大到小排列均表现为B20 > B10 > CK，且连续种植3季黄瓜后B10和B20处理中4种土壤酶活性均高于第一季黄瓜成熟期CK处理；连续种植3季黄瓜期间，施用生物有机肥处理中土壤微生物量碳、氮含量均明显高于CK，B10和B20处理中微生物量碳、氮含量较CK分别增加了4.26%～23.2%和21.8%～56.2%。与CK相比，第一季、第二季、第三季B10处理黄瓜产量分别提高了3.93%、9.73%、10.6%，B20处理分别提高了12.9%、18.8%、20.2%。黄瓜连作过程中，土壤容重、有机质、硝态氮和速效磷与生物学指标和黄瓜产量相关显著，且土壤pH和电导率与土壤过氧化氢酶活性、蔗糖酶活性、微生物量氮含量和黄瓜产量呈显著相关关系。【结论】生物有机肥可改善黄瓜连作过程中土壤耕性变差、养分失衡和酸化等理化性质变劣的现象，缓解黄瓜连作土壤的次生盐渍化状况，还能提高土壤酶活性、微生物量碳氮含量和黄瓜产量，且黄瓜连作过程中土壤理化性质和生物学特性指标无明显变化，从而减缓黄瓜连作障碍的发生。     

吐鲁番哈密瓜土壤养分及酶活性对连作年限的响应

哈密瓜(Cucumis melo var.saccharinus)连作障碍已经成为制约其产业发展的重要因素,为探明哈密瓜连作年限对土壤养分及酶活性的影响,以吐鲁番鄯善县不同连作年限哈密瓜田为研究对象,分析了不同连作年限哈密瓜农田根际土壤及非根际土壤的养分含量及酶活性特征.结果表明:1)随连作年限的递增,哈密瓜根际土壤和...     

Soil organic matter dynamics in lands continuously cultivated with maize and soybean in Heilongjiang Province,Northeast China: Estimation from natural 13C abundance

Abstract

Northeast China is the main production area of maize and soybean in China. In the present study, the rates of decomposition and replacement of soil organic carbon (SOC) were estimated using the soil inventory collected since 1991 from long-term maize and soybean cultivation plots in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China, to evaluate the sustainability of the present cultivation system. The total carbon (C) content in soil was stable without any significant changes in the plots (approximately 28.5 g C kg^?1). The δ¹³C value of soil organic matter under continuous maize cultivation increased linearly with an annual increment of 0.07 from ?23.9 in 1991, which indicated that approximately 13% of the initial SOC was decomposed during the 13-year period of maize cultivation, with a half-life of 65 years. Slow decomposition of SOC was considered to result from the low annual mean temperature (1.5°C) and long freezing period (170–180 days year^?1) in the study area. In contrast, the amount of organic C derived from maize increased in the soil with a very slow annual increment of 0.17 g C kg^?1, probably because of the removal of all the plant residues from the plots. Based on the soil organic matter dynamics observed in the study plots, intentional recycling/maintenance of plant residues was proposed as a way of increasing soil fertility in maize or soybean cultivation.     

Organic Amendments Influence on Soil Biological Indices and Yield in Rice-Based Cropping System in Coastal Sundarbans of India

The present investigation was carried out in coastal Sundarbans of India to study the effects of farm yard manure, green leaf manure, and vermicompost on biological attributes of soils and yield in rice–tomato, rice–sunflower, and rice–chili cropping system over conventional farmer’s practices (control) by a strip-plot technique for the two consecutive years. The partial substitution of inorganic fertilizers through organics significantly increased the yield of various cropping systems. The use of organic materials significantly improved microbial biomass carbon, fluorescein diacetate hydrolyzing activities, dehydrogenase, and β-glucosidase activity over control, which varied in the tune of 51.6%, 67.4%, 50%, and 62.7%, respectively, due to variation in electrical conductivity (EC) of these soils. The improved soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities act as key driving factor for organic matter decomposition and nutrient transformation in organically amended soils which lead to better yield under such cropping sequences.     

设施土壤微生物学特性变化研究

采用定点取样的方法，研究了不同种植年限设施土壤微生物主要类群、生物量碳和5种酶活性的变化特点，结果表明：（1）不同种植年限设施土壤微生物主要类群随季节变化不一致，细菌数量先升后降，高峰出现在6月，10月最低；真菌和放线菌数量均在3月最多，而后逐渐减少。随设施种植年限的延长，微生物总数逐渐增加，但真菌和放线菌占微生物总数的比例却呈下降趋势。与露地相比，设施栽培中真菌增加快于细菌。（2）不同种植年限设施土壤微生物生物量碳在3月和6月含量最高，随设施种植年限的延长，微生物生物量碳含量也增加。（3）不同种植年限设施土壤酶活性季节变化明显，除过氧化氢酶外，脲酶、酸性磷酸酶、中性磷酸酶和转化酶活性高峰主要出现在3月，土壤酶的总体活性随设施种植年限的延长有所下降。     

大气CO2浓度升高对温带森林土壤微生物活性的影响

Microorganisms play a key role in the response of soil ecosystems to the rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) as they mineralize organic matter and drive nutrient cycling. To assess the effects of elevated CO2 on soil microbial C and N immobilization and on soil enzyme activities, in years 8 (2006) and 9 (2007) of an open-top chamber experiment that begun in spring of 1999, soil was sampled in summer, and microbial biomass and enzyme activity related to the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling were measured. Although no effects on microbial biomass C were detected, changes in microbial biomass N and metabolic activity involving C, N and P were observed under elevated CO2. Invertase and dehydrogenase activities were significantly enhanced by different degrees of elevated CO2. Nitrifying enzyme activity was significantly (P < 0.01) increased in the August 2006 samples that received the elevated CO2 treatment, as compared to the samples that received the ambient treatment. Denitrifying enzyme activity was significantly (P < 0.04) decreased by elevated CO2 treatments in the August 2006 and June 2007 (P < 0.09) samples. β-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity was increased under elevated CO2 by 7% and 25% in June and August 2006, respectively, compared to those under ambient CO2. The results of June 2006 samples showed that acid phosphatase activity was significantly enhanced under elevated CO2. Overall, these results suggested that elevated CO2 might cause changes in the belowground C, N and P cycling in temperate forest soils.     

Long-Term Effect of Fertilizers and Amendments on Different Fractions of Organic Matter in an Acid Alfisol

The effect of fertilizers and amendments on organic matter dynamics in an acid Alfisol was studied in a long-term field experiment initiated during 1972 at experimental farm of Department of Soil Science, CSK HPKV, Palampur (India). Continuous application of chemical fertilizers either alone or in combination with farmyard manure (FYM) or lime for 42 years significantly influenced water-soluble organic carbon (WS-OC), water-soluble carbohydrate (WS-CHO), soil microbial biomass carbon, soil microbial biomass nitrogen, soil microbial biomass phosphorus, soil microbial biomass sulfur, humic acid (HA), and fulvic acid (FA). Continuous cropping without fertilization resulted in depletion to the order of 17, 21, 24, 23, 22, 26, 12, and 18% in WS-OC, WS-CHO, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, microbial biomass phosphorus, microbial biomass sulfur, HA, and FA, respectively. Different fractions of soil organic matter were found to be positively and significantly correlated with grain and straw/stover yield of wheat and maize crops.     

Soil organic carbon stocks, storage profile and microbial biomass under different crop management systems in a tropical agricultural ecosystem

 We investigated the soil organic C and N stocks, storage profiles and microbial biomass as influenced by different crop management systems in a tropical agricultural ecosystem. The different crop management systems significantly affected the C and N stocks and microbial biomass C and N at different soil depths. Amongst the systems evaluated, the rice-wheat system maintained a higher soil organic C content. Inclusion of legumes in the system improved the soil organic matter level and also soil microbial biomass activity, vital for the nutrient turnover and long-term productivity of the soil. Irrespective of the cropping system, approximately 58.4%, 25.7% and 15.9% of the C was distributed in 0–15, 15–30 and 30–60 cm depths, respectively. Received: 10 October 1999     

Excessive Nitrogen Inputs in Intensive Greenhouse Cultivation May Influence Soil Microbial Biomass and Community Composition

Intensive greenhouse vegetable‐production systems commonly utilize excessive fertilizer inputs that are inconsistent with sustainable production and may affect soil quality. Soil samples were collected from 15 commercial greenhouses used for tomato production and from neighboring fields used for wheat cropping to determine the effects of intensive vegetable cultivation on soil microbial biomass and community structure. Soil total nitrogen (N) and organic‐matter contents were greater in the intensive greenhouse tomato soils than the open‐field wheat soils. Soil microbial carbon (C) contents were greater in the greenhouse soils, and soil microbial biomass N showed a similar trend but with high variation. The two cropping systems were not significantly different. Soil microbial biomass C was significantly correlated with both soil total N and soil organic matter, but the relationships among soil microbial biomass N, soil total N, and organic‐matter content were not significant. The Biolog substrate utilization potential of the soil microbial communities showed that greenhouse soils were significantly higher (by 14%) than wheat soils. Principal component (PC) analysis of soil microbial communities showed that the wheat sites were significantly correlated with PC1, whereas the greenhouse soils were variable. The results indicate that changes in soil microbiological properties may be useful indicators for the evaluation of soil degradation in intensive agricultural systems.     

Priming effects: Interactions between living and dead organic matter

In this re-evaluation of our 10-year old paper on priming effects, I have considered the latest studies and tried to identify the most important needs for future research. Recent publications have shown that the increase or decrease in soil organic matter mineralization (measured as changes of CO₂ efflux and N mineralization) actually results from interactions between living (microbial biomass) and dead organic matter. The priming effect (PE) is not an artifact of incubation studies, as sometimes supposed, but is a natural process sequence in the rhizosphere and detritusphere that is induced by pulses or continuous inputs of fresh organics. The intensity of turnover processes in such hotspots is at least one order of magnitude higher than in the bulk soil. Various prerequisites for high-quality, informative PE studies are outlined: calculating the budget of labeled and total C; investigating the dynamics of released CO₂ and its sources; linking C and N dynamics with microbial biomass changes and enzyme activities; evaluating apparent and real PEs; and assessing PE sources as related to soil organic matter stabilization mechanisms. Different approaches for identifying priming, based on the assessment of more than two C sources in CO₂ and microbial biomass, are proposed and methodological and statistical uncertainties in PE estimation and approaches to eliminating them are discussed. Future studies should evaluate directions and magnitude of PEs according to expected climate and land-use changes and the increased rhizodeposition under elevated CO₂ as well as clarifying the ecological significance of PEs in natural and agricultural ecosystems. The conclusion is that PEs - the interactions between living and dead organic matter - should be incorporated in models of C and N dynamics, and that microbial biomass should regarded not only as a C pool but also as an active driver of C and N turnover.     

Influence of agricultural land management on organic matter content,microbial activity and aggregate stability in the profiles of two Oxisols

The effects of agricultural land use on organic matter content and related soil microbial and physical properties were compared with those under undisturbed native grassland in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Two separate farms situated on Oxisols were used and both contained fields with continuous long-term (>20 y) cropping histories. At site 1, soil organic C content in the surface 30 cm followed the order permanent kikuyu pasture > annual ryegrass pasture > native grassland > sugarcane > maize under conventional tillage (CT). At site 2, organic C in the surface 30 cm decreased in the order kikuyu pasture > native grassland > annual ryegrass pasture > maize under zero tillage (ZT) > maize CT. Organic C, microbial biomass C, percentage organic C present as organic C, basal respiration and aggregate stability were substantially greater in the surface 5 cm under maize ZT than maize CT but this trend tended to be reversed in the 10- to 30-cm layer. In the undisturbed sites (e.g. native grassland and kikuyu pasture) the metabolic quotient increased with depth. By contrast, under maize CT and sugarcane there was no significant stratification of organic C, yet there was a sharp decrease in the metabolic quotient with depth. Aggregate stability was high under both native grassland and kikuyu pasture and it remained high to 40 cm depth under the deep-rooted kikuyu pasture. Although soil organic C content was similar under maize CT and sugarcane, values for microbial biomass C, percentage of organic present as microbial biomass, basal respiration and aggregate stability were lower, and those for metabolic quotient and bulk density were higher, under sugarcane. This was attributed to the fallow nature of the soil in the interrows of sugarcane fields. It was concluded that the loss of organic matter, microbial activity and aggregate stability is potentially problematic under maize CT, sugarcane and annual pasture and measures that improve organic matter status should be considered.     

施肥对中国农田土壤微生物群落结构与酶活性影响的整合分析

【目的】 施肥能直接或间接改变农田生态系统的养分平衡,从而影响土壤的物理、化学和生物学特性。本研究探讨不同种植制度和土壤条件下施肥对农田土壤生物学特性的影响程度,为合理施肥和土壤肥力提升提供科学依据。 【方法】 通过收集近10年 (2008—2018年) 来发表的文献,建立了包含185组微生物量及群落结构等相关内容的数据库。采用整合分析方法(Meta-analysis),定量分析了施肥对土壤微生物量、群落结构以及酶活性的影响。 【结果】 与不施肥相比,施肥显著提高了土壤微生物磷脂脂肪酸 (PLFA) 和微生物量碳、氮含量,提高幅度分别为28.5%、30.9%和41.6%。施用 (单施或配施) 有机物料对土壤微生物总PLFA含量及微生物量碳、氮含量的提高幅度分别为47.3%、50.4%和58.7%,相当于施用化肥的2.8、2.4和3.9倍。与不施肥相比,施肥均能增加各类微生物菌群PLFA含量,对细菌、真菌及放线菌的提高幅度为23.8%～30.4%,对革兰氏阴性菌(G–)和革兰氏阳性菌 (G+) 的提高幅度为37.8%～43.2%,且施用有机物料处理对各类微生物菌群PLFA含量的提高幅度显著高于施化肥处理。施用化肥对土壤微生物总PLFA含量的提高幅度在一年两熟制区为17.9%,在水田和水旱轮作条件下为18.3%～27.6%,而在一年一熟制区及旱地条件下对土壤微生物总PLFA含量无显著影响。在不同pH的土壤中,施用有机物料对微生物总PLFA的提高幅度均显著高于施化肥处理。在pH < 6与pH > 8的土壤上施用化肥对微生物总PLFA含量无明显影响。施肥显著提高了与土壤有机质分解相关的β-葡萄糖苷酶(42.4%)和乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶(174.5%)的活性,对与氮循环相关的亮氨酸氨基肽酶活性无显著影响。统计分析还表明,施肥并未改变土壤微生物的真菌细菌比(F∶B)和革兰氏阳性菌革兰氏阴性菌比(G +∶G–)。 【结论】 在不同种植制度、土地利用类型和土壤pH下,施肥显著改变了土壤微生物量和与有机质分解相关的酶活性,但未改变土壤微生物的真菌细菌比(F∶B)和革兰氏阳性菌革兰氏阴性菌比(G+∶G–)。单施或配施有机物料均有利于提高农田土壤微生物总量及各类菌群的生物量,效果显著好于单施化肥。      

Conservation Tillage,Rotations, and Cover Crop Affecting Soil Quality in the Tennessee Valley: Particulate Organic Matter,Organic Matter,and Microbial Biomass

Abstract

The impact of conservation tillage, crop rotation, and cover cropping on soil‐quality indicators was evaluated in a long‐term experiment for cotton. Compared to conventional‐tillage cotton, other treatments had 3.4 to 7.7 Mg ha^?1 more carbon (C) over all soil depths. The particulate organic matter C (POMc) accounts for 29 to 48 and 16 to 22% of soil organic C (SOC) for the 0‐ to 3‐and 3‐ to 6‐cm depths, respectively. Tillage had a strongth influence on POMc within the 0‐ to 3‐cm depth, but cropping intensity and cover crop did not affect POMc. A large stratification for microbial biomass was observed varing from 221 to 434 and 63 to 110 mg kg^?1 within depth of 0–3 and 12–24 cm respectively. The microbial biomass is a more sensitive indicator (compared to SOC) of management impacts, showing clear effect of tillage, rotation, and cropping intensity. The no‐tillage cotton double‐cropped wheat/soybean system that combined high cropping intensity and crop rotation provided the best soil quality.     

Microbial use of lignite compared to recent plant litter as substrates in reclaimed coal mine soils

In the Lusatian mining district, rehabilitated mine soils contain substantial amounts of lignite in addition to recent carbon derived from plant litter. The aim of this study was to examine the importance of the two organic matter types as substrates for soil microbial biomass in mine soils containing organic matter with a contrasting degree of humification. Samples were taken from the lignite-containing overburden material, from a mine soil under 14-year-old black pine (Pinus nigra) and from a mine soil under 37-year-old red oak (Quercus rubra). Overburden material was ameliorated with alkaline ash and incubated in an identical manner as the 14-year-old and 37-year-old mine soils for 16 months. Carbon mineralisation was monitored throughout. After 0, 3, 6, 12 and 16 months, samples were removed and analysed for chemical parameters and for microbial biomass. In addition, ¹⁴C activity measurements in bulk soil and microbial biomass were used to estimate their lignite content.Despite the high content of organic carbon in lignite-rich overburden material, low contents of microbial biomass were recorded. Ash-amelioration led to high pH values in the overburden material, resulting in high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon most likely derived from lignite. Development of the microbial community was subsequently stimulated by presence of an easily available carbon source. In older mine soils, larger amounts of microbial biomass are most likely related to the presence of recent organic matter. Radiocarbon analysis of the microbial biomass extracted from the 14-year-old mine soil indicated higher lignite carbon contribution than recorded for microbial biomass of the 37-year-old mine soil. The highest concentration of lignite C present in microbial biomass as indicated by the C_mic/C_org ratio was, however, observed in the ameliorated overburden material. Therefore, we conclude that the importance of lignite as a carbon source for micro-organisms decreases when recent organic matter is present in the older stages of mine soil development.     

Bagasse Ash Application Stimulates Agricultural Soil C Sequestration Without Inhibiting Soil Enzyme Activity

Disposal of ashes from agro-industrial waste has become an important issue that can cause serious environmental problems. These materials may be used in agriculture for soil fertility improvement and carbon sequestration. The effect of applying bagasse ash (BA), rice husk ash (RHA), and RHA mixed with fly ash (MA) to wheat was evaluated on soil organic carbon (SOC) and microbial activity in a loamy sand soil after four years of wheat-rice cropping. BA application resulted in C accrual at 525 kg ha^?1 y^?1 in soil, whereas RHA and MA did not have a significant effect. BA increased coarse particulate (cPOC) and mineral-associated organic matter (MinOC) and extractable C pools viz. hot water soluble, potassium permanganate (KMnO₄)-oxidizable, easily oxidizable, non-oxidizable, and microbial biomass C. BA application also improved overall microbial and oxidative activity and stimulated fluorescein diacetate (FDA), dehydrogenase, and cellulase enzyme activities in soil. Application of RHA though did not lead to net C sequestration, yet it increased dehydrogenase and cellulase activities. Compared to unamended soil, MA application increased MinOC and FDA activity in soil. After 4 years of their application, none of the ashes adversely influenced soil biological activity expressed in terms of enzyme activities suggesting that these ashes can be disposed to agricultural soils. However, effects of their long-term application on soil biological processes need to be further investigated.