Soil microbial activity and crop sustainability in a long-term experiment with three soil-tillage and two crop-rotation systems

Reduction in soil disturbance can stimulate soil microbial biomass and improve its metabolic efficiency, resulting in better soil quality, which in turn, can increase crop productivity. In this study we evaluated microbial biomass of C (MB-C) by the fumigation-extraction (FE) or fumigation-incubation (FI) method; microbial biomass of N (MB-N); basal respiration (BR) induced or not with sucrose; metabolic quotient (obtained by the ratio BR/MB-C) induced (qCO₂(S)), or not with sucrose (qCO₂); and crop productivity in a 14-year experiment in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. The experiment consisted of three soil-tillage systems [no-tillage (NT), conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage using a field cultivator every 3 years (FC)] and two cropping systems [a soybean–wheat-crop sequence (CS), and a soybean–wheat–white lupin–maize–black oat–radish crop rotation (CR)]. There were six samplings in the 14th year, starting at the end of the winter crop (wheat in the CS and lupin in the CR plots) and finishing at full flowering of the summer crop (soybean in the CS and maize in the CR). Differences in microbiological parameters were greater than those detected in the total C (TCS) and total N (TNS) contents of the soil organic matter (SOM). Major differences were attributed to tillage, and on average NT was higher than the CT in the following parameters: TCS (19%), TNS (21%), MB-C evaluated by FE (74%) and FI (107%), and MB-N (142%). The sensibility of the microbial community and processes to soil disturbance in the tropics was highlighted, as even a moderate soil disturbance every 3 years (FC) affected microbial parameters but not SOM. The BR was the parameter that most promptly responded to soil disturbance, and strong differences were perceived by the ratio of qCO₂ evaluated with samples induced and non-induced with sucrose. At plowing, the qCO₂(S):qCO₂ was five times higher under CT, indicating a C-starving low-effective microbial population in the C-usage. In general, crop rotation had no effect on microbial parameters or SOM. Grain yield was affected by tillage and N was identified as a limiting nutrient. Linear regressions between grain yields and microbial parameters showed that soybean was benefited from improvements in the microbial biomass and metabolic efficiency, but with no significant effects observed for the maize crop. The results also indicate that the turnover of C and N in microbial communities in tropical soils is rapid, reinforcing the need to minimize soil disturbance and to balance inputs of N and C.     

干湿交替格局对川西南干热河谷土壤碳氮释放的影响

有机碳和氮素含量低、结构性差等土壤退化特征,是干热河谷土壤退化的普遍现象,漫长旱季与集中雨季使干热河谷干湿交替格局不同于其他区域。通过监测不同干湿交替模式下培养土壤的呼吸、水溶性有机碳(DOC)和水溶性氮(DN)动态,评估干湿交替特征对干热河谷土壤有机碳和氮库退化的影响。结果显示,风干土壤再湿润对土壤呼吸具有激发效应,可使呼吸强度增加1.52~7.13倍;随着干湿交替次数的增加,激发效应随之衰减,经过多次干湿交替后(当周期为3d,则干湿交替5次)降至某一稳定水平,干湿交替周期越长(周期长于12d),土壤再湿润后导致的土壤呼吸激发效应的衰减越不明显。土壤DOC和DN含量同样受再湿润激发,但DOC和DN激发效应滞后于土壤呼吸,干湿交替多次后土壤DOC和DN随之降低并稳定低于最初水平,而随着干湿交替周期延长,DOC和DN在每个干湿交替末期含量变化不明显。这暗示干湿交替尽管可激发土壤DOC和DN释放,但是这种激发效应随干湿交替次数和周期延长而降低,因此对土壤碳氮动态的影响有限,干湿交替格局可能不是干旱河谷土壤有机碳和氮素退化的主要原因。     

Carbon dioxide emissions after application of tillage systems for a dark red latosol in southern Brazil

Soil tillage may influence CO₂ emissions in agricultural systems. Agricultural soils are managed in several ways in Brazil, ranging from no tillage to intensive land preparation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of common soil tillage treatments (disk harrow, reversible disk plow, rotary tiller and chisel plow tillage systems) on the intermediate CO₂ emissions of a dark red latosol, located in southern Brazil. Different tillage systems produced significant differences in the CO₂ emissions, and the results indicate that the chisel plow produced the highest soil carbon loss during the 15 days period after tillage treatments were performed. Emissions to the atmosphere increased as much as 74 g CO₂ m⁻², at the end of a 2-week period, in the plot where the chisel plow treatment was applied, in comparison to the non-disturbed plot. The results indicate that the total increase on the intermediate term soil CO₂ emissions due to tillage treatments in southern Brazil is comparable to that reported for the more humid and cooler regions.     

氮肥基追比例对测墒补灌小麦植株氮素利用及土壤氮素表观盈亏的影响

以中筋小麦济麦22为试材,在小麦拔节期和开花期0—40cm土层土壤相对含水量均补灌至70%和总施氮量为240kg/hm~2条件下,设置5个氮肥基追比例处理:0∶10(N1)、3∶7(N2)、5∶5(N3)、7∶3(N4)、10∶0(N5),研究测墒补灌节水栽培条件下氮肥基追比例对小麦植株氮素利用和土壤氮素表观盈亏的影响。结果表明:N3处理的植株氮素积累量、籽粒氮素积累量显著高于其他基追比例处理;营养器官氮素积累量、土壤矿质氮损失量、氮肥表观残留率和氮肥表观损失率显著低于其他处理。与N1、N2、N4、N5处理相比,N3处理的氮素生理利用率分别高33.22%,12.60%,11.54%,98.14%,籽粒氮素利用率高148.65%,56.48%,59.63%,229.29%,氮肥农学效率高96.52%,34.86%,37.64%,204.98%,氮素表观盈亏量分别低35.04%,13.82%,30.36%,29.30%。根据不同氮肥基追比例下各指标的相关系数分析表明,植株氮素积累量、籽粒氮素积累量、氮素生理利用率、籽粒氮肥利用率、氮肥农学效率与土壤硝态氮积累量、成熟期0—200cm土层土壤矿质氮残留总量均呈显著负相关。综上,氮肥基追比例为5∶5的N3处理为试验条件下的最优处理。     

温度对吉富罗非鱼呼吸的影响

在10-30℃条件下,测定呼吸室内吉富罗非鱼(Oreochromis niloticus,GIFT)呼吸频率、水体溶解氧、pH、游离二氧化碳以及氨氮的变化。结果表明,吉富罗非鱼耗氧率(Y_cr)和排氨率(R_an)随着温度(t)的升高而增大,线性回归方程分别为Y_cr=0.0038t²-0.0023t+0.0312(R²=0.9549),及R_an=0.0009t²-0.0027t+0.0037(R²=0.9475);氨熵(Q_a)为0.065-0.099(<0.33),蛋白质供能比为5%~30%,表明吉富罗非鱼主要由脂肪和碳水化合物供能。当温度在15~30℃时,随着温度的降低,二氧化碳排放率从0.0684mg/(g·h)下降至0.0114mg/(g·h)。出水pH明显低于进水pH,且进出水口pH的降低幅度随温度升高而增大。试验期间,10~30℃的呼吸商(Q_r)为0.55±0.10(<1),吉富罗非鱼主要进行有氧呼吸。     

Density loss and respiration rates in coarse woody debris of Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus regnans and Eucalyptus maculata

This study compared field and laboratory decomposition rates of coarse woody debris (CWD) (>10 cm diameter) from three tree species: Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus regnans, and Eucalyptus maculata. For this purpose, the density loss of logs on the ground sampled from chronosequences of sites following harvesting was determined using the water replacement technique. P. radiata logs were sampled 1, 2.5, 6, and 9 years following harvesting, and logs of E. regnans and E. maculata were collected from sites that were harvested 1, 3.5, 6.5, and 12 and 1.5, 6.5, and 11.5 years ago, respectively. In addition, the C/N ratio of wood was determined and current respiration rates of logs from these different age classes were measured through laboratory incubation. The times for loss of 95% of material (t_0.95) determined from density loss for these species were 24 years for P. radiata, 43 years for E. regnans, and 62 years for E. maculata. The decomposition rates of CWD derived from laboratory respiration were 6.1, 5.9 and 11.9 times higher than the decay rates from density loss in P. radiata, E. regnans, and E. maculata, respectively. This points to severe constraints of decomposition through adverse conditions in the field. The changes in respiration rates and C/N ratio with age of decaying logs indicated that the single component, negative exponential decay model could be applied satisfactorily only to P. radiata. In the case of the eucalypt species, substrate quality (expressed through respiration rates) declined in the oldest samples. This may be explained by the loss of rapidly decomposing sapwood and the retention of more decay-resistant heartwood. In these cases, a two-component model will be more suitable to describe the density loss of decaying wood.     

Mechanisms of real and apparent priming effects and their dependence on soil microbial biomass and community structure: critical review

The number of studies on priming effects (PE) in soil has strongly increased during the last years. The information regarding real versus apparent PE as well as their mechanisms remains controversial. Based on a meta-analysis of studies published since 1980, we evaluated the intensity, direction, and the reality of PE in dependence on the amount and quality of added primers, the microbial biomass and community structure, enzyme activities, soil pH, and aggregate size. The meta-analysis allowed revealing quantitative relationships between the amounts of added substrates as related to microbial biomass C and induced PE. Additions of easily available organic C up to 15% of microbial biomass C induce a linear increase of extra CO₂. When the added amount of easily available organic C is higher than 50% of the microbial biomass C, an exponential decrease of the PE or even a switch to negative values is often observed. A new approach based on the assessment of changes in the production of extracellular enzymes is suggested to distinguish real and apparent PE. To distinguish real and apparent PE, we discuss approaches based on the C budget. The importance of fungi for long-term changes of SOM decomposition is underlined. Priming effects can be linked with microbial community structure only considering changes in functional diversity. We conclude that the PE involves not only one mechanism but a succession of processes partly connected with succession of microbial community and functions. An overview of the dynamics and intensity of these processes as related to microbial biomass changes and C and N availability is presented.     

Changes in Soil Properties under Two Different Management Systems in the Western Amazon

Upland soils in the Amazon basin are often highly weathered and therefore possess low plant-available nutrient contents. Soil fertility is principally maintained by geochemical, biochemical, and biogeochemical processes. Within these processes, the soil microbial biomass is responsible for many of the cycles and transformations of nutrients in soils. The aim of this work was to evaluate the changes in soil fertility, in the form of nitrogen (N) and microbial activity, as indicators of the dynamic of carbon (C) with two extractants [irradiation extraction (IE) and IRGA methods], N, and phosphorus (P) in an upland soil area containing a dystrophic Yellow Latosol (Xanthic Ferralsol) in the western Amazon (Brazil) with succession of two plant covers (citrus or pasture) and management. The study was carried out in two chronosequences: primary forest followed by citrus plantations and primary forest followed by pasture. The results showed that pasture has greater capacity to accumulate organic C and total N than either primary forest or citrus plantation. Removing forest to introduce pasture or citrus plantations influences the soil fertility and microbial biomass of C, N, and P in the soil. Under the edaphoclimatic conditions, the irradiation extraction and IRGA methods all proved efficient in determining the soil microbial C activity. In addition, regardless of the depth of soil, the predominant N form is ammonium (NH₄ ⁺).     

Reduced tillage with residue retention improves soil labile carbon pools and carbon lability and management indices in a seven-year trial with wheat-mung bean-rice rotation

Soil total organic carbon (TOC) is a composite indicator of soil quality with implications for crop production and the regulation of soil ecosystem services. Research reports on the dynamics of TOC as a consequence of soil management practices in subtropical climatic conditions, where microbial carbon(C) loss is high, are very limited. The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of seven years of continuous tillage and residue management on soil TOC dynamics (quantitative and qualitati...     

Controls on soil respiration in semiarid soils

Soil respiration in semiarid ecosystems responds positively to temperature, but temperature is just one of many factors controlling soil respiration. Soil moisture can have an overriding influence, particularly during the dry/warm portions of the year. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the influence of soil moisture on the relationship between temperature and soil respiration. Soil samples collected from a range of sites arrayed across a climatic gradient were incubated under varying temperature and moisture conditions. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of substrate quality on short-term soil respiration responses by carrying out substrate-induced respiration assessments for each soil at nine different temperatures. Within all soil moisture regimes, respiration rates always increased with increase in temperature. For a given temperature, soil respiration increased by half (on average) across moisture regimes; Q₁₀ values declined with soil moisture from 3.2 (at −0.03 MPa) to 2.1 (−1.5 MPa). In summary, soil respiration was generally directly related to temperature, but responses were ameliorated with decrease in soil moisture.