Microbial Biomass and Activity in a Laterite Soil Amended with Municipal Solid Waste Compost |
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| Authors: | P Bhattacharyya R Pal A Chakraborty & K Chakrabarti |
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| Institution: | Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India,;Department of Agriculture and Food Engineeering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India,;Department of Agronomy, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal 741 235, India,;Department of Agricultural Chemistry &Soil Science, Calcutta University, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Calcutta 700 019, India |
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| Abstract: | The dynamics of soil quality indicators, such as microbial biomass-C, soil respiration, and urease and acid phosphatase activities, in a laterite soil (Typic Haplustalf ) amended with different doses of Calcutta municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) were studied over 120 days of incubation at 30 °C under 60 % soil water holding capacity. The parameters were found to increase with the increase in doses of MSWC. Soil microbial biomass-C (MBC) and soil respiration activity reached peak values at 30 days of incubation and then gradually decreased up to 120 days of incubation. Urease and acid phosphatase activities showed peak values at 60 and 90 days of incubation, respectively. The increase in soil enzyme activities with the fall in MBC suggested that the release of enzymes was associated with lysis of microbial cells at the end of their life cycle. There was no indication of any detrimental effect on soil quality indicators of application of MSWC to soil. |
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| Keywords: | municipal solid waste compost soil microbial biomass-C soil respiration urease and phosphatase activities |
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