Effect of cattle faeces with different microbial biomass content on soil properties, gaseous emissions and plant growth

Aerated compost teas (ACTs) are applied to soils with the intent of improving microbial properties and nutrient availability and stimulating plant growth. Anecdotal accounts of ACT for these purposes far outnumber controlled, replicated, and peer-viewed experiments that have examined the impacts of ACT on soil properties and plant growth responses. This research assessed the impacts of four rates of ACT compared with water on containerized Acer saccharum and Quercus macrocarpa saplings growing in loam, compacted loam, and sandy soils. No significant differences were found comparing water with ACT applied at rates of 2, 4, and 40 kL ACT/ha for any of the six tree responses and 21 soil responses. Microbial biomass nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) increased, and available N decreased, in soils treated with ACT at 400 kL·ha−1 compared with water. Shoot, root, total biomass, and the root/shoot ratio were significantly greater for Quercus macrocarpa trees growing in compact loam with the 400 kL ACT/ha treatment compared with water, but significant differences were not detected for this application rate compared with water in the other soil types and in no instances with Acer saccharum saplings. These results provide some support for claims of ACT being able to increase soil microbial biomass and K, but provide minimal support for ACT being able to increase tree growth across multiple species in a variety of soil types. An application rate of 400 kL ACT/ha may be attainable for trees in containers with limited soil volumes, but this application rate is likely cost-prohibitive, and not practical, in the landscape. At this application rate, ≈1000 L of ACT would be required to treat a typical, and relatively small, critical root zone of 25 m2.

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Sewage sludge application enhances soil properties and rice growth in a salt-affected mudflat soil

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80358-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuhua Shan ◽

Min Lv ◽

Wengang Zuo ◽

Zehui Tang ◽

Cheng Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Root Growth ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soluble Sugar ◽

Soil Reclamation ◽

Rice Growth ◽

Promote Plant Growth

AbstractThe most important measures for salt-affected mudflat soil reclamation are to reduce salinity and to increase soil organic carbon (OC) content and thus soil fertility. Salinity reduction is often accomplished through costly freshwater irrigation by special engineering measures. Whether fertility enhancement only through one-off application of a great amount of OC can improve soil properties and promote plant growth in salt-affected mudflat soil remains unclear. Therefore, the objective of our indoor pot experiment was to study the effects of OC amendment at 0, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.5%, calculated from carbon content, by one-off application of sewage sludge on soil properties, rice yield, and root growth in salt-affected mudflat soil under waterlogged conditions. The results showed that the application of sewage sludge promoted soil fertility by reducing soil pH and increasing content of OC, nitrogen and phosphorus in salt-affected mudflat soil, while soil electric conductivity (EC) increased with increasing sewage sludge (SS) application rates under waterlogged conditions. In this study, the rice growth was not inhibited by the highest EC of 4.43 dS m−1 even at high doses of SS application. The SS application increased yield of rice, promoted root growth, enhanced root activity and root flux activity, and increased the soluble sugar and amino acid content in the bleeding sap of rice plants at the tillering, jointing, and maturity stages. In conclusion, fertility enhancement through organic carbon amendment can “offset” the adverse effects of increased salinity and promote plant growth in salt-affected mudflat soil under waterlogged conditions.

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Microbial Biomass in Relation to Soil Properties under Integrated Farming Systems of Meghalaya, India

Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis ◽

10.1080/00103620903462332 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 332-345 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. Laxminarayana

Keyword(s):

Microbial Biomass ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Integrated Farming ◽

Integrated Farming Systems

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Seasonal changes in soil properties, microbial biomass and enzyme activities across the soil profile in two alpine ecosystems

Soil Ecology Letters ◽

10.1007/s42832-021-0101-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ying Chen ◽

Mengguang Han ◽

Xia Yuan ◽

Guangmin Cao ◽

Biao Zhu

Keyword(s):

Microbial Biomass ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Profile ◽

Enzyme Activities ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Alpine Ecosystems ◽

Changes In Soil Properties

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Correlation of pH on Soil Physicochemical Properties using Linear Regression Model for Spectral Data Analysis

International Journal of Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS ◽

10.23953/cloud.ijarsg.504 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 3492-3500

Author(s):

Vipin Y. Borole ◽

◽

Sonali B. Kulkarni ◽

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Regression Model ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Spectral Data ◽

Linear Regression Model ◽

Soil Analysis ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Analytical Technique

Soil properties may be varied by spatially and temporally with different agricultural practices. An accurate and reliable soil properties assessment is challenging issue in soil analysis. The soil properties assessment is very important for understanding the soil properties, nutrient management, influence of fertilizers and relation between soil properties which are affecting the plant growth. Conventional laboratory methods used to analyses soil properties are generally impractical because they are time-consuming, expensive and sometimes imprecise. On other hand, Visible and infrared spectroscopy can effectively characterize soil. Spectroscopic measurements are rapid, precise and inexpensive. Soil spectroscopy has shown to be a fast, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, non-destructive, reproducible and repeatable analytical technique. In the present research, we use spectroscopy techniques for soil properties analysis. The spectra of agglomerated farming soils were acquired by the ASD Field spec 4 spectroradiometer. Different fertilizers treatment applied soil samples are collected in pre monsoon and post monsoon season for 2 year (4 season) for banana and cotton crops in the form of DS-I and DS-II respectively. The soil spectra of VNIR region were preprocessed to get pure spectra. Then process the acquired spectral data by statistical methods for quantitative analysis of soil properties. The detected soil properties were carbon, Nitrogen, soil organic matter, pH, phosphorus, potassium, moisture sand, silt and clay. Soil pH is most important chemical properties that describe the relative acidity or alkalinity of the soil. It directly effect on plant growth and other soil properties. The relationship between pH properties on soil physical and chemical parameters and their influence were analyses by using linear regression model and show the performance of regression model with R2 and RMSE. Keywords soil; physicochemical properties; spectroscopy; pH

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EFFECTS OF LIME ON EXTRACTABLE ALUMINUM AND OTHER SOIL PROPERTIES AND ON BARLEY AND ALFALFA GROWN IN POT TESTS

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss72-054 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 427-438 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

A. J. MacLEAN ◽

R. L. HALSTEAD ◽

B. J. FINN

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Acid Soil ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Neutral Salt ◽

Incubation Experiment ◽

Pot Experiments ◽

P Content ◽

Mn Content

Liming of six acid soil samples in an incubation experiment with rates to raise the soil pH to 6.0 or above eliminated Al soluble in 0.01 M CaCl2, reduced soluble Mn and Zn, increased NO3-N markedly, and at the highest pH increased the amounts of NaHCO3-soluble P in some of the soils. In corresponding pot experiments, liming increased the yield of alfalfa and in three of the soils the yield of barley also. Liming reduced the concentrations of the metals in the plants and at the highest pH tended to increase the P content of the plants. Liming to a pH of about 5.3 eliminated or greatly reduced soluble Al and the soils were base saturated as measured by the replacement of Al, Ca, and Mg by a neutral salt. There was some evidence that liming to reduce soluble Al and possibly Mn was beneficial for plant growth. Gypsum increased the concentrations of Al, Mn, and Zn in 0.01 M CaCl2 extracts of the soils whereas phosphate reduced them. The changes in the Mn content of the plants following these treatments were in agreement with the amounts of Mn in the CaCl2 extracts.

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