Liming improves soil microbial growth, but trash blanket placement increases labile carbon and nitrogen availability in a sugarcane soil of subtropical Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Y. Liu ◽  
M. Rezaei Rashti ◽  
M. Esfandbod ◽  
B. Powell ◽  
C. R. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Ph ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Microbial Biomass C ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial

Liming has been widely used to decrease soil acidity, but its effects on soil nitrogen (N) availability and microbial processes in sugarcane fields are largely unknown. Adjacent sugarcane soils at 26 months after liming (26ML), 14 months after liming (14ML) and with no lime amendment (CK) in Bundaberg, Australia, were selected to investigate the effect of liming on soil N bioavailability and microbial activity in a long-term subtropical sugarcane cropping system. Liming in both 14ML and 26ML treatments significantly increased soil pH (by 1.2–1.4 units) and exchangeable Ca2+ (>2-fold) compared with the CK treatment. The lower concentrations of hot water extractable organic carbon (C) and total N and ammonium-N in the 14ML, compared with the CK and 26ML treatments, can be attributed to the absence of trash blanket placement in the former. Enhanced microbial immobilisation due to improved soil pH by liming (14ML and 26ML treatments) led to increased soil microbial biomass C and N, particularly in the presence of a trash blanket (26 ML treatment), but decreased soil respiration and metabolic quotient indicated that acidic stress conditions were alleviated in the liming treatments. Soil pH was the main factor governing soil enzyme activities, with an overall decrease in all enzyme activities in response to liming. Overall, liming and trash blanket practices improved sugarcane soil fertility. Further study is warranted to investigate the shifts in soil microbial community composition and the diversity and abundance of N-associated functional genes in response to liming in sugarcane fields.

scholarly journals Contrasting effects of ammonium and nitrate additions on the biomass of soil microbial communities and enzyme activities in subtropical China

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 4815-4827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuang Zhang ◽  
Xin-Yu Zhang ◽  
Hong-Tao Zou ◽  
Liang Kou ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
The Individual

Abstract. The nitrate to ammonium ratios in nitrogen (N) compounds in wet atmospheric deposits have increased over the recent past, which is a cause for some concern as the individual effects of nitrate and ammonium deposition on the biomass of different soil microbial communities and enzyme activities are still poorly defined. We established a field experiment and applied ammonium (NH4Cl) and nitrate (NaNO3) at monthly intervals over a period of 4 years. We collected soil samples from the ammonium and nitrate treatments and control plots in three different seasons, namely spring, summer, and fall, to evaluate the how the biomass of different soil microbial communities and enzyme activities responded to the ammonium (NH4Cl) and nitrate (NaNO3) applications. Our results showed that the total contents of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) decreased by 24 and 11 % in the ammonium and nitrate treatments, respectively. The inhibitory effects of ammonium on Gram-positive bacteria (G+) and bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) PLFA contents ranged from 14 to 40 % across the three seasons. We also observed that the absolute activities of C, N, and P hydrolyses and oxidases were inhibited by ammonium and nitrate, but that nitrate had stronger inhibitory effects on the activities of acid phosphatase (AP) than ammonium. The activities of N-acquisition specific enzymes (enzyme activities normalized by total PLFA contents) were about 21 and 43 % lower in the ammonium and nitrate treatments than in the control, respectively. However, the activities of P-acquisition specific enzymes were about 19 % higher in the ammonium treatment than in the control. Using redundancy analysis (RDA), we found that the measured C, N, and P hydrolysis and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities were positively correlated with the soil pH and ammonium contents, but were negatively correlated with the nitrate contents. The PLFA biomarker contents were positively correlated with soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total N contents, but were negatively correlated with the ammonium contents. The soil enzyme activities varied seasonally, and were highest in March and lowest in October. In contrast, the contents of the microbial PLFA biomarkers were higher in October than in March and June. Ammonium may inhibit the contents of PLFA biomarkers more strongly than nitrate because of acidification. This study has provided useful information about the effects of ammonium and nitrate on soil microbial communities and enzyme activities.

scholarly journals Ammonium and nitrate additions differentially affect soil microbial biomass of different communities and enzyme activities in slash pine plantation in subtropical China

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuang Zhang ◽  
Xin-Yu Zhang ◽  
Hong-Tao Zou ◽  
Liang Kou ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Specific Enzyme ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Total Plfa

Abstract. The ratios of nitrate to ammonium in wet atmosphere nitrogen (N) deposition compounds were increasing recently. However, the individual effects of nitrate and ammonium deposition on soil microbial communities biomass and enzyme activities are still unclear. We conducted a four-year N addition field experiment to evaluate the responses of soil microbial communities biomass and enzyme activities to ammonium (NH4Cl) and nitrate (NaNO3) additions. Our results showed that (1) the inhibitory effects of ammonium additions on total mass of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) were stronger than those of nitrate additions. Both decreased total PLFA mass about 24 % and 11 %, respectively. The inhibitory effects of ammonium additions on gram positive bacteria (G+) and bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes (A), and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) PLFA mass ranged from 14 %–40 %. (2) Both ammonium and nitrate additions inhibited absolute activities of C, N, and P hydrolyses and oxidases, and nitrate additions had stronger inhibition effects on the acid phosphatase (AP) than ammonium additions. Both ammonium and nitrate additions decreased N-acquisition specific enzyme activities (enzyme activities normalized by total PLFA mass) about 21 % or 43 %, respectively. However, ammonium additions increased P-acquisition specific enzyme activities about 19 % comparing to control. (3) Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the measured C, N, and P hydrolyses and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities were positively correlated with soil pH and ammonium contents, but negatively with nitrate contents; the mass of PLFA biomarkers were positively correlated with soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total N contents, but negatively with ammonium contents. (4) The soil enzyme activities varied seasonally in the order of March > June > October. On the contrary, microbial PLFA mass was higher in October than in March and June. Our results concluded that inhibition of mass of PLFA biomarkers and enzyme activities might be contributed to acidification caused by ammonium addition. Soil absolute enzyme activities were inhibited indirectly by acidification and nitrification, but specific enzyme activities normalized by PLFA were directly affected by N additions. It was meaningful to separate the effects of ammonium and nitrate additions on soil microbial communities and enzyme activities.

scholarly journals Annual Variation in Soil Enzyme Activity in a Paddy Field: Soil Temperature and Nutrient Availability Are Important for Controlling Enzyme Activities

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Kunito ◽  
Takashi Shiroma ◽  
Hitoshi Moro ◽  
Hirotaka Sumi
Keyword(s):  
Acid Phosphatase ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Paddy Field ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Field Soil ◽  
Allocation Model ◽  
Total N ◽  
Glucosidase Activity

Annual variations in enzyme activities involved in carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) cycling and soil physicochemical properties were examined in a Japanese paddy field. All the enzyme activities determined at the field soil temperature (range, 2.2°C–28.3°C) increased exponentially with soil temperature (p<0.001). Significant negative correlations were found between Bray-2P concentration and the ratio of acid phosphatase to β-D-glucosidase activity (Spearman r = −0.631, p = 0.005) and between total N and the ratio of L-asparaginase to β-D-glucosidase activity (r = −0.612, p=0.007), suggesting that in accordance with the resource allocation model, acid phosphatase and L-asparaginase were synthesized by microorganisms depending on the temporal changes in soil P and N availability. These results suggest the significance of soil temperature in controlling in situ enzyme activities in paddy soil and also that the stoichiometry of enzyme activities associated with C, N, and P acquisition reflects the soil nutrient availability.

Distribution of carbon and nitrogen in a long-term cropping system and permanent pasture system

1993 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
FA Robertson ◽  
RJK Myers ◽  
PG Saffigna
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Permanent Pasture ◽  
Standing Dead

Nitrogen (N) limitation to productivity of sown perennial grass pastures on the brigalow lands of S.E. Queensland contrasts with adequate N supply to annual crops grown on the same soil. In order to understand this anomaly, the distribution of N and carbon (C) under permanent green panic pasture and under continuous cropping with grain sorghum was compared in an 18 month field study. Total soil N and organic C (0-10 cm) were, respectively, 0.37 and 3.20% under green panic and 0.23 and 2.31% under sorghum. Soil microbial biomass (0-28 cm) contained 246 kg N and 1490 kg C ha-1 under green panic and 147 kg N and 744 kg C ha-1 under sorghum. Enhanced microbial growth under pasture was attributed to the continuous input of available C from surface litter and roots. The C/N ratio of pasture residues was high (greater than 50) and conducive to immobilization of N. Availability of N under pasture was further reduced by approximately 50% of plant N being immobilized in standing dead tissue. Under sorghum, the microbial biomass was well supplied with N, but was limited by C availability. The soil under sorghum received a single large C input when crop residues were returned after harvest. The differences in N availability, and hence productivity, of these soils under cropping and permanent pasture were due primarily to differences in the timing and quality of C inputs.

scholarly journals Responses of soil microbial communities and enzyme activities to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in Chinese fir plantations of subtropical China

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 10359-10387 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Y. Dong ◽  
X. Y. Zhang ◽  
X. Y. Liu ◽  
X. L. Fu ◽  
F. S. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Chinese Fir ◽  
Subtropical China ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Nutrient Additions

Abstract. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions to forest ecosystems are known to influence various above-ground properties, such as plant productivity and composition, and below-ground properties, such as soil nutrient cycling. However, our understanding of how soil microbial communities and their functions respond to nutrient additions in subtropical plantations is still not complete. In this study, we added N and P to Chinese fir plantations in subtropical China to examine how nutrient additions influenced soil microbial community composition and enzyme activities. The results showed that most soil microbial properties were responsive to N and/or P additions, but responses often varied depending on the nutrient added and the quantity added. For instance, there were more than 30 % greater increases in the activities of β-Glucosidase (βG) and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) in the treatments that received nutrient additions compared to the control plot, whereas acid phosphatase (aP) activity was always higher (57 and 71 %, respectively) in the P treatment. N and P additions greatly enhanced the PLFA abundanceespecially in the N2P treatment, the bacterial PLFAs (bacPLFAs), fungal PLFAs (funPLFAs) and actinomycic PLFAs (actPLFAs) were about 2.5, 3 and 4 times higher, respectively, than in the CK. Soil enzyme activities were noticeably higher in November than in July, mainly due to seasonal differences in soil moisture content (SMC). βG or NAG activities were significantly and positively correlated with microbial PLFAs. There were also significant relationships between gram-positive (G+) bacteria and all three soil enzymes. These findings indicate that G+ bacteria is the most important microbial community in C, N, and P transformations in Chinese fir plantations, and that βG and NAG would be useful tools for assessing the biogeochemical transformation and metabolic activity of soil microbes. We recommend combined additions of N and P fertilizer to promote soil fertility and microbial activity in this kind of plantation.

Soil chemical and biological properties affected by 21-year application of composted manure with chemical fertilizers in a Chinese Mollisol

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. H. Li ◽  
X. Z. Han ◽  
H. B. Li ◽  
C. Song ◽  
J. Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Pig Manure ◽  
Chemical Fertilizers ◽  
Total N ◽  
Available N

Li, X. H., Han, X. Z., Li, H. B., Song, C., Yan, J. and Liang, Y. 2012. Soil chemical and biological properties affected by 21-year application of composted manure with chemical fertilizers in a Chinese Mollisol. Can. J. Soil Sci. 92: 419–428. The effects of 21-yr of application of chemical fertilizers, composted pig manure (CPM) alone, and chemical fertilizers combined with compost on soil chemical and biological properties were investigated. Soil samples (0–20cm) were collected from a long-term fertilization experiment under corn (Zea mays L.) production in 2006, prior to seeding, at the corn tasseling stage and following harvest. Fertilizer treatments were: no fertilizer (CK), nitrogen fertilizer alone (N), N + phosphorus (NP), N + P + potassium (NPK), CPM, N + CPM, N + P + CPM (NP + CPM), and N + P + K + CPM (NPK + CPM). Long-term application of N alone resulted in a reduction of soil pH by 0.38 units and reduced the available P concentration compared with CK. An increase in soil pH was seen with CPM alone and NPK + CPM. Both fertilizers sources, singly and combined, increased the total N and available N concentrations. Total P and total K concentrations were greatest with the NPK + CPM treatment. All fertilizer treatments increased the soil organic carbon (SOC), light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) concentrations significantly (P < 0.05) at the tasseling stage. The NPK + CPM treatment showed the greatest increase in SOC (12%), LFOC (78%) and MBC (44%) concentrations, compared with CK. Soil enzyme activities (invertase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphatases) tended to be greater at tasseling than other sampling dates, with highest enzyme activities in the NPK + CPM treatments. These findings suggest that a long-term application of CPM combined with NPK is an efficient strategy to maintain or increase soil quality in Mollisols for sustainable agriculture.

Indices of soil nitrogen availability in five Tasmanian Eucalyptus nitens plantations

Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 719 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Moroni ◽  
P. J. Smethurst ◽  
G. K. Holz
Keyword(s):  
Soil Solution ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Eucalyptus Nitens ◽  
Soil Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
Total N ◽  
Available N ◽  
Total P

Several soil analyses were used to estimate available N in surface soils (0–10 cm) over a 2-year period at 5 sites that supported 1- to 4-year-old Eucalyptus nitens plantations, and once in subsoils (10–120 cm) at 3 of these sites. Soils were derived from basalt (1 site previously pasture, 1 Pinus radiate, and 2 native forest) or siltstone (previously native forest). Soil analyses examined were total N, total P, total C, anaerobically mineralisable N (AMN), hot KCl-extractable N (hot KCl-N), and NH4+ and NO3– in soil solution and KCl extracts. AMN, KCl-extractable NH4+ and NO3–, and soil solution NH4+ and NO3– varied considerably with time, whereas hot KCl-N, total N, total P, and total C were temporally stable except for a gradual decline in total C with time at one site. Only total P was correlated with net N mineralisation (NNM) across all sites (r2 = 0.91, P < 0.05, n = 5). At 2–3 years after planting, soil solution and KCl-extractable NO3– dropped below 0.1 mm N and 1 μg N/g soil, respectively, at sites with NNM ≤24 kg N/ha.year (n = 3). Sites with NNM ≤24 kg N/ha.year also had ≤0.8 Mg P/ha. Although concentrations of indices of soil N availability decreased with depth, the contribution of subsoil (10–120 cm depth) to total profile N availability was estimated to be at least twice that of the top 10 cm. At an ex-pasture site, high concentrations of mineral N were found at 75–105 cm depths (KCl-extractable N, 289.3 μg N/g soil; 2.8 mm mineral N in soil solution), which may have become available to plantations as their root systems developed.

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