Microbial biomass carbon and microbial activities of soils receiving chemical fertilizers and organic amendments

2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 641-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Dhull ◽  
Sneh Goyal ◽  
Krishan Kapoor ◽  
Mool Mundra
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Microbial Activities ◽  
Chemical Fertilizers

Microbial biomass carbon and some soil properties as influenced by long-term sodic-water irrigation, gypsum, and organic amendments

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joginder Kaur ◽  
O. P. Choudhary ◽  
Bijay-Singh
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Farmyard Manure ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Sodic Water

Long-term sodic-water irrigation may adversely affect the quality of soil organic carbon along with some soil properties. The extent to which the adverse effects can be ameliorated through the use of gypsum and amendments needs to be known. Soil properties and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were studied after 14 years of sodic water (SW) irrigation and application of different levels of gypsum, farmyard manure (FYM), green manure (GM), and wheat straw (WS) to a sandy loam soil. Irrigation with SW increased pH, electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and bulk density, and decreased final infiltration rate of soil. Application of gypsum and organic amendments reversed these trends. Decrease in MBC due to SW irrigation was from 132.5 to 44.6 mg/kg soil in the 0–75 mm soil layer and from 49.0 to 17.3 mg/kg soil in the 75–150 mm soil layer. Application of gypsum and organic amendments significantly increased MBC; GM and FYM were more effective than WS. Changes in soil ESP explained 85 and 75% variation in MBC in the unamended and organically amended SW treatments, respectively. Soil pH as additional variable improved the predictability of MBC to 96% and 77%. Irrigation with SW reduced yield of rice plus wheat by 5 t/ha. Application of gypsum and organic amendments significantly increased the rice and wheat yield; it was significantly correlated with MBC (r = 0.56**, n = 60). It confirms that MBC rather than organic C is a more sensitive indicator of environmental stresses in soils caused by long-term sodic water irrigation.

scholarly journals Organic Amendment Effects on Soil Carbon and Microbial Biomass in the Root Zone of Three Landscape Tree Species

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 262-276
Author(s):  
P. Eric Wiseman ◽  
Susan Day ◽  
J. Roger Harris
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Root Zones ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Compost Amendment

There is increasing interest in amending degraded soils with organic matter to improve soil quality, especially in urban areas where rehabilitation of damaged soils may enhance tree growth and provision of ecosystem services. To assess the potential of such organic amendments for producing a sustained alteration in soil biological characteristics, researchers studied the effects of three organic amendments incorporated into the root zone of three tree species on root development, soil carbon dynamics, and soil microbial biomass over one year beginning 20 months after amendment application. Soil amendment with leaf-based, and to a lesser extent, biosolids-based composts increased root length within the amended root zone of red maple (Acer rubrum), but not of pin oak (Quercus palustris) or chestnut oak (Q. montana). There was a concomitant increase in microbial biomass carbon for red maple. Across all species, sphagnum peat moss amendment reduced microbial biomass carbon by 47% compared to unamended root zones and suppressed maximum seasonal soil respiration relative to composts. In contrast, leaf-based compost increased microbial biomass carbon by 12% (P = 0.0989) compared to unamended root zones. Carbon/nitrogen ratios remained stable throughout most of the year except in the root zones of chestnut oak and pin oak amended with peat, where it declined 44%–85%. Total soil carbon was stable in all treatments, although unamended soils averaged about 40% lower than amended soils. Across all species and treatments, cumulative fine root length explained 19% of the variation in microbial biomass carbon. The study authors conclude that soil microbial activity can be increased by compost amendment of the root zone and that this increase is mediated to some degree by tree roots. In addition, stable C/N ratios suggest this alteration in the root zone may be sustainable. Further research may clarify whether compost amendment combined with tree planting can accelerate soil restoration.

scholarly journals Effect of carbon-enriched digestate on the microbial soil activity

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0252262
Author(s):  
Jiri Holatko ◽  
Tereza Hammerschmiedt ◽  
Antonin Kintl ◽  
Subhan Danish ◽  
Petr Skarpa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Humic Acids ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Carbon:Nitrogen Ratio ◽  
Soil Activity

Objectives As a liquid organic fertilizer used in agriculture, digestate is rich in many nutrients (i.e. nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, potassium); their utilization may be however less efficient in soils poor in organic carbon (due to low carbon:nitrogen ratio). In order to solve the disadvantages, digestate enrichment with carbon-rich amendments biochar or humic acids (Humac) was tested. Methods Soil variants amended with enriched digestate: digestate + biochar, digestate + Humac, and digestate + combined biochar and humic acids—were compared to control with untreated digestate in their effect on total soil carbon and nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, soil respiration and soil enzymatic activities in a pot experiment. Yield of the test crop lettuce was also determined for all variants. Results Soil respiration was the most significantly increased property, positively affected by digestate + Humac. Both digestate + biochar and digestate + Humac significantly increased microbial biomass carbon. Significant negative effect of digestate + biochar (compared to the control digestate) on particular enzyme activities was alleviated by the addition of humic acids. No significant differences among the tested variants were found in the above-ground and root plant biomass. Conclusions The tested organic supplements improved the digestate effect on some determined soil properties. We deduced from the results (carbon:nitrogen ratio, microbial biomass and activity) that the assimilation of nutrients by plants increased; however, the most desired positive effect on the yield of crop biomass was not demonstrated. We assume that the digestate enrichment with organic amendments may be more beneficial in a long time-scaled trial.

scholarly journals Microbial activities, carbon, and nitrogen in an irrigated Quartzarenic Neosol cultivated with cowpea in southwest Piauí

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1765
Author(s):  
Larissa Castro Diógenes ◽  
José Ferreira Lustosa Filho ◽  
Alessandro Franco Torres da Silva ◽  
Júlio César Azevedo Nóbrega ◽  
Rafaela Simão Abrahão Nóbrega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Metabolic Quotient ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Microbial Activities ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Cowpea Cultivars ◽  
Basal Soil Respiration ◽  
Microbial Quotient

The aim of this study was to evaluate microbial biomass and total organic carbon and nitrogen of an irrigated Quartzarenic Neosol cultivated with two cowpea cultivars in Bom Jesus, Piauí, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a randomized experimental block design in split plots. The plots consist of two cowpea cultivars (Aracê and Tumucumaque) and the subplots were composed of five different irrigation regimes (L1 = 108.2; L2 = 214.7; L3 = 287.9; L4 = 426.1, and L5 = 527.7 mm). Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0-0.20 m in order to evaluate basal soil respiration, microbial biomass carbon, metabolic quotient, microbial quotient, content, and storage of soil carbon and nitrogen. Basal soil respiration, microbial biomass carbon, microbial metabolic quotient, and microbial quotient are influenced by the interaction between cowpea cultivars and irrigation. The cultivar Aracê showed greater stimulus to the microbial community, while the irrigation regimes with 214.7 and 287.9 mm (60 and 90% of ETo, respectively) provided the best moisture conditions for microbial activities.

scholarly journals How Elemental Stoichiometric Ratios in Microorganisms Respond to Thinning Management in Larix principis-rupprechtti Mayr. Plantations of the Warm Temperate Zone in China

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 684
Author(s):  
Mengke Cai ◽  
Shiping Xing ◽  
Xiaoqing Cheng ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
Xinhao Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Medium Density ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Stoichiometric Ratios

The stoichiometric ratios of elements in microorganisms play an important role in biogeochemical cycling and evaluating the nutritional limits of microbial growth, but the effects of thinning treatment on the stoichiometric ratio of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in microorganisms remain unclear. We conducted research in a Larix principis-rupprechtti Mayr. plantation to determine the main factors driving microbial carbon (C): nitrogen (N): phosphorus (P) stoichiometry following thinning and the underlying mechanisms of these effects. The plantation study varied in thinning intensity from 0% tree removal (control), 15% tree reduction (high density plantation, HDP), 35% tree reduction (medium density plantation, MDP), and 50% tree reduction (low density plantation, LDP). Our results indicated that medium density plantation significantly increased litter layer biomass, soil temperature, and other soil properties (e.g., soil moisture and nutrient contents). Understory vegetation diversity (i.e., shrub layer and herb layer) was highest in the medium density plantation. Meanwhile, thinning had a great influence on the biomass of microbial communities. For example, the concentration of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) for bacteria and fungi in the medium density plantation (MDP) was significantly higher than in other thinning treatments. Combining Pearson correlation analysis, regression modeling, and stepwise regression demonstrated that the alteration of the microbial biomass carbon: nitrogen was primarily related to gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, soil temperature, and soil available phosphorus. Variation in bacteria, actinomycetes, gram-positive bacteria, gram–negative bacteria, and soil total phosphorus was primarily associated with shifts in microbial biomass carbon: phosphorus. Moreover, changes in microbial biomass nitrogen: phosphorus were regulated by actinomycetes, gram-negative bacteria, and soil temperature. In conclusion, our research indicates that the stoichiometric ratios of elements in microorganisms could be influenced by thinning management, and emphasizes the importance of soil factors and microbial communities in driving soil microbial stoichiometry.

scholarly journals Soil Aggregation and Organic Carbon Dynamics in Poplar Plantations

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Ge ◽  
Shuiyuan Fang ◽  
Han Chen ◽  
Rongwei Zhu ◽  
Sili Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon

Soil resident water-stable macroaggregates (diameter (Ø) > 0.25 mm) play a critical role in organic carbon conservation and fertility. However, limited studies have investigated the direct effects of stand development on soil aggregation and its associated mechanisms. Here, we examined the dynamics of soil organic carbon, water-stable macroaggregates, litterfall production, fine-root (Ø < 1 mm) biomass, and soil microbial biomass carbon with stand development in poplar plantations (Populus deltoides L. ‘35’) in Eastern Coastal China, using an age sequence (i.e., five, nine, and 16 years since plantation establishment). We found that the quantity of water-stable macroaggregates and organic carbon content in topsoil (0–10 cm depth) increased significantly with stand age. With increasing stand age, annual aboveground litterfall production did not differ, while fine-root biomass sampled in June, August, and October increased. Further, microbial biomass carbon in the soil increased in June but decreased when sampled in October. Ridge regression analysis revealed that the weighted percentage of small (0.25 mm ≤ Ø < 2 mm) increased with soil microbial biomass carbon, while that of large aggregates (Ø ≥ 2 mm) increased with fine-root biomass as well as microbial biomass carbon. Our results reveal that soil microbial biomass carbon plays a critical role in the formation of both small and large aggregates, while fine roots enhance the formation of large aggregates.

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