scholarly journals Dairy Effluent-Saturated Biochar Alters Microbial Communities and Enhances Bermudagrass Growth and Soil Fertility

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1794
Author(s):  
Sarbjeet Niraula ◽  
Yong-Keun Choi ◽  
Kristen Payne ◽  
James P. Muir ◽  
Eunsung Kan ◽  
...  

Recently, biochar has been proposed for various agronomic applications including improved plant growth and soil fertility. In this study, the effects of dairy effluent-saturated (SBC) and unsaturated wood-derived biochar (UBC) on Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) growth, soil fertility and microbial communities were investigated in a greenhouse pot study. SBC and UBC were mixed with sandy loam soil at various loading rates (0, 1, 2, 4, and 8%) to grow Bermudagrass for 10 weeks. Soil physicochemical properties and plant growth measurements were taken, followed by 16S rRNA (V3-V4) amplicon sequencing of soil bacterial communities. Amendment of SBC to soil altered the soil physicochemical properties and increased the concentrations of N and P in the soil at 2 to 8% loading rates compared to UBC treated soil. The addition of SBC to soil also increased the overall plant biomass compared to UBC with more effects on aboveground biomass. Differential abundance analysis of taxa showed enrichment of Proteobacteria in UBC-amended soil, whereas Firmicutes and Nitrospirae were abundant in SBC-amended soil. Interestingly, enrichment of photosynthetic and N-fixing bacteria was observed in both SBC and UBC-amended soils after 10 weeks of treatments. However, oxidative phosphorylation and biotin metabolisms were found to be more abundant in SBC-amended soil compared to UBC-amended soil. Overall, our study suggested that amendment of SBC to soil resulted in enhanced soil nutrients, microbial capacity and Bermudagrass growth than that of UBC. Therefore, application of SBC to soil in field trials would be merited to identify sustainable and effective practices for enhancing plant growth, soil fertility and soil bacterial community.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2617
Author(s):  
Alicja Szatanik-Kloc ◽  
Justyna Szerement ◽  
Agnieszka Adamczuk ◽  
Grzegorz Józefaciuk

Thousands of tons of zeolitic materials are used yearly as soil conditioners and components of slow-release fertilizers. A positive influence of application of zeolites on plant growth has been frequently observed. Because zeolites have extremely large cation exchange capacity, surface area, porosity and water holding capacity, a paradigm has aroused that increasing plant growth is caused by a long-lasting improvement of soil physicochemical properties by zeolites. In the first year of our field experiment performed on a poor soil with zeolite rates from 1 to 8 t/ha and N fertilization, an increase in spring wheat yield was observed. Any effect on soil cation exchange capacity (CEC), surface area (S), pH-dependent surface charge (Qv), mesoporosity, water holding capacity and plant available water (PAW) was noted. This positive effect of zeolite on plants could be due to extra nutrients supplied by the mineral (primarily potassium—1 ton of the studied zeolite contained around 15 kg of exchangeable potassium). In the second year of the experiment (NPK treatment on previously zeolitized soil), the zeolite presence did not impact plant yield. No long-term effect of the zeolite on plants was observed in the third year after soil zeolitization, when, as in the first year, only N fertilization was applied. That there were no significant changes in the above-mentioned physicochemical properties of the field soil after the addition of zeolite was most likely due to high dilution of the mineral in the soil (8 t/ha zeolite is only ~0.35% of the soil mass in the root zone). To determine how much zeolite is needed to improve soil physicochemical properties, much higher zeolite rates than those applied in the field were studied in the laboratory. The latter studies showed that CEC and S increased proportionally to the zeolite percentage in the soil. The Qv of the zeolite was lower than that of the soil, so a decrease in soil variable charge was observed due to zeolite addition. Surprisingly, a slight increase in PAW, even at the largest zeolite dose (from 9.5% for the control soil to 13% for a mixture of 40 g zeolite and 100 g soil), was observed. It resulted from small alterations of the soil macrostructure: although the input of small zeolite pores was seen in pore size distributions, the larger pores responsible for the storage of PAW were almost not affected by the zeolite addition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 3492-3500
Author(s):  
Vipin Y. Borole ◽  
◽  
Sonali B. Kulkarni ◽  

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


Author(s):  
Progress Oghenerume ◽  
Samuel Eduok ◽  
Basil Ita ◽  
Ofonime John ◽  
Inemesit Bassey

We evaluated the effect of 4000 mg zinc oxide (ZnO, 99%, 30 nm) nanoparticle on the physicochemical and microbiological properties of organic manure amended ultisol and loam soil cultivated with Arachis hypogaea using standard methods. The results indicate varying effects on the physicochemical properties in relation to the soil type. The pH of the control ultisol at 7.85 ± 0.17 and 8.3 ± 0.12 in the amended ultisol whereas, the control loam was 7.15 ± 0.17 and 7.41 ± 0.11 in the amended soil indicating 1.06- and 1.04-times higher difference than the controls respectively.  Phosphorus concentration at 57.82 ± 0.54%, 50.81 ± 0.22% and 55.97 ± 0.04%, 59.97 ± 0.02% was 1.14 times lower in the ZnO amended ultisol and 1.07 times higher in amended loam soil compared to the respective controls. The organic matter content in the control and amended ultisol was 2.28 ± 0.32% and 0.91 ± 0.02%, 3.68 ± 0.36% and 0.36 ± 0.02% in the control and amended loam soil. The concentration of nitrate in the control ultisol was 0.05 ± 0.01% and 0.03 ± 0.01% in the amended soil. The nitrate in the control loam soil was 0.08 ± 0.01% relative to 0.02 ± 0.01% in the treated soil and these differences were significant at p = 0.05. The concentration of nutritive salts was reduced and in contrast iron, copper, exchangeable acids, exchange capacity, clay and silt increased in the amended soils. Further to this, heterotrophic ammonia and nitrate-oxidizing bacterial population were inhibited in the amended soils and denitrifying organisms were stimulated. The organisms were members of the genera Pseudomonas, Xanthobacter, Enterobacter, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Citrobacter, Nitrosomonas, Agromyces and Rhizobium. ZnO nanoparticles altered the soil physicochemical properties which exacerbated the negative effect on microbial abundance and varied with the soil type.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Peter G.L. Klinkhamer ◽  
Klaas Vrieling ◽  
T. Martijn Bezemer

Abstract Background and aimsMany plant species grow better in sterilized than in live soil. Foliar application of SA mitigates this negative effect of live soil on the growth of the plant Jacobaea vulgaris. To examine what causes the positive effect of SA application on plant growth in live soils, we analyzed the effects of SA application on the composition of active rhizosphere bacteria in the live soil. Methods We studied this over four consecutive plant cycles (generations), using mRNA sequencing of the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of J. vulgaris. ResultsOur study shows that the composition of the rhizosphere bacterial communities of J. vulgaris greatly differed among generations. Application of SA resulted in both increases and decreases in a number of active bacterial genera in the rhizosphere soil, but the genera that were affected by the treatment differed among generations. In the first generation, there were no genera that were significantly affected by the SA treatment, indicating that induction of the SA defense pathway in plants does not lead to immediate changes in the soil microbial community. 89 species out of the total 270 (32.4%) were present in all generations in all soils of SA-treated and control plants suggesting that these make up the “core” microbiome. On average in each generation, 72.9% of all genera were present in both soils. Application of SA to plants significantly up-regulated genera of Caballeronia, unclassified Cytophagaceae, Crinalium and Candidatus Thermofonsia Clade 2, and down-regulated genera of Thermomicrobiales, unclassified Rhodobacterales, Paracoccus and Flavihumibacter. While the functions of many of these bacteria are poorly understood, bacteria of the genus Caballeronia play an important role in fixing nitrogen and promoting plant growth, and hence this suggests that activation of the SA signaling pathway in J. vulgaris plants may select for bacterial genera that are beneficial to the plant. ConclusionsOverall, our study shows that aboveground activation of defenses in the plant affects soil microbial communities and, as soil microbes can greatly influence plant performance, this implies that induction of plant defenses can lead to complex above-belowground feedbacks. Further studies should examine how activation of the SA signaling pathway in the plant changes the functional genes of the rhizosphere soil bacterial community.


Author(s):  
Rasika Priyani Hettiarachchi ◽  
Gamini Seneviratne ◽  
Ananda Nawarathna Jayakody ◽  
Kiththangodage Eranga De Silva ◽  
P. D. Thushara Gunathilake ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 103486
Author(s):  
Tianyun Shao ◽  
JianJing Zhao ◽  
Anhong Liu ◽  
Xiaohua Long ◽  
Zed Rengel

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Han ◽  
Yongjing Liu ◽  
Cankun Zhang ◽  
Yage Li ◽  
Tairan Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Large-scale afforestation can significantly change the ground cover and soil physicochemical properties, especially the soil fertility maintenance and water conservation functions of artificial forests, which are very important in semi-arid mountain ecosystems. However, how different tree species affect soil nutrients and soil physicochemical properties after afforestation, and which is the best plantation species for improving soil fertility and water conservation functions remain largely unknown. Methods This study investigated the soil nutrient contents of three different plantations (Larix principis-rupprechtii, Picea crassifolia, Pinus tabuliformis), soils and plant-soil feedbacks, as well as the interactions between soil physicochemical properties. Results The results revealed that the leaves and litter layers strongly influenced soil nutrient availability through biogeochemical processes: P. tabuliformis had higher organic carbon, ratio of organic carbon to total nitrogen (C:N) and organic carbon to total phosphorus (C:P) in the leaves and litter layers than L. principis-rupprechtii or P. crassifolia, suggesting that higher C:N and C:P hindered litter decomposition. As a result, the L. principis-rupprechtii and P. crassifolia plantation forests significantly improved soil nutrients and clay components, compared with the P. tabuliformis plantation forest. Furthermore, the L. principis-rupprechtii and P. crassifolia plantation forests significantly improved the soil capacity, soil total porosity, and capillary porosity, decreased soil bulk density, and enhanced water storage capacity, compared with the P. tabuliformis plantation forest. The results of this study showed that, the strong link between plants and soil was tightly coupled to C:N and C:P, and there was a close correlation between soil particle size distribution and soil physicochemical properties. Conclusions Therefore, our results recommend planting the L. principis-rupprechtii and P. crassifolia as the preferred tree species to enhance the soil fertility and water conservation functions, especially in semi-arid regions mountain forest ecosystems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Parizadeh ◽  
Benjamin Mimee ◽  
Steven W. Kembel

The phyllosphere and soil are dynamic habitats for microbial communities. Non-pathogenic microbiota, including leaf and soil beneficial bacteria, plays a crucial role in plant growth and health, as well as in soil fertility and organic matter production. In sustainable agriculture, it is important to understand the composition of these bacterial communities, their changes in response to disturbances, and their resilience to agricultural practices. Widespread pesticide application may have had non-target impacts on these beneficial microorganisms. Neonicotinoids are a family of systemic insecticides being vastly used to control soil and foliar pests in recent decades. A few studies have demonstrated the long-term and non-target effects of neonicotinoids on agroecosystem microbiota, but the generality of these findings remains unclear. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the effects of neonicotinoid seed treatment on soil and phyllosphere bacterial community diversity, composition and temporal dynamics in a 3-year soybean/corn rotation in Quebec, Canada. We found that habitat, host species and time are stronger drivers of variation in bacterial composition than neonicotinoid application. They, respectively, explained 37.3, 3.2, and 2.9% of the community variation. However, neonicotinoids did have an impact on bacterial community structure, especially on the taxonomic composition of soil communities (2.6%) and over time (2.4%). They also caused a decrease in soil alpha diversity in the middle of the growing season. While the neonicotinoid treatment favored some bacterial genera known as neonicotinoid biodegraders, there was a decline in the relative abundance of some potentially beneficial soil bacteria in response to the pesticide application. Some of these bacteria, such as the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and the bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle, are vital for plant growth and improve soil fertility. Overall, our results indicate that neonicotinoids have non-target effects on phyllosphere and soil bacterial communities in a soybean-corn agroecosystem. Exploring the interactions among bacteria and other organisms, as well as the bacterial functional responses to the pesticide treatment, may enhance our understanding of these non-target effects and help us adapt agricultural practices to control these impacts.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Han ◽  
Yongjing Liu ◽  
Cankun Zhang ◽  
Yage Li ◽  
Tairan Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Large-scale afforestation can significantly change the ground cover and soil physicochemical properties, especially the soil fertility maintenance and water conservation functions of artificial forests are very important in semi-arid mountain ecosystems. However, how different tree growth affect soil nutrient and soil physicochemical properties following afforestation and which is the best plantation tree species for improving soil fertility and water conservation functions remain largely unknown. Methods: This study investigated the soil nutrient contents of three plantations with different tree species (Larix principis-rupprechtii, Picea crassifolia, Pinus tabuliformis), soils and plant-soil feedbacks, as well as the interaction between soil physicochemical properties. Results: The results revealed that the leaf and litter layer strongly influence soil nutrient availability through biogeochemical processes: P. tabuliformis has higher organic carbon, ratio of organic carbon to total nitrogen (C:N) and organic carbon to total phosphorus (C:P) in the leaves and litter layer than L. principis-rupprechtii or P. crassifolia, suggesting that higher C:N and C:P hinder litter decomposition. As a result, the L. principis-rupprechtii and P. crassifolia plantation forests significantly improve soil nutrients and clay components than the P. tabuliformis plantation forest. Furthermore, the L. principis-rupprechtii and P. crassifolia plantation forests significantly improved the soil capacity, soil total porosity, and capillary porosity, decreased soil bulk density, and enhanced water storage capacity than the P. tabuliformis plantation forest. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that the strong link between plants and soil is tightly coupled to C:N and C:P, and there had a close correlation between soil particle size distribution and soil physicochemical properties. Conclusions: Therefore, our results recommend planting the L. principis-rupprechtii and P. crassifolia as the preferred tree species to enhance the soil fertility and water conservation functions, especially in semi-arid regions mountain forest ecosystems.


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