scholarly journals Impacts of Cropping Systems and Long-Term Tillage on Soil Microbial Population Levels and Community Composition in Dryland Agricultural Setting

ISRN Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin P. Ng ◽  
Emily B. Hollister ◽  
Ma. del Carmen A. González-Chávez ◽  
Frank M. Hons ◽  
David A. Zuberer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Triticum Aestivum ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Microbial Biomass C ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
No Till ◽  
Soil Microbial Population

Few studies have used molecular methods to correlate the abundance of specific microbial taxonomic groups with changes in soil properties impacted by long-term agriculture. Community qPCR with 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the effects of long-term crop-management practices (no-till vs. conventional tillage, and continuous wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) vs. sorghum-wheat-soybean rotation (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench-Triticum aestivum L.-Glycine max L. Merr) on bacterial and fungal relative abundances and identify the dominant members of the soil microbial community. The qPCR assays revealed that crop rotation decreased bacterial copy numbers, but no-till practices did not significantly alter bacteria or fungi relative to conventional tillage. Cyanobacteria were more abundant while Actinobacteria were less numerous under continuous wheat. Acidobacteria and Planctomycetes were positively correlated with soil microbial biomass C and N. This study highlights ways cropping systems affect microbial communities and aids the development of sustainable agriculture.

scholarly journals Tracking Changes on Soil Structure and Organic Carbon Sequestration after 30 Years of Different Tillage and Management Practices

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
Ramón Bienes ◽  
Maria Jose Marques ◽  
Blanca Sastre ◽  
Andrés García-Díaz ◽  
Iris Esparza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Triticum Aestivum ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Wilting Point

Long-term field trials are essential for monitoring the effects of sustainable land management strategies for adaptation and mitigation to climate change. The influence of more than thirty years of different management is analyzed on extensive crops under three tillage systems, conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and no-tillage (NT), and with two crop rotations, monoculture winter-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and wheat-vetch (Triticum aestivum L.-Vicia sativa L.), widely present in the center of Spain. The soil under NT experienced the largest change in organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, macroaggregate stability, and bulk density. In the MT and NT treatments, SOC content was still increasing after 32 years, being 26.5 and 32.2 Mg ha−1, respectively, compared to 20.8 Mg ha−1 in CT. The SOC stratification (ratio of SOC at the topsoil/SOC at the layer underneath), an indicator of soil conservation, increased with decreasing tillage intensity (2.32, 1.36, and 1.01 for NT, MT, and CT respectively). Tillage intensity affected the majority of soil parameters, except the water stable aggregates, infiltration, and porosity. The NT treatment increased available water, but only in monocropping. More water was retained at the permanent wilting point in NT treatments, which can be a disadvantage in dry periods of these edaphoclimatic conditions.

Tillage and cropping effects on soil organic carbon: biodegradation and storage in density and size fractions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Plant Residue ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Experimental Treatments ◽  
Plough Layer

<p>Improvements in management practices can prevent the decline of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage caused by conventional tillage practice in Northeast China. Density and size fractionation can track the transformation of plant residue into SOC and its location in soil matrix. We used a long-term field study in China to evaluate these changes as a result of improved management involving tillage and cropping systems. Experimental treatments included no-till (NT) and moldboard ploughing (MP) under monoculture maize (Zea mays L.) (MM) and maize-soybean (Glycine max Merr.) rotation (MS); these were compared to the traditional management involving conventional tillage (CT) under MM. An incubation study was conducted to evaluate mineralization and the biodegradability of SOC. The soils were also physically fractionated by density (light fraction, LF) and size (sand, silt, clay). With improved management, the SOC storage in the clay showed the largest increase across all fractions. This increase was greater for MS than MM. The NTMS treatment resulted in a decline in silt-OC storage compared to CTMM. The SOC mineralization (mg CO<sub>2</sub>-C g<sup>-1</sup> soil) was affected by tillage and driven by LF-OC and was observed in the order: NTMM (2.06) > MPMM (1.72) ≈ NTMS (1.71) > CTMM (1.52) ≈ MPMS (1.41). Both cropping and depth affected the biodegradability of SOC. Considering the plough layer (0-20 cm), treatments under MM had larger proportion of biodegradable SOC than under MS. We conclude that the significant differences in SOC storage in physical fractions and SOC biodegradation were caused by differences in soil management.</p>

scholarly journals Microbial Signatures in Fertile Soils Under Long-Term N Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
María B. Villamil ◽  
Nakian Kim ◽  
Chance W. Riggins ◽  
María C. Zabaloy ◽  
Marco Allegrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Block Design ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Ribosomal Database Project ◽  
Fertilization Rates ◽  
Continuous Corn ◽  
Potential Nitrification

Long-term reliance on inorganic N to maintain and increase crop yields in overly simplified cropping systems in the U.S. Midwest region has led to soil acidification, potentially damaging biological N2 fixation and accelerating potential nitrification activities. Building on this published work, rRNA gene-based analysis via Illumina technology with QIIME 2.0 processing was used to characterize the changes in microbial communities associated with such responses. Amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) for each archaeal, bacterial, and fungal taxa were classified using the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP). Our goal was to identify bioindicators from microbes responsive to crop rotation and N fertilization rates following 34–35 years since the initiation of experiments. Research plots were established in 1981 with treatments of rotation [continuous corn (Zea mays L.) (CCC) and both the corn (Cs) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) (Sc) phases of a corn-soybean rotation], and of N fertilization rates (0, 202, and 269 kg N/ha) arranged as a split-plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications. We identified a set of three archaea, and six fungal genera responding mainly to rotation; a set of three bacteria genera whose abundances were linked to N rates; and a set with the highest number of indicator genera from both bacteria (22) and fungal (12) taxa responded to N fertilizer additions only within the CCC system. Indicators associated with the N cycle were identified from each archaeal, bacterial, and fungal taxon, with a dominance of denitrifier- over nitrifier- groups. These were represented by a nitrifier archaeon Nitrososphaera, and Woesearchaeota AR15, an anaerobic denitrifier. These archaea were identified as part of the signature for CCC environments, decreasing in abundance with rotated management. The opposite response was recorded for the fungus Plectosphaerella, a potential N2O producer, less abundant under continuous corn. N fertilization in CCC or CS systems decreased the abundance of the bacteria genera Variovorax and Steroidobacter, whereas Gp22 and Nitrosospira only showed this response under CCC. In this latter system, N fertilization resulted in increased abundances of the bacterial denitrifiers Gp1, Denitratisoma, Dokdonella, and Thermomonas, along with the fungus Hypocrea, a known N2O producer. The identified signatures could help future monitoring and comparison across cropping systems as we move toward more sustainable management practices. At the same time, this is needed primary information to understand the potential for managing the soil community composition to reduce nutrient losses to the environment.

Nitrate Leaching to a Shallow Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain Aquifer as Influenced by Conventional No-Till and Low-Input Sustainable Grain Production Systems

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-5) ◽  
pp. 691-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Craig ◽  
R. R. Weil
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Atlantic Coastal Plain ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
Low Input ◽  
No Till

In December, 1987, the states in the Chesapeake Bay region, along with the federal government, signed an agreement which called for a 40% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to the Bay by the year 2000. To accomplish this goal, major reductions in nutrient loadings associated with agricultural management practices were deemed necessary. The objective of this study was to determine if reducing fertilizer inputs to the NT system would result in a reduction in nitrogen contamination of groundwater. In this study, groundwater, soil, and percolate samples were collected from two cropping systems. The first system was a conventional no-till (NT) grain production system with a two-year rotation of corn/winter wheat/double crop soybean. The second system, denoted low-input sustainable agriculture (LISA), produced the same crops using a winter legume and relay-cropped soybeans into standing wheat to reduce nitrogen and herbicide inputs. Nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in groundwater were significantly lower under the LISA system. Over 80% of the NT groundwater samples had NO3-N concentrations greater than 10 mgl-1, compared to only 4% for the LISA cropping system. Significantly lower soil mineral N to a depth of 180 cm was also observed. The NT soil had nearly twice as much mineral N present in the 90-180 cm portion than the LISA cropping system.

scholarly journals Changes in Bacterial and Fungal Soil Communities in Long-Term Organic Cropping Systems

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 445
Author(s):  
Jessica Cuartero ◽  
Onurcan Özbolat ◽  
Virginia Sánchez-Navarro ◽  
Marcos Egea-Cortines ◽  
Raúl Zornoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Organic Cultivation

Long-term organic farming aims to reduce synthetic fertilizer and pesticide use in order to sustainably produce and improve soil quality. To do this, there is a need for more information about the soil microbial community, which plays a key role in a sustainable agriculture. In this paper, we assessed the long-term effects of two organic and one conventional cropping systems on the soil microbial community structure using high-throughput sequencing analysis, as well as the link between these communities and the changes in the soil properties and crop yield. The results showed that the crop yield was similar among the three cropping systems. The microbial community changed according to cropping system. Organic cultivation with manure compost and compost tea (Org_C) showed a change in the bacterial community associated with an improved soil carbon and nutrient content. A linear discriminant analysis effect size showed different bacteria and fungi as key microorganisms for each of the three different cropping systems, for conventional systems (Conv), different microorganisms such as Nesterenkonia, Galbibacter, Gramella, Limnobacter, Pseudoalteromonas, Pantoe, and Sporobolomyces were associated with pesticides, while for Org_C and organic cultivation with manure (Org_M), other types of microorganisms were associated with organic amendments with different functions, which, in some cases, reduce soil borne pathogens. However, further investigations such as functional approaches or network analyses are need to better understand the mechanisms behind this behavior.

Corn Forage Production in No‐Till and Conventional Tillage Double‐Cropping Systems 1

1977 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 635-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. R. Nelson ◽  
R. N. Gallaher ◽  
M. R. Holmes ◽  
R. R. Bruce
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Double Cropping ◽  
No Till

Dietary condensed tannins in bovine faeces and effects on soil microbial dynamics: are there environmental benefits for cattle production systems?

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 690
Author(s):  
Gisele M. Fagundes ◽  
Gabriela Benetel ◽  
Mateus M. Carriero ◽  
Ricardo L. M. Sousa ◽  
Kelly C. Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Microbial Dynamics ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Soil Microbial Population

Context Plant bioactive compounds such as condensed tannins (CT) are seen as an alternative to rumen chemical modulators to mitigate rumen methanogenesis in livestock; however, the presence of CT in ruminant faeces also produces a series of changes in soil microbiomes. Little is known about these effects on soil nutrient dynamics. Therefore, whether CT affect the decomposition process of faecal organic matter, delaying it and consequently increasing soil carbon and nitrogen (N) sequestration, merits study. Aims Our study investigated the effects of a diet rich in CT on bovine faecal composition and on subsequent dynamics of a soil microbial population. Methods Faeces were analysed from cattle fed the following diets: control (no CT), 1.25% CT, 2.5% CT. In a greenhouse pot experiment over a period of 60 days, faeces from the three dietary treatments were applied to soil and the soil microbial populations were measured against a control with no faeces applied. Key results The presence of CT increased the excretion of faecal N and of neutral and acid detergent fibres and lignin, and the higher rate of CT reduced the rate of soil organic matter decomposition. Treatments with dietary CT resulted in greater total numbers of bacteria in the soil than in the no-faeces control and stimulated numbers of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria (α-Proteobacteria) and Firmicutes. Conclusions The study showed that CT alter N recycling and other nutrient inputs in a soil–animal ecosystem by increasing faecal N inputs, delaying organic matter breakdown, and changing soil microbial dynamics. Implications The presence of CT in ruminant diets can be beneficial to the soil environment. Sustainable management practices should be encouraged by providing ruminants with feed including high-CT legumes in silvopastoral systems.

scholarly journals Impact of direct seeding mulch-based cropping systems on soil nematodes in a long-term experiment in Madagascar

2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 949-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Villenave ◽  
Bodovololona Rabary ◽  
Jean-Luc Chotte ◽  
Eric Blanchart ◽  
Djibril Djigal
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Direct Seeding ◽  
Living Mulch ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Tillage System ◽  
Kikuyu Grass ◽  
Structure Indices

The objective of this work was to assess the effects of conventional tillage and of different direct seeding mulch-based cropping systems (DMC) on soil nematofauna characteristics. The long-term field experiment was carried out in the highlands of Madagascar on an andic Dystrustept soil. Soil samples were taken once a year during three successive years (14 to 16 years after installation of the treatments) from a 0-5-cm soil layer of a conventional tillage system and of three kinds of DMC: direct seeding on mulch from rotation soybean-maize residues; direct seeding of maize-maize rotation on living mulch of silverleaf (Desmodium uncinatum); direct seeding of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)-soybean rotation on living mulch of kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum). The samples were compared with samples from natural fallows. The soil nematofauna, characterized by the abundance of different trophic groups and indices (MI, maturity index; EI and SI, enrichment and structure indices), allowed the discrimination of the different cropping systems. The different DMC treatments had a more complex soil food web than the tillage treatment: SI and MI were significantly greater in DMC systems. Moreover, DMC with dead mulch had a lower density of free-living nematodes than DMC with living mulch, which suggested a lower microbial activity.

scholarly journals Effect of 50 Years of No-Tillage, Stubble Retention, and Nitrogen Fertilization on Soil Respiration, Easily Extractable Glomalin, and Nitrogen Mineralization

Agronomy ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Pramod Jha ◽  
Kuntal M. Hati ◽  
Ram C. Dalal ◽  
Yash P. Dang ◽  
Peter M. Kopittke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Stubble Retention ◽  
No Till

In subtropical regions, we have an incomplete understanding of how long-term tillage, stubble, and nitrogen (N) fertilizer management affects soil biological functioning. We examined a subtropical site managed for 50 years using varying tillage (conventional till (CT) and no-till (NT)), stubble management (stubble burning (SB) and stubble retention (SR)), and N fertilization (0 (N0), 30 (N30), and 90 (N90) kg ha−1 y−1) to assess their impact on soil microbial respiration, easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EEGRSP), and N mineralization. A significant three-way tillage × stubble × N fertilizer interaction was observed for soil respiration, with NT+SB+N0 treatments generally releasing the highest amounts of CO2 over the incubation period (1135 mg/kg), and NT+SR+N0 treatments releasing the lowest (528 mg/kg). In contrast, a significant stubble × N interaction was observed for both EEGRSP and N mineralization, with the highest concentrations of both EEGRSP (2.66 ± 0.86 g kg−1) and N mineralization (30.7 mg/kg) observed in SR+N90 treatments. Furthermore, N mineralization was also positively correlated with EEGRSP (R2 = 0.76, p < 0.001), indicating that EEGRSP can potentially be used as an index of soil N availability. Overall, this study has shown that SR and N fertilization have a positive impact on soil biological functioning.

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