Biological Indicators of Soil Condition on the Kabanyolo Experimental Field, Uganda

Soil biological activity is an integral characteristic reflecting the state of soil fertility, biodiversity, and the activity of soil processes carried out by soil organisms. In Africa, studies of soil biological properties are few compared to the agrochemical research. In this paper, we present an assessment of multiple biochemical and microbiological properties of soil from an agricultural field located in the African tropical savanna. We determined basal respiration, substrate-induced respiration, C of microbial biomass, the potential activity of denitrification, nitrogen fixation activity, and estimated prokaryotic components in the soil microbial complex by quantitative PCR. Basal respiration of soils ranged from 0.77 ± 0.04 to 1.90 ± 0.23 μg C-CO2·g−1·h−1, and substrate-induced respiration ranged from 3.31 ± 0.17 to 7.84 ± 1.04 μg C-CO2·g−1·h−1. The C reserves of microbial biomass averaged 403.7 ± 121.6 μg C·g−1 of soil. The N2O emission from the upper layer on average amounted to 2.79 ng N-N2O·g−1·day−1, and the potential denitrification activity reached 745 ± 98 ng N-N2O·g−1·h−1. The number of copies of bacterial genes varied from (0.19 ± 0.02) × 108 to (3.52 ± 0.8) × 108 copies·g−1, and of archaea—from (0.10 ± 0.01) × 107 to (0.29 ± 0.01) × 107 copies·g−1 of soil. These results were in good agreement with the studies in other seasonally wet tropical regions: the biological activity was relatively low. The difference between biological indicators of the experimental field and the reference profile were insignificant except for nitrogen loss, which was higher in the ploughed field. Biological indicators strongly varied in space; we explained their heterogeneity by non-uniform management practices in the course of agrochemical field experiments in the past. The use of organic fertilisers may cause the release of climatically active gases due to intensive microbial respiration and denitrification, but the intensity of emission would strongly depend on the cultivation and management method.

Comparing modified substrate-induced respiration with selective inhibition (SIRIN) and N₂O isotope approaches to estimate fungal contribution to denitrification in three arable soils under anoxic conditions

The coexistence of many N2O production pathways in soil hampers differentiation of microbial pathways. The question of whether fungi are significant contributors to soil emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) from denitrification has not yet been resolved. Here, three approaches to independently investigate the fungal fraction contributing to N2O from denitrification were used simultaneously for, as far as we know, the first time (modified substrate-induced respiration with selective inhibition (SIRIN) approach and two isotopic approaches, i.e. end-member mixing approach (IEM) using the 15N site preference of N2O produced (SPN2O) and the SP/δ18O mapping approach (SP/δ18O Map)). This enabled a comparison of methods and a quantification of the importance of fungal denitrification in soil. Three soils were incubated in four treatments of the SIRIN approach under anaerobic conditions to promote denitrification. While one treatment without microbial inhibition served as a control, the other three treatments were amended with inhibitors to selectively inhibit bacterial, fungal, or bacterial and fungal growth. These treatments were performed in three variants. In one variant, the 15N tracer technique was used to estimate the effect of N2O reduction on the N2O produced, while two other variants were performed under natural isotopic conditions with and without acetylene. All three approaches revealed a small contribution of fungal denitrification to N2O fluxes (fFD) under anaerobic conditions in the soils tested. Quantifying the fungal fraction with modified SIRIN was not successful due to large amounts of uninhibited N2O production. In only one soil could fFD be estimated using modified SIRIN, and this resulted in 28 ± 9 %, which was possibly an overestimation, since results obtained by IEM and SP/δ18O Map for this soil resulted in fFD of below 15 % and 20 %, respectively. As a consequence of the unsuccessful SIRIN approach, estimation of fungal SPN2O values was impossible. While all successful methods consistently suggested a small or missing fungal contribution, further studies with stimulated fungal N2O fluxes by adding fungal C substrates and an improved modified SIRIN approach, including alternative inhibitors, are needed to better cross-validate the methods.

Physiological activity of recultivated alluvial soils with different residual content of oil products

The respiratory activity parameters of various types of alluvial soils with different residual content of oil products were studied. The inhibitory effect of oil products on basal respiration in re-cultivated soils was not found. The substrate-induced respiration of most soils remained at the control level or decreased slightly. Soils differed significantly in the degree of resistance of their microbial pool to oil products. The microflora of alluvial soils is able to overcome the negative effects of high oil concentrations. In remediated soils, a strong effect of oil on the community of soil microorganisms was not found, while medium or low impact prevailed. Microbial communities of light alluvial soils showed more resistance to oil products. Restoration measures on alluvial meadow soils require more attention than remediation of alluvial bog and meadow soils.

Impact of Olive Saplings and Organic Amendments on Soil Microbial Communities and Effects of Mineral Fertilization

Plant communities and fertilization may have an impact on soil microbiome. Most commercial olive trees are minerally fertilized, while this practice is being replaced by the use of organic amendments. Organic amendments can both fertilize and promote plant growth-promoting organisms. Our aims were (i) to describe the changes in soil bacterial and fungal communities induced by the presence of young olive trees and their interaction with organic amendments and (ii) to compare the effects of mineral and organic fertilization. We set up two parallel experiments in pots using a previously homogenized soil collected from a commercial olive orchard: in the first one, we grew olive saplings in unamended and organically amended soils with two distinct composts and compared these two soils incubated without a plant, while in the second experiment, we comparatively tested the effects of organic and mineral fertilization. OTUs and the relative abundances of bacterial and fungal genera and phyla were analyzed by 16S rRNA and ITS1 gene amplicon using high-throughput sequencing. Basal respiration and substrate-induced respiration were measured by MicroRespTM. The effects of the different treatments were analyzed in all phyla and in the 100 most abundant genera. The presence of olive saplings increased substrate-induced respiration and bacterial and fungal richness and diversity. Organic amendments greatly affected both bacterial and fungal phyla and increased bacterial richness while not affecting fungal richness. Mineral fertilization increased the relative abundance of the less metabolically active bacterial phyla (Actinobacteria and Firmicutes), while it reduced the most metabolically active phylum, Bacteroidetes. Mineral fertilization increased the relative abundance of three N2-fixing Actinobacteria genera, while organic fertilization only increased one genus of Proteobacteria. In organically and minerally fertilized soils, high basal respiration rates were associated with low fungal diversity. Basidiomycota and Chytridiomycota relative abundances positively correlated with basal respiration and substrate-induced respiration, while Ascomycota correlated negatively. Indeed, the Ascomycota phyla comprised most of the fungal genera decreased by organic amendments. The symbiotrophic phylum Glomeromycota did not correlate with any of the C sources. The relative abundance of this phylum was promoted by the presence of plants but decreased when amending soils with composts.

Impact of land-use on soil structure and soil ecological properties in a long-term field experiment

<p>Land use is known to exert a dominant impact on a range of essential soil functions like water retention, carbon sequestration, matter cycling and plant growth. In addition, land use management is known to have a strong influence on soil structure, e.g. through tillage and compaction. While the difference in topsoil structure between grassland and agricultural soil is huge, differences among different farming or grassland management practices can be more subtle. At the same time, soil structure is known to be a suitable indicator for many soil functions. That is, differences in carbon content or plant-available field capacity between different land uses can often be explained by different structural properties.</p><p>This impact of land use on the relationship between soil structure and biological indicators for soil processes was explored in the Global Change Exploratory Facility, a well-established (>5 years) field experiment in Bad Lauchstädt, Germany, comprising five land use types (conventional farming, organic farming, intensive meadow, extensive meadow, extensive pasture). 15 intact topsoil cores were sampled from each land use type in spring 2020 and soil structure and microbial activity were measured using X-ray CT and respirometry, respectively. Microbial activity was estimated by basal respiration at field moisture and by substrate-induced respiration with glucose solution under wet conditions. The aims of this study were to (1) quantify the impact of land use on these structural and biological soil properties and (2) to assess in how far microbial activity can be predicted by the structural properties.</p><p>Surprisingly, image-derived macroporosity did not differ between farming and grassland plots mainly due to the huge variability among compacted and non-compacted samples in the farming plots. Other pore metrics like pore distance and pore connectivity followed the same trend, whereas mean pore size was larger in the grassland plots due to more large biopores. Basal respiration increased in the order farming < meadow < pasture, whereas the order was reversed for substrate-induced respiration. The predictability of basal respiration (R<sup>2</sup>=0.29) and substrate-induced respiration (R<sup>2</sup>=0.5) with explanatory variables based on pore metrics and bulk soil properties was rather low, with root mass and bulk density being the best predictors.</p>

The influence of different cover crop residues quantities on soil structural stability

<p>Cover crops are widely known for their capacity to improve the soil biological properties and soil structural stability. Nevertheless, the cover crop residues quantity necessary to improve these soil properties is not yet really known. A 30-day incubation experiment was conducted to explore the effect of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) residues (ORR) as a cover crop on the soil aggregate stability of sandy loam soil. The fresh ORR was mixed with the soil at different rates starting from 1.0 to 6.0 g C kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil. The experiment consisted of five treatments: bulk soil (I), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 1 g C kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil (II), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 2 g C kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil (III), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 4 g C kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil (IV), soil mixed with ORR at a rate of 6 g C kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil (V). During 30 days of incubation the soil moisture, soil water stable aggregates, and microbial substrate induced respiration rates were measured. The aggregate stability significantly increased after 30 days only in the treatment with 1 g C kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil. In turn, the ORR applied at a rate of 6 g C kg<sup>-1</sup> of soil significantly decreased the soil aggregate stability. The higher the ORR addition rate the lower was the soil basal respiration and substrate induced respiration. The general conclusion was that the higher quantity of ORR increased the soil moisture which subsequently created unfavorable conditions for the soil microbial activity and led to soil aggregate stability degradation. However, this conclusion must be validated in a field study where the soil moisture and temperature conditions are much more variable compared to our incubation experiment.</p>

Modified Humic Substances as Soil Conditioners: Laboratory and Field Trials

The paper is devoted to the development and performance testing of a soil conditioner based on leonardite humic substances (LHS) modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The modified HS were obtained by adding APTES to LHS solution at different mass ratios of LHS and APTES, followed by the investigation of siloxane structures using 31Si NMR spectroscopy. The Urbic Technosol was used as a model soil. The size and amount of water-stable soil aggregates were estimated using wet sieving and laser diffraction, respectively. Toxicity was evaluated by monitoring microbial substrate-induced respiration (SIR) and seedling bioassay. Laboratory column experiments demonstrated an increase in water-stability of the 3–5 mm soil aggregates after LHS-APTES application. Field tests showed an increase in the average weighted diameter of micro aggregates (from 59 to 73 μm) and water-stable macroaggregates (from 1.6 to 2.9 mm) due to the LHS-APTES amendment. A substantial increase in SIR from 5 to 9 mg CO2 (kg h)−1 was detected. Better survival of seedlings was observed. The obtained beneficial results indicate that APTES-modified HS can be successfully used as a soil conditioner. The formation of extended siloxane networks was suggested as the main mechanism of the observed improvement in the structure of the amended soils.

Humic Acid Mitigates the Negative Effects of High Rates of Biochar Application on Microbial Activity

Objective: Biochar and a commercial humic acid-rich product, Humac (modified leonardite), represent soil amendments with the broad and beneficial effects on various soil properties. Their combination has been scarcely tested so far, although the positive impact of their interaction might be desirable. Materials and Methods: The dehydrogenase activity (DHA), microbial biomass carbon (Cmic), soil respiration (basal and substrate-induced), enzyme activities, total carbon (Ctot), and both shoot and root biomass yield were measured and compared in the short-term pot experiment with the lettuce seedlings. The following treatments were tested: the unamended soil (control), the Humac-amended soil (0.8 g·kg−1), the biochar-amended soil (low biochar 32 g·kg−1, high biochar 80 g·kg−1), and the soil-amended with biochar + Humac. Results: The effect of both amendments on the soil pH was insignificant. The highest average values of Ctot and Cmic were detected in high biochar treatment and the highest average values of basal and substrate-induced respiration (glucose, glucosamine, alanine) were detected in the low biochar treatment. The phosphatase activity and fresh and dry lettuce aboveground biomass were the highest in the low biochar + Humac treatment. Conclusions: Even though the combination of both biochar + Humac decreased the microbial activities in the amended soil (Cmic, DHA, enzymes, substrate-induced respiration) at the low biochar dose, they mitigated the detrimental effect of the high biochar dose on respiration (all the types) and the enzyme (phosphatase, arylsulphatase) activities. In contrast to the previously published research in this issue, the effects could not be attributed to the change of the soil pH.