scholarly journals Co-evolution hints at soil microbial biomass as the entity of soil fertility

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Oda ◽  
Yasukazu Hosen ◽  
Uchada Sukchan
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Wide Range

Nitrogen (N) and Carbon (C) are popular indicators of soil fertility; however, they are not soil fertility itself. In fact, they may be seen as just two aspects of the one entity. Soil microbial biomass (SMB) is also one of soil fertility indicators; furthermore, recent study of co-evolution between plants and microorganisms raises an idea that SMB might be the entity of fertility. The correlation between SMB and crop yield has been found in some studies but not in others. Those studies were conducted from the standpoint of N stock balance; therefore, the correlation between soil properties before planting and plant yields were analyzed. Here, we show—in our analysis of harvest-time soil properties and crop yields—that SMB correlates more strongly than inorganic N, total N, or total C with average crop yield under a wide range of cultivation conditions. From the viewpoint of co-evolution, plant biomass is a part of the plant and soil microorganism system; therefore, increasing SMB will balance by increasing plant biomass. In addition, the SMB could increase independently from the plant growth by artificial organic matter input. This concept will break through the yield limitation of conventional farming.

scholarly journals Co-evolution hints at soil microbial biomass as the entity of soil fertility

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Oda ◽  
Yasukazu Hosen ◽  
Uchada Sukchan
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Wide Range

Nitrogen (N) and Carbon (C) are popular indicators of soil fertility; however, they are not soil fertility itself. In fact, they may be seen as just two aspects of the one entity. Soil microbial biomass (SMB) is also one of soil fertility indicators; furthermore, recent study of co-evolution between plants and microorganisms raises an idea that SMB might be the entity of fertility. The correlation between SMB and crop yield has been found in some studies but not in others. Those studies were conducted from the standpoint of N stock balance; therefore, the correlation between soil properties before planting and plant yields were analyzed. Here, we show—in our analysis of harvest-time soil properties and crop yields—that SMB correlates more strongly than inorganic N, total N, or total C with average crop yield under a wide range of cultivation conditions. From the viewpoint of co-evolution, plant biomass is a part of the plant and soil microorganism system; therefore, increasing SMB will balance by increasing plant biomass. In addition, the SMB could increase independently from the plant growth by artificial organic matter input. This concept will break through the yield limitation of conventional farming.

scholarly journals Co-evolution hints at soil microbial biomass as the entity of soil fertility

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Oda ◽  
Yasukazu Hosen ◽  
Uchada Sukchan
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Wide Range

Nitrogen (N) and Carbon (C) are popular indicators of soil fertility; however, they are not soil fertility itself. In fact, they may be seen as just two aspects of the one entity. Soil microbial biomass (SMB) is also one of soil fertility indicators; furthermore, recent study of co-evolution between plants and microorganisms raises an idea that SMB might be the entity of fertility. The correlation between SMB and crop yield has been found in some studies but not in others. Those studies were conducted from the standpoint of N stock balance; therefore, the correlation between soil properties before planting and plant yields were analyzed. Here, we show—in our analysis of harvest-time soil properties and crop yields—that SMB correlates more strongly than inorganic N, total N, or total C with average crop yield under a wide range of cultivation conditions. From the viewpoint of co-evolution, plant biomass is a part of the plant and soil microorganism system; therefore, increasing SMB will balance by increasing plant biomass. In addition, the SMB could increase independently from the plant growth by artificial organic matter input. This concept will break through the yield limitation of conventional farming.

Management of sugarcane harvest residues: consequences for soil carbon and nitrogen

Soil Research ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona A. Robertson ◽  
Peter J. Thorburn
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Soil Organic C ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
C And N

The Australian sugar industry is moving away from the practice of burning the crop before harvest to a system of green cane trash blanketing (GCTB). Since the residues that would have been lost in the fire are returned to the soil, nutrients and organic matter may be accumulating under trash blanketing. There is a need to know if this is the case, to better manage fertiliser inputs and maintain soil fertility. The objective of this work was to determine whether conversion from a burning to a GCTB trash management system is likely to affect soil fertility in terms of C and N. Indicators of short- and long-term soil C and N cycling were measured in 5 field experiments in contrasting climatic conditions. The effects of GCTB varied among experiments. Experiments that had been running for 1–2 years (Harwood) showed no significant trash management effects. In experiments that had been running for 3–6 years (Mackay and Tully), soil organic C and total N were up to 21% greater under trash blanketing than under burning, to 0.10 or 0.25 m depth (most of this effect being in the top 50 mm). Soil microbial activity (CO2 production) and soil microbial biomass also increased under GCTB, presumably as a consequence of the improved C availability. Most of the trash C was respired by the microbial biomass and lost from the system as CO2. The stimulation of microbial activity in these relatively short-term GCTB systems was not accompanied by increased net mineralisation of soil N, probably because of the greatly increased net immobilisation of N. It was calculated that, with standard fertiliser applications, the entire trash blanket could be decomposed without compromising the supply of N to the crop. Calculations of possible long-term effects of converting from a burnt to a GCTB production system suggested that, at the sites studied, soil organic C could increase by 8–15%, total soil N could increase by 9–24%, and inorganic soil N could increase by 37 kg/ha.year, and that it would take 20–30 years for the soils to approach this new equilibrium. The results suggest that fertiliser N application should not be reduced in the first 6 years after adoption of GCTB, but small reductions may be possible in the longer term (>15 years).

scholarly journals Plant Biomass and Soil Nutrients Mainly Explain the Variation of Soil Microbial Communities during Secondary Succession on the Loess Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao-Ping Xu ◽  
Jia-Yi Wang ◽  
Xin-Hui Han ◽  
Cheng-Jie Ren ◽  
Gai-He Yang
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Plant Characteristics ◽  
Soil Bacterial

Abstract Soil microorganisms play an important role in the circulation of materials and nutrients between plants and soil ecosystems, but the drivers of microbial community composition and diversity remain uncertain in different vegetation restoration patterns. We studied soil physicochemical properties (i.e., soil moisture, bulk density, pH, soil nutrients, available nutrients), plant characteristics (i.e., Shannon index [HPlant] and Richness index [SPlant], litter biomass [LB], and fine root biomass [FRB]), and microbial variables (biomass, enzyme activity, diversity and composition of bacterial and fungal communities) in different plant succession patterns (Robinia pseudoacacia [MF], Caragana korshinskii [SF] and grassland [GL]) on the Loess Plateau. The herb communities, soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities were strongly affected by vegetation restoration. And soil bacterial and fungal communities were significantly different from each other at the sites. Furthermore, LB and FRB were significantly positively correlated with SBacteria, soil microbial biomass, enzyme activities, Proteobacteria, Zygomycota and Cercozoa, while negatively correlated with Actinobacteria and Basidiomycota. In addition, soil water content (SW), pH and nutrients have important effects on the bacterial and fungal diversities, Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae, Zygomycota and microbial biomass. Furthermore, plant characteristics and soil properties modulated the composition and diversity of soil microorganisms, respectively. Overall, the relative contribution of vegetation and soil to the diversity and composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities illustrated that plant characteristics and soil properties may synergistically modulate soil microbial communities. And soil bacterial and fungal communities mainly depend on plant biomass and soil nutrients.

scholarly journals Restoration in soil and plant properties in landslide damaged forest ecosystem

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 40-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tej Narayan Mandal
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Microbial Biomass C ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Shorea Robusta ◽  
Sal Forest ◽  
Successional Stages ◽  
Biomass Plant

The pattern of natural restoration in soil and plant components was studied in five landslide-damaged (1-58-year-old) sites in the tropical moist sal (Shorea robusta) forest ecosystem of Nepal Himalaya .Rate of restoration in soil properties was faster in the early successional stages (1-15 year) than late stages while plant biomass recovered rapidly after 15-year age. Based on the recovery in ecosystem properties; the 58- year-old landslide damaged site demonstrated the re-establishment of an ecosystem showing closer affinity with the mature sal forest. On the basis of best fit power function models it was concluded that the estimated times for the 58-year old site to reach the level of undisturbed matured sal forest would be about 30-35 years for microbial biomass (C and N) and plant biomass and about 100-150 year for soil organic Carbon and total N. Higher accumulation of soil microbial biomass, plant biomass and high N-mineralization rate at late successional stages indicated the re-establishment of an ecosystem with enriched soil and restitution of nutrient cycling during the course of ecosystem restoration DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njbs.v2i0.7488 Nepalese Journal of Biosciences 2 : 40-45 (2012)

scholarly journals Crop production under nitrogen starvation conditions: relationships with applied organic matter and soil microbial biomass

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Masato Oda ◽  
Uchada Sukchan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Nitrogen Source ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Nitrogen Starvation ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Starvation Conditions ◽  
Nitrogen Flows

Background: The application of organic matter with a high C/N ratio is effective for the prevention of soil degradation, although this can cause nitrogen starvation. However, some fields are highly productive under nitrogen-starvation conditions. The underlying mechanisms for this are unclear but the correlation between soil microbial biomass (SMB) and crop yield suggests that nitrogen flows from SMB to crops. We aimed to clarify this flow and the source of nitrogen. Methods: We achieved nitrogen starvation conditions by applying waste mushroom bed and repeated lettuce cropping with different crop management practices, such as watering and fertilizer application. We analyzed correlations among crop yield, SMB, and total soil nitrogen. Results: The order of the lettuce yield stably corresponded with the management practice used. The SMB increased remarkably by the time of the second lettuce cropping and showed a strong correlation with crop yield. The nitrogen from the waste mushroom bed was lost by denitrification within the crop season. The rate of decomposition showed no correlation with yield or SMB. Discussions: The crop yield corresponded with the management practice earlier than SMB. Namely, no nitrogen flow from SMB to crop. Furthermore, most applied nitrogen was denitrified and the rate of decomposition (amount of released nitrogen) not affected yield or SMB, so the nitrogen flows of applied organic matter, SMB, and crops are independent. Therefore, the nitrogen source of both SMB and crops is biological fixation. Conclusions: The correlation between SMB and crop yield is not a causal relationship. The nitrogen source for both is biological nitrogen fixation. The application of organic matter enhances this by occurring nitrogen starvation but not providing a nitrogen source.

scholarly journals Nitrogen Mineralization, Soil Microbial Biomass and Extracellular Enzyme Activities Regulated by Long-Term N Fertilizer Inputs: A Comparison Study from Upland and Paddy Soils in a Red Soil Region of China

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2057
Author(s):  
Sehrish Ali ◽  
Kailou Liu ◽  
Waqas Ahmed ◽  
Huang Jing ◽  
Muhammad Qaswar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Paddy Soil ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Soil Microbial Biomass ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
N Addition ◽  
Upland Soil ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial

A long-term experiment (38 years) was conducted to elucidate the effects of long-term N addition on the net N mineralization in both paddy and upland soils, based on their initial soil N status, with and in connection with soil microbial biomass and N cycling extracellular enzyme activities. Two treatments without N addition CK (No fertilizer) and K (inorganic potassium fertilizer) and two treatments with N addition N (inorganic nitrogen fertilizer) and NK (inorganic nitrogen and potassium fertilizer) were placed in incubation for 90 days. Results showed that the total N and soil organic carbon (SOC) contents were higher in the treatments with N application compared to the treatments without N in both paddy and upland soils. The SOC content of paddy soil was increased relative to upland soil by 56.2%, 45.7%, 61.1% and 62.2% without N (CK, K) and with N (N and NK) treatments, respectively. Site-wise, total N concentration in paddy soil was higher by 0.06, 0.10, 0.57 and 0.60 times under the CK, K, N and NK treatments, respectively, compared with upland soil. In paddy soil, soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) was higher by 39.6%, 2.77%, 29.5% and 31.4%, and microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) was higher by 11.8%, 11.9%, 10.1% and 12.3%, respectively, in CK, K, N and NK treatment, compared with upland soil. Overall, compared to upland soil, the activities of leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP) were increased by 31%, 18%, 20% and 11%, and those of N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were increased by 70%, 21%, 13% and 18% by CK, K, N and NK treatments, respectively, in paddy soil. A significantly linear increase was found in the NO3−-N and NH4+-N concentrations during the 90 days of the incubation period in both soils. NK treatment showed the highest N mineralization potential (No) along with mineralization rate constant, k (NMR) at the end of the incubation. SMBC, SMBN, enzyme activities, NO3−-N and NH4+-N concentrations and the No showed a highly significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive correlation. We concluded that long-term N addition accelerated the net mineralization by increasing soil microbial activities under both soils.

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