Microbial biomass and enzyme activity in vineyard soils under organic and conventional farming systems (original) (raw)
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Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences
Many recent studies from around the world have compared organic and conventional farming systems in terms of soil properties. Microbial biomass and enzyme activity were compared in vineyard soils managed by organic and conventional practices under Mediterranean conditions during the growing. Organic treatments were (i) green manure and farmyard manure at the rate of 30 t ha −1 (GM1), (ii) green manure and farmyard manure at the rate of 10 t ha −1 , plus E2001 EM Bio-polymer gel solution (GM2), and (iii) green manure plus E2001 EM Bio-polymer gel solution (GM3). Only mineral fertilizers and pesticides were used in the conventional system (CONV). Soil organic C and soil microbial biomass C (SMBC), and protease, urease, alkaline phosphatase, and dehydrogenase activity were significantly higher in the organic system than in the conventional system. The ratio of microbial biomass C to total organic C content (C mic /C org) was also higher in the organic plots. Total organic C content increased in the organic system by 13%-23% in comparison to the conventional system. Application of GM1 and GM2 resulted in greater microbial biomass and activity, as compared to the other management systems. SMBC was significantly correlated with dehydrogenase, protease, urease, and alkaline phosphatase. These results indicate that organic management positively affected biochemical properties, thus improving soil quality and productivity.
Biology and Fertility of Soils, 2007
Eight vineyards in Pfaffenheim (P) and Turckheim (T) close to Colmar, France, forming four pairs of organic and conventional vineyards, were analyzed for microbial biomass and activity indices in relation to important soil chemical properties (carbon, nutrient elements, heavy metals) and also to differences between the bottom and top positions on the vineyard slope. The question was whether the vineyard management affects especially the soil microbiological indices. Three locations were on limestone (P-I, P-II, T-II), one on granite (T-I). The gravel content (>2 mm) ranged from 9 to 47%. The management systems had no significant main effect on the contents of organic C, total N, P, and S. The mean total contents of man-derived heavy metals decreased in the order Cu (164 μg g −1 soil) > Zn (100 μg g −1 soil) > Pb (32 μg g −1 soil). The contents of microbial biomass C varied between 320 and 1,000 μg g −1 soil. The significantly highest content was found at location P-II, the significantly lowest at the moderately acidic location T-I. The contents of microbial biomass N and adenosine triphosphate showed a similar trend. At location T-I, the fungal ergosterol-tomicrobial biomass C ratio and the metabolic quotient qCO 2 were significantly highest, whereas the percentage of soil organic C present as microbial biomass C was lowest. Highest percentages of soil organic C present as microbial biomass C and lowest qCO 2 values were found in the organic in comparison with the conventional vineyards. None of the soil microbiological indices was significantly affected by the position on the slope, but all were significantly affected by the management system. This was mainly due to the highest index levels in the organic vineyard location P-II with the longest history in organic management.
Biochemical properties of a Mediterranean soil as affected by long-term crop management systems
2002
Soil biochemical properties under long-term crop management systems may be useful indicators of soil quality. We measured seven enzyme activities and six calculated biological indices at four adjacent study sites on an andosol in a semiarid area of eastern Sicily. Soils were sampled under natural grassland (NG), orange-grove (OG), winter wheat (WW) and horticultural crop (HC) managed according to local agricultural usage. The enzymes investigated were dehydrogenase, catalase, protease, alkaline phosphatase, b-glucosidase and amylase. The calculated biological indices were hydrolyzing coef®cient, enzyme activity number, biological index of fertility, metabolic potential, lability index and C management index. Tilled management systems (WW and HC) were lower in total organic C and N and in all the enzyme activities and biological indices than in untilled management systems (NG and OG). Catalase activity and hydrolyzing coef®cient were the most suitable soil biochemical properties for differentiating between the effects of different crop management systems, because of their analytical simplicity and rapidity.
International Journal of Chemical Studies, 2017
The microbial and enzyme activities of the soil are closely related to the organic matter content and influenced by hydrothermal regimes of the soil. Keeping this in view, the effect of organic matter was studied on dehydrogenase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity and microbial population like bacteria, fungi and actinimycetes was evaluated from four year old cultivation under different land use systems i.e., mango, cashew, vegetable, rose and medicinal and aromatic crops at different depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-50. 50-100 cm). From this study it was observed that, the mango and cashew showed significantly higher enzymes activity and microbial population at the surface soil (0-15 cm) as compared to annual crops.
Biological Agriculture & Horticulture, 2015
Soil chemical and microbial parameters are commonly used as soil quality indicators to evaluate sustainable land management in agroecosystems. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of organic and conventional management strategies on biological, chemical and yield parameters in vineyards (Vitis vinifera cv. Sultani seedless). Organic plots received a mixture of barley, vetch and broad bean (25 þ 35 þ 75 kg seed ha 21) as green manure, and farmyard manure (15 t ha 21) every year. Inorganic fertilizers (NPK) and pesticides were used in the conventional managed vineyards. Conventional and mulch tillage methods were used in conventional and organic plots, respectively. Microbiological and chemical soil properties were determined in the soil samples which were taken four times in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. In addition, the yield and some quality parameters of vineyards were also determined. Soil microbial biomass, and dehydrogenase, b-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase activity were significantly higher in organic management than in conventional management. Higher C mic /C org and lower qCO 2 values were found with the organic management. The response of the chemical indicators (C org , N t and available nutrient content) of the soils to different management systems appeared after a longer time than with the biological indicators. In the transition zone between continental and Mediterranean climates of West Turkey, soil quality of organically managed vineyards improved after 2 years of the transition period prescribed for organic certification. However, soil quality improvements in organic plots did not result in higher yield.
Biology and Fertility of Soils, 2009
The effects of municipal food waste compost addition and mineral fertilization on selected soil microbiological activities were investigated during 3 years of reiterated treatments on two Mediterranean agricultural soils with different organic carbon content. Compost at 15, 30 and 45 t ha −1 (dry matter), mineral (NPK) fertilizers and combined fertilizers with 15 t ha −1 of compost plus two reduced doses of mineral N were applied to both soils. At both sites, organic amendment increased soil respiration, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, phosphatase and arylsulphatase activities. The differences in soil microbial activities among treatments, found after 3 years of repeated treatments, were attributable to the variations of soil organic C content and to the impact of soil tillage. Our results show that, in Mediterranean intensively cultivated agroecosystems, annual organic amendments improve the microbial activity of soil and produce cumulative effects, suggesting the usefulness of repeated high-rate compost applications.
Journal of Tropical Soils, 2019
Soil properties such as physical, chemical, biological, microbiological and biochemical aspects affect on soil quality. Soil microbiological activities directly affect stability of ecosystems and soil fertility. The research aimed to determine soil microbial activities through soil enzyme activities and their relationship to total soil bacteria, soil microbial biomass, and soil chemical characteristics. The research was conducted at Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Indonesian Soil Research Institute, Bogor from July 2015 to January 2016. Soil samples 0-10 cm depth were taken from organic and conventional farming of some commodities (tomato, carrot, maize, broccoli) from Bogor Regency, while those of rice were taken from Tasikmalaya Regency. Soil dehydrogenase, urease and cellulase activities were determined using some modified methods. The results showed that soil dehydrogenase and cellulase activities in organic farming were higher than those in conventional farming, whereas the soil urease activity in organic farming was lower than that in conventional farming. The total soil bacteria and soil microbial biomass were significantly and positively correlated with soil dehydrogenase, urease, and cellulose activities. Soil dehydrogenase, urease, and cellulose activities were very significantly and positively correlated with all soil characteristics tested, i.e. soil organic C, total N, potential P and K, available P and K, CEC, and pH, except that soil urease activity was very significantly and negatively correlated with soil pH. The results of this research indicated that organic farming is recommended for maintaining soil fertility and plant productivity; however, small use of urea fertilizer is still needed in the farming.
Enzymatic Activity of Loess Soil in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems
Agriculture, 2020
This study was conducted over the period 2017-2019 in Czesławice (central Lublin region, Poland). The aim of the present study was to compare chemical soil quality parameters (soil pH, available P and K, organic carbon, and total nitrogen content) and soil enzymatic activity (dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, urease, protease) in organic and conventional farming systems. The experimental design included two crop rotations (organic and conventional) in which identical plant species were grown: sugar beet-spring barley-red clover-winter wheat-oats. The loess soil on which the experiment was conducted was characterized by the grain size distribution of silt loam, and this soil was categorized as good wheat soil complex (soil class II). The experiment was set up as a split-plot design in triplicate in plots with an area of 40 m 2. Soil sampling was carried out using a soil auger within an area of 0.20 m 2 (from the 0 to 20 cm layer) in each plot during the autumn period. Over the 3-year study period, it was found that the organic system contributed to an increased soil content of organic carbon and total nitrogen. Moreover, a significantly higher soil pH value and a favorable narrow C/N ratio were found under the organic system (regardless of the crop species). Under the conventional system, in turn, a higher soil phosphorus and potassium content was observed. Enzymatic tests of the soil in the five-field crop rotation proved significantly higher activity of all the enzymes studied (in particular that of dehydrogenase, protease, and urease) in the organic system relative to the conventional one, regardless of the crop plant. Among the plants grown in crop rotation, sugar beet, and red clover had the most beneficial effect on the activity of the soil enzymes, followed by oats (especially under the organic system). The activity of the studied enzymes in the organic system was positively correlated (statistically significantly) with favorable soil pH, a higher content of organic C, and total N, and C/N ratio.