Assessment of soil quality using soil organic carbon and total nitrogen and microbial properties in tropical agroecosystems (original) (raw)
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Composite soil samples were collected from the rhizospheres of Gmelina arborea, Elaeis guineensis and Hevea brasiliensis plantations as well as the Rain Forest of over 20 years of age in Akampa L.G.A. at depths of 0-15 cm (surface soil) and 15-30 cm (sub surface soil), to examine the effects of land use and management practices on some physical, chemical and microbial properties of the soils. The soils were mainly sandy loam, strongly acid in reaction and generally low in available P, exchangeable Ca 2+ , K + and Na + , but moderate in Mg 2+ except for the surface soil in Elaeis guineensis plantation which was however, high in organic C (4.29 %), total N (0.37 %) and Mg (3.9 cmol kg-1). The soils regardless of the land use patterns were high in exchangeable acidity with Elaeis guineensis having the least values. Diverse species of microorganisms were isolated across the different plantations and rain forest, however, Elaeis guineensis recorded the highest microbial count. Land use altered the microbial population and also had an effect on the species composition of soil microbial communities. Bacillus spp, Pseudomonas spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp and Mucor spp as well as Aspergillus niger were however, common across the study sites while other organisms were location specific suggesting vegetation and land use meddling. The effects of land use pattern were noted in the chemical and microbial alteration observed mostly in the top of rhizosphere soils. It is pertinent that good management practices such as liming, mulching as well as cover cropping be carried out to increase and maintain the fertility of the soils.
2020
Deforestation and degradation greatly affect the population of soil microbes and reduces the quality of the soil. This study was carried out to assess the physiochemical and microbial properties of soil of a disturbed forest in Ondo state, Nigeria. Data collection took place in Osse River Park. Two parallel line transects of 200 m apart were laid and two equal sample plots (50 m × 50 m) were laid in alternate direction of each transect. The sample plots laid in the disturbed forest was used for soil collection. Soil samples were collected at three depths (0-15 cm, 15-30 cm and 30-45 cm) along the diagonal for each of the sample plot with the aid of soil auger. The standard procedure for determining the total number of soil microbes was adopted for bacteria and fungi culturing. The results obtained in this study revealed that sand content, organic matter, organic carbon, calcium, phosphorous and nitrogen reduces significantly as the depth increases. Mean values for sand ranged from 66.6-77.1 and the silt content ranged from 5.94 to 8.2. Clay, silt and magnesium were higher in depth 30-45 cm than any other depths. At different depth, significant difference was observed in the organic matter. Soil pH, magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium were not significantly different within the soil depths. Irrespective of the depth, soil pH ranged from 5.69-6.66 which shows that the soil is slightly acidic. A total number of eight fungi and nine bacteria were isolated in the study area. Negative and positive correlations were found in the soil properties when the level of relationship was tested. This study concluded that deforestation affects soil quality and microbial diversity. Degraded forests should be protected and should be allowed to recuperate and the remaining forests should be protected from further anthropogenic activities.
Soil Quality Assessment of Different Land Use in Kabba Southern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria
International Journal of Plant & Soil Science, 2019
The study assessed the soil qualities of five land use types; Oil palm plantation, Nursery site, Forest (Teak), Citrus orchard and Arable Crop land in Kabba College of Agriculture using selected biological indicators which include, Organic Carbon (OC), Total Nitrogen (TN), Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC) and Microbial Biomass Nitrogen (MBN). An area of 40 m x 30 m that is representative of each land use was selected, sampled and analyzed following standard procedures for laboratory analysis. The highest values of OC (18.41 g/kg) and TN (7.95 g/kg) were obtained at the nursery site followed by Oil Palm (OC - 14.12 g/kg; TN - 6.56 g/kg), the lowest values were obtained at the Arable Crops site (OC - 10.53 g/kg; TN - 5.20 g/kg). The MBC values ranged from 307 – 498 mg/kg across the land use studied. The MBN values obtained in this study ranged between 16.93 - 34.41 mg/kg. The MBC/MBN ratios obtained in this study were relatively high and in the following order Forest land (26.5 mg/kg) &...
African Journal of Plant Science, 2011
In this study, soil samples were collected from 0 to 15 cm and 15 to 45 cm of secondary forest, mixed plantation, natural fallow and sole plantation. Soil samples were chemically analyzed using standard methods for organic matter, nitrate-nitrogen, pH, bulk density and available phosphorus. The results were statistically analyzed and index of deterioration was also calculated for the soil properties. Mixed plantation appeared to resemble the secondary forest in soil properties except available phosphorus. There is significant degradation of available phosphorus in mixed plantation which was probably due to the high uptake of nutrients for production of pods, nuts and beans of cocoa and kola trees that coexists to form the mixed plantation. The results suggested that establishment of sole plantation was not a viable ecological approach to soil management and conservation but mixture of trees proved advantageous to soil. Natural fallow in the absence of incessant bush fire also appear...
The impact of six different land use systems on soil properties were examined in a tropical region. Three systems based on natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), teak (Tectona grandis), cassava (Manihot esculenta) and nearby natural forest located between 76o 52' and 77o E longitude and 9o 25' to 9o 30' N latitude, in Kerala, India were investigated. Representative soil samples were collected and analyzed for organic carbon (OC), water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), hot water extractable carbon (HWEC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POSC), available nutrients (K, Ca, Mg, P, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn) and pH. In situ field soil respiration measurements were also taken from representative sites in the different systems. Carbon management indices (CMI) were worked out in terms of OC, WSOC, HWEC and POSC of different systems with respect to forest system. Soil organic matter quantity and quality were found to be declining in all cultivated systems compared to forest. Nitrogen and available cations such as K, Ca and Mg also had declined in cultivated systems. Microbial activity indicated by soil respiration rate also had declined in all the land use systems compared to forest. The declining trends in soil properties were more in the regularly tilled cassava soil where the crop residue inputs were also negligible. The rubber-Mucuna system had conserved more organic matter, quantity wise while teak system had conserved more organic matter, quality wise. The teak system had higher soil respiration rate than all other cultivated systems. The forest and teak systems where multi-species flora existed had less soil acidity than rubber based land use systems. In rubber based systems, av.Cu status was found to be higher, probably due to the regularly applied Cu based fungicides. Soil respiration rate was found to be having significant and positive correlation
Assessment οf Soil Quality Under Different Agricultural Systems
journal of chemistry and chemical engineering, 2017
The paper presents the results of researches conducted in two types of experimental fields organized in ecological, conservation versus conventional agricultural systems. An ecological agriculture field experiment was organized on a Chernozems in southeastern part of Romania, for assessing the effect of soil organic fertilization with compost made from three organic waste (marine algae, farmyard manure and residual sludge from waste water treatment), applied in doses of 25, 50, 75 and 100 t/ha. The soil quality assessed by the main agrochemical analyses of soil samples collected towards the end of the plants growing season have demonstrated very good conditions for plants nutrition, especially for those cultivated on the soil fertilized with compost, revealing a higher nutrient content than the unfertilized or conventional mineral fertilized control. In the other experimental field belonging to the Drăgănești Vlașca Research and Development Agricultural Station, in the conservative and the conventional agricultural systems, soil surveys sampled in two stages have been analyzed for physics and chemical parameters, but in this paper, are presented the results of microbiological analyses, the total heterotrophic bacteria number, the total microfungi number and the soil respiration. The state of the soil aggregates arrangement that usually is more favorable in the conservative system as compared to the conventional ones led to a relative improvement of air circulation and better conditions for the water accumulation into the soil under conservative system. The reduced surface traffic allowed so called "soil resting" that have been led to a natural rearrangement of the soil aggregates and a slight improvement of the air and water regimes. According to agrochemical parameters, respectively microbiological activity, in both agricultural systems, ecological and conservative, the soil presented favorable properties for growing and developing of cultivated plants, less equal or even more than in conventional agricultural system.
Assessment of Soil Quality Under Different Agricultural Systems
WSEAS transactions on business and economics, 2017
The paper presents the results of researches conducted in two types of experimental fields organized in ecological, conservation versus conventional agricultural systems. An ecological agriculture field experiment was organized on a Chernozems in southeastern part of Romania, for assessing the effect of soil organic fertilization with compost made from three organic waste (marine algae, farmyard manure and residual sludge from waste water treatment), applied in doses of 25, 50, 75 and 100 t/ha. The soil quality assessed by the main agrochemical analyses of soil samples collected towards the end of the plants growing season have demonstrated very good conditions for plants nutrition, especially for those cultivated on the soil fertilized with compost, revealing a higher nutrient content than the unfertilized or conventional mineral fertilized control. In the other experimental field belonging to the Drăgănești Vlașca Research and Development Agricultural Station, in the conservative and the conventional agricultural systems, soil surveys sampled in two stages have been analyzed for physics and chemical parameters, but in this paper, are presented the results of microbiological analyses, the total heterotrophic bacteria number, the total microfungi number and the soil respiration. The state of the soil aggregates arrangement that usually is more favorable in the conservative system as compared to the conventional ones led to a relative improvement of air circulation and better conditions for the water accumulation into the soil under conservative system. The reduced surface traffic allowed so called "soil resting" that have been led to a natural rearrangement of the soil aggregates and a slight improvement of the air and water regimes. According to agrochemical parameters, respectively microbiological activity, in both agricultural systems, ecological and conservative, the soil presented favorable properties for growing and developing of cultivated plants, less equal or even more than in conventional agricultural system.
Comparison of fungal and microbial biomass of three soils under different land use systems
Nepalese Journal of Agricultural Sciences , 2015
The study was undertaken to compare fungal and microbial biomass of three soils from different land use systems (i.e. garden, arable land and catch crop). Chloroform-fumigation extraction and adenosine 5"-triphophate (ATP) measurement were used to assess microbial biomass while determination of ergosterol concentration was done to assess living fungal biomass in the soils. Catch crop soil revealed to have considerably higher microbial activity and carbon turnover in the soil. The mean fungal biomass was significantly higher in the catch crop soil (1.68 μg g-1) than garden (1.19 μg g-1) and arable land (0.67 μg g-1). The considerable high ergosterol: microbial biomass C ratio in the catch crop soil suggest that fungal part of microbial biomass was high in this soil compared to the rest which did not differ appreciably. The garden soil had significantly higher mean microbial biomass C of 765 μg g-1 soil as compared to arable land (345 μg g-1) and catch crop (379 μg g-1) soils. The average ATP concentration in the garden (6.7 nmol g-1 dry soil) and catch crop (6.6 nmol g-1 dry soil) soils were considerably larger than that of arable land soil (3.8 nmol g-1 dry soil). The variation in fungal and microbial biomass in the soils may be due to differences in microbial species assemblage, plant species and environmental conditions.
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2018
Aim: The below ground biota in forest ecosystems determine and regulate the availability of nutrients in soil and is likely to indicate variation in population and metabolism with respect to the soil quality. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to study the physico-chemical characteristics, bacterial-fungal population and soil respiration in different land use zones of a sub tropical Indian forest. Methodology: Soil samples were collected from 0-20 cm depth using a core sampler (5 cm diameter) and from 12 sub plots and three regions for physicochemical and microbiological studies. For measurement of soil respiration 20 cm x 20 cm soil blocks were cut from the sub plots. Sampling was done three times in a month for two months in natural sal (Shorea robusta) forest, bamboo plantation and wet land of the Chandaka-Dampara wild life sanctuary, India in the dry season (March-April). The samples were carried to the laboratory for experimental purpose. Results: In the soil, the sand percentage varied from 81.4% (Wet land) to 89.2% (Sal forest), clay Original Research Article
This study evaluated the relationship between selected physicochemical properties and microbial populations of the soil of Bagale Forest Reserve, Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Five plots of 20 x 20 m were laid. Soil samples were collected from five different positions at two soil depths of 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm. The soil samples were isolated in the laboratory for microbial populations and determination of physical and chemical properties. The results obtained revealed that fungal population (7.65 x 105 cfu/ml) was the highest at the soil depth of 0-15 cm, representing 39% of the total microbial populations in the sampled soil of the study area. The results further revealed that the population (6.84 x 105 cfu/ml) of the bacteria had a positive effect on soils of the study area in terms of nitrogen fixation by Rhizobacterial spp. Chemical properties of the soil samples revealed that the available phosphorus exhibited the highest percentage (61.7%)