Effects of Carbon and Nitrogen Additions on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Enzyme Activities Under Rice Straw Returning

The effects of different amounts of carbon and nitrogen sources on the soil microbial biomass carbon,dissolved organic carbon and related enzyme activities were studied by the simulation experiment of rice straw returning to the field,and the mechanism of the decomposition of rice straw returning to the field was discussed.Completely randomized experiment of the two factors of the three levels was designed,and a total of nine treatments of indoor soil incubation tests were conducted.Full amount of rice straw was applied to the soil in this simulation experiment and different amounts of brown sugar and urea were added in the three levels of 0(no carbon source and nitrogen source),1(low levels of carbon and nitrogen sources)and 2(high levels of carbon and nitrogen sources),respectively.The results showed that the addition of different amounts of carbon and nitrogen sources to the rice straw could increase the soil carbon content.Compared with T0N0,the microbial biomass carbon of T2N2 was increased significantly by 170.48%;the dissolved organic carbon content of T1N2 was significantly increased by 58.14%and the free humic acid carbon contents of T0N2,T1N1 and T2N0 were significantly increased by 56.16%and 45.55%and 47.80%,respectively;however,there were no significant differences among those of treatments at later incubation periods.The addition of different carbon and nitrogen sources could promote the soil enzyme activities.During the incubation period,all of the soil enzyme activities of adding sugar and urea were higher than those of T0N0 treatment.Therefore,the addition of different amounts of carbon and nitrogen sources to rice straw returning could improve soil microbial biomass carbon content,dissolved organic carbon and soil enzyme activities.

Influence of Salt Content on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon

Soil salinization has become a global issue. Saline and alkaline arable land was taken as research object in this paper and four salt gradients were set(S1: 0.1%; S2:0. 5%; S3:0.9%; S4:1.3%). Through the addition of different substrates( CK: no addition of substrate; N: addition of nitrogen source; C: addition of glucose,C + N: addition of glucose and nitrogen source) to soil,it analyzed the influence of salt content on the soil microbial biomass carbon( SMBC) for the purpose of surveying the response mechanism of soil carbon turnover to salt stress. Results indicated that after addition of different substrates,the SMBC in high salt content(S3 and S4) is obviously lower than that in low salt content( S1 and S2). The decline rate of S3 and S4 is 5. 4% and 14. 2% for no addition of substrate; the decline rate is 9.0% and 24.0% for addition of nitrogen source; the decline rate is 11.5% and 28.0% for addition of carbon source; the decline rate is 19.5% and 39.5% for addition of carbon source + nitrogen source. Compared with no addition of substrates,addition of nitrogen source could not increase the SMBC. Addition of carbon source and carbon + nitrogen can significantly increase the SMBC,and the increase in low salt content soil( 80.0%- 81.0% and 58.0%- 59.0%) is obviously higher than high salt content soil( 52.0%- 69.0%and 34.0%- 50.0%). Generally,when the soil salt content is low( 0.5%),the influence of different substrate treatment is little on the SMBC,and increasing the soil salt content can obviously reduce the SMBC.

Effects of Different Land Cover Types on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Nitrogen in the Lower Reaches of Niyang River

[Objectives]To comprehensively and deeply explore the effects of different land cover types in the lower reaches of Niyang River on soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen,and to provide a scientific basis for the rational use and sustainable management of land resources in this area.[Methods]Taking the 3 types of land cover(cultivated land,grass land and forest land)in the lower reaches of Niyang River in Tibet as the research object,the contents,distribution characteristics and relationships of soil organic carbon,organic nitrogen,microbial biomass carbon,microbial biomass nitrogen and readily oxidizable organic carbon,and their relationships were studied in 0-10,10-20,20-40,40-60,and 60-100 cm soil depth.[Results]The soil organic carbon content of forest land was higher than that of grass land and cultivated land;the vertical change trend of soil organic carbon content decreased with the increase of depth(P<0.05),and it was mainly concentrated in the soil with a depth of 0-20 cm.The soil organic carbon content was significantly different among forest land,grass land and cultivated land(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between cultivated land and grass land(P>0.05).The soil organic nitrogen content was significantly different among cultivated land,grass land,and forest land(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between grass land and forest land(P>0.05).The readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in forest land were higher than that in cultivated land and grass land.The change trend of soil readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen was similar to the change of soil organic carbon content,showing a significant positive correlation.In addition to being subject to land cover,soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content were also subject to the interaction of factors such as soil temperature,humidity,pH and vegetation types.[Conclusions]Changes in land cover significantly affect soil organic carbon and nitrogen,readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content.

Seasonality and moisture regime control soil respiration, enzyme activities, and soil microbial biomass carbon in a semi-arid forest of Delhi, India

Soil respiration,soil enzymes,and microbial biomass are important in carbon cycling in the terrestrial ecosystem which is generally limited by environmental factors and soil carbon availability.Hence,we tried to assess the factors affecting the functional aspects of these processes in a semi-arid climate.We monitored soil respiration(surface)using a portable infrared gas analyzer(Q-Box SR1LP Soil Respiration Package,Qubit Systems,Canada)equipped with a soil respiration chamber(Model:G 180).Soil respiration was measured at midday during each season throughout the study period.Soil enzymatic activities and microbial biomass carbon(MBC)were analyzed following the standard protocol for a year during peak time in four seasons at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm depth.Soil respiration shows significant variation with highest in monsoon(3.31μmol CO2 m−2 s^(−1))and lowest in winter(0.57μmol CO2 m^(−2) s^(−1)).Similarly,β-glucosidase,dehydrogenase,and phenol oxidase activity ranged from 11.15 to 212.59μg PNP g^(−1) DW h^(−1),0.11 to 16.47μg TPF g^(−1) DW h^(−1),and 4102.95 to 10187.55μmol ABTS+g^(−1) DW min^(−1),respectively.MBC ranged from 17.08 to 484.5μgCg^(−1).Besides,soil respiration,soil enzymes(exceptβ-glucosidase),and MBC were significantly correlated with soil moisture.Seasonality,optimum moisture and temperature played a significant role in determining variations in soil microbiological processes(exceptβ-glucosidase activity);the carbon cycling in the study area is assisted by enzyme activity;dehydrogenase and phenol oxidase played a significant role in soil respiration;hence,this landscape is sensitive to environmental changes.

How Physical Disturbance and Nitrogen Addition Affect the Soil Carbon Decomposition?

The decomposition of soil organic carbon(SOC)plays a critical role in regulating atmospheric CO_(2)concentrations and climate dynamics.However,the mechanisms and factors controlling SOC decomposition are still not fully understood.Here,we conducted a 60 days incubation experiment to test the effects of physical disturbance and nitrogen(N)addition on SOC decomposition.N addition increased the concentration of NO3-by 51%in the soil,but had little effect on the concentration of NH4+.N addition inhibited SOC decomposition,but such an effect differed between disturbed and undisturbed soils.In disturbed and undisturbed soils,application of N decreased SOC decomposition by 37%and 15%,respectively.One possible explanation is that extra N input suppressed microbial N mining and/or increased the stability of soil organic matter by promoting the formation of soil aggregates and incorporating part of the inorganic N into organic matter,and consequently decreased microbial mineralization of soil organic matter.Physical disturbance intensified the inhibition of N on SOC decomposition,likely because physical disturbance allowed the added N to be better exposed to soil microbes and consequently increased the availability of added N.We conclude that physical disturbance and N play important roles in modulating the stability of SOC.

Changes in the activities of key enzymes and the abundance of functional genes involved in nitrogen transformation in rice rhizosphere soil under different aerated conditions

Soil microorganisms play important roles in nitrogen transformation. The aim of this study was to characterize changes in the activity of nitrogen transformation enzymes and the abundance of nitrogen function genes in rhizosphere soil aerated using three different methods(continuous flooding(CF), continuous flooding and aeration(CFA), and alternate wetting and drying(AWD)). The abundances of amoA ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB), nirS, nirK, and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, ammonia oxidase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase were measured at the tillering(S1), heading(S2), and ripening(S3) stages. We analyzed the relationships of the aforementioned microbial activity indices, in addition to soil microbial biomass carbon(MBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen(MBN), with the concentration of soil nitrate and ammonium nitrogen. The abundance of nitrogen function genes and the activities of nitrogen invertase in rice rhizosphere soil were higher at S2 compared with S1 and S3 in all treatments. AWD and CFA increased the abundance of amoA and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and decreased the abundance of nirS and nirK genes and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase, with the effect of AWD being particularly strong. During the entire growth period, the mean abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were 2.9, 5.8, and 3.0 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase were 1.1, 0.5, and 0.7 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the nirS and nirK genes, and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase were 73.6, 84.8, 10.3 and 36.5% lower in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were significantly and positively correlated with the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and the abundances of the nirS and nirK genes were significantly positively correlated with the activities of nitrate reductase. All the above indicators were positively correlated with soil MBC and MBN. In sum, microbial activity related to nitrogen transformation in rice rhizosphere soil was highest at S2. Aeration can effectively increase the activity of most nitrogen-converting microorganisms and MBN, and thus promote soil nitrogen transformation.

In-Field Corn Residue Management for Bioenergy Use: Potential Effects on Selected Soil Health Parameters

In the U.S. biofuel industry is using corn (Zea mays L.) residue mix (CRM) consisting of corncob and stover for cellulosic ethanol and biogas production. The field storage method left different depths of CRM on the field after its removal, where negative effects on plant growth were observed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the CRM effect on selected soil health indicators. The field study conducted with four different depths of CRM, two tillage systems (no-till (NT) and chisel plow (CP), and three nitrogen (N) rates (0, 180, and 270 kg⋅N⋅ha−1) in a randomized complete block design with split-split arrangements in three replications in a continuous corn system from 2010 to 2012 at the Agronomy Research Farm at Iowa State University. The findings of this study showed a negative effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) change across all treatments at 0 - 15 cm (−0.35 to −0.03 Mg⋅ha−1⋅yr−1), while at 15 - 30 cm there was an increase in SOC rate (0.13 to 0.40 Mg⋅ha−1⋅yr−1) after 2-yr. In addition, soil aggregate-associated C of macro-aggregates decreased by 8%, while micro-aggregates increased by 2%. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) across tillage and N rates for 2.5 & 7.5 CRM treatments increased by 14% in June to July 2011, while in 2012 increased by 9%. However, at the 15 cm soil depth, soil bulk density (ρb), soil penetration resistance (SPR), and soil pH showed no significant differences among CRM treatments. The findings of this study showed that in-field CRM management can affect certain soil health parameters in the short term.

Variation of Ecostoichiometric Ratios of Soil Microbes in Zhoushan Forest Park

Taking surrounding woodland soils of Cedrus deodara(Roxb.)G.Don,Prunus ceraifera cv.Pissardii,Ginkgo biloba L.and Ligustrum lucidum in Zhoushan Forest Park of Henan Province as the research objects,the physicochemical properties of sample plots were investigated,and the contents of soil microbial biomass carbon,nitrogen,phosphorus and total soil nutrients were determined.The results showed that the carbon-nitrogen ratios and carbon–phosphorus ratios were 8.0-11.4 and 17.1-25.3,respectively;the percentages of carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus in soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN)and total phosphorus(TP)were 2.84%-5.1%,2.69%-4.44%and 2.19%-5.62%,respectively.The carbon–nitrogen ratio and carbon-phosphorus ratio of P.ceraifera,G.biloba and L.lucidum forests were signifi cantly lower than that of C.deodara forest(P<0.05).The MBC/SOC,MBN/TN and MBP/TP ratios of G.biloba forest were the highest,which had signifi cant difference with those of other tree species(P<0.05).The contents of carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus were extremely or signifi cantly correlated with SOC,TN,TP,tree species and human disturbance,but had no correlation with soil pH,slope,slope direction,etc.Tree species and human disturbance also significantly affected the physical and chemical properties closely related to soil microbial biomass.

Drying-rewetting cycles reduce bacterial diversity and carbon loss in soil on the Loess Plateau of China

With global climate change, soil drying-rewetting(DRW) events have intensified and occurred frequently on the Loess Plateau of China. However, the extent to which the DRW cycles with different wetting intensities and cycle numbers alter microbial community and respiration is barely understood. Here,indoor DRW one and four cycles treatments were implemented on soil samples obtained from the Loess Plateau, involving increase of soil moisture from10% water-holding capacity(WHC) to 60% and 90% WHC(i.e., 10%–60% and 10%–90% WHC, respectively). Constant soil moistures of 10%, 60%,and 90% WHC were used as the controls. The results showed that bacterial diversity and richness decreased and those of fungi remained unchanged under DRW treatments compared to the controls. Under all moisture levels, Actinobacteriota and Ascomycota were the most dominant bacterial and fungal phyla,respectively. The bacterial network was more complex than that of fungi, indicating that bacteria had a greater potential for interaction and niche sharing under DRW treatments. The pulse of respiration rate declined as the DRW cycle increased under 10%–60% WHC, but remained similar for different cycles under 10%–90% WHC. Moreover, the DRW treatments reduced the overall carbon loss, and the direct carbon release under 10%–60% WHC was larger than that under 10%–90% WHC. The cumulative CO_(2) emissions after four DRW cycles were significantly positively correlated with microbial biomass carbon and negatively correlated with fungal richness(Chao 1).