ISSN:
1432-0789
Keywords:
Key words Carbon mineralization
;
14C
;
Soil microbial biomass
;
Manure amendment
;
Long-term experiment
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
,
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Abstract Long-term experiments on different crop management systems provide essential information about turnover of soil organic matter and changes in microbial properties over a period of time. A long-term field site trial, which was established in 1967 near Vienna, Austria, to document the fate of 14C-labelled manure (straw and farmyard) under different crop management systems (crop rotation, spring wheat and bare fallow), was investigated. Soil samples were taken in 1997 and separated into size fractions (〉250 μm, 250–63 μm, 63–2 μm, 2–0.1 μm and 〈0.1 μm) after aggregate dispersion using low-energy sonication. Organic C, total N and 14C content were measured in the bulk soil and the size fractions and microbial properties were analysed in the bulk soil. Additionally, C mineralization in bulk soil samples was monitored at 20 °C over a period of 28 days, and subsequently 14C-CO2 content was analysed. The distribution of organic C and N within the size fractions was similar between crop rotation and spring wheat; the highest amounts of organic C and N were found in the clay-sized fraction. The amounts of C and N were significantly smaller in the bare fallow, which was depleted of organic matter in the coarse-sized fractions. 14C distribution differed significantly from unlabelled C distribution, labelled C was accumulated in the silt-sized fraction, indicating weak humification of the applied manure C. The highest rate of C mineralization was measured in the crop rotation and spring wheat, whereas the emission rate of the bare fallow was about 40% lower. The higher 14C:C ratio of the bulk soil in comparison to the emitted CO2 indicated that labelled C compounds still remained mineralizable after a period of 30 years. Microbial properties showed a great difference between crop management systems and bare fallow, particularly regarding urease and xylanase activity.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s003740050659
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