Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104529 |
| Title (Primary) | Fertilization promotes microbial growth and minimum tillage increases nutrient-acquiring enzyme activities in a semiarid agro-ecosystem |
| Author | De Mastro, F.; Brunetti, G.; Traversa, A.; Blagodatskaya, E. |
| Journal | Applied Soil Ecology |
| Year | 2022 |
| Department | BOOEK |
| Volume | 177 |
| Page From | art. 104529 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Keywords | Tillage; Fertilization; Soil depth; Microbial growth parameters; Enzyme activities; Eco-stoichiometric approach |
| Abstract | Microorganisms respiratory
and enzymatic activities provide sensitive indicators of changes in soil
properties, such as those caused by interactive effects of tillage and
fertilization regimes or other agricultural practices. However, the rapid,
adaptive microbial growth, respiratory and enzymatic responses to changes in
soil environments induced by specific agricultural practices are not well understood.
Thus, to explore these adaptations we compared effects of contrasting
environments on functional microbial traits (growth and enzyme kinetic
parameters) in a Mediterranean agro-ecosystem. These environments differed in
long-term disturbance (no, minimum, or conventional tillage), nitrogen-richness
(fertilization with 90 kg N ha−1 versus no
fertilization), and resource scarcity (increasing with soil depth in 0–30,
30–60 and 60–90 cm layers). Reducing soil disturbance from conventional to
minimum tillage promoted microbial growth through shorter Tlag and
larger active biomass fraction and induced increases in N- and P-acquiring enzyme
activities by increasing nutrients limitation. Fertilization stimulated
increases in fast-growing microorganisms with low substrate-affinity enzyme
systems, microbial biomass, enzymatic activities, and turnover rates of soil
organics. In contrast, increasing scarcity of resources with soil depth
strongly reduced microbial biomass and activity. A lack of correlation between
soil and enzymatic stoichiometric ratios raises concern regarding the applicability
of eco-enzymatic stoichiometric indexes in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems. We
conclude that decomposition and turnover of organic substrates under
contrasting agricultural practices are mediated by microbial communities with
distinct functional traits (active fraction, growth parameters) and enzyme
properties (Vmax, Km), which need to be considered in
smart land use regimes.
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| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=26196 |
| De Mastro, F., Brunetti, G., Traversa, A., Blagodatskaya, E. (2022): Fertilization promotes microbial growth and minimum tillage increases nutrient-acquiring enzyme activities in a semiarid agro-ecosystem Appl. Soil Ecol. 177 , art. 104529 |
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