Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of long-term fertilizers and manure application on microbial biomass and microbial activity of a tropical agricultural soil

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Biology and Fertility of Soils Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We investigated some aspects of soil quality and community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) of bacteria in soil under a long-term (37 years) trial with either exclusive inorganic fertilizers or fertilizers combined with farmyard manure cultivated with jute–rice–wheat system. The treatments consisted of 100% recommended dose (RD) of NPK, 150% RD of NPK, 100% RD of N, 100% RD of NPK + FYM (10 t ha−1 year−1), and untreated control. Long-term application of 150% RD of NPK lowered the soil pH considerably while the soils in the other treatments remained near neutral. The 100% RD of NPK + FYM treated plot showed significantly highest accumulation of organic carbon, total nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, basal soil respiration, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolyzing activity among the treatments. CLPP analysis in Biolog Ecoplates revealed that utilization of carbohydrates was enhanced in all input treated regimes, while the same for polymers, carboxylic acids, amino acids, and amines/amides were similar or less than the untreated control. However, within these groups of carbon sources, heterogeneity of individual substrate utilization between treatments was also noted. Taken together, addition of organic supplements showed significantly increased microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity, but input of nutrient supplements, both inorganic and organic, only marginally affected the overall substrate utilization pattern of soil microorganisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

References

  • Alef K (1995a) Estimation of the hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate. In: Alef K, Nannipieri P (eds) Methods in applied soil microbiology and biochemistry. Academic, London, pp 232–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Alef K (1995b) Estimation of soil respiration. In: Alef K, Nannipieri P (eds) Methods in applied soil microbiology and biochemistry. Academic, London, pp 215–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson JPE, Domsch KH (1980) Quantities of plant nutrients in the microbial biomass of selected soils. Soil Sci 130:211–216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aulakh MS, Khera TS, Doran JW, Singh K, Singh B (2000) Yields and nitrogen dynamics in rice–wheat system using green manure and inorganic fertilizer. Soil Sci Soc Am J 64:1867–1876

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Badalucco L, Rao M, Colombo C, Palumbo G, Laudicina VA, Gianfreda L (2010) Reversing agriculture from intensive to sustainable improves soil quality in a semiarid South Italian soil. Biol Fertil Soils 46:481–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Böhme L, Langer U, Böhme F (2005) Microbial biomass, enzyme activities and microbial community structure in two European long-term field experiments. Agric Ecosyst Environ 109:141–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bossio DA, Girvan MS, Verchot L, Bullimore J, Borelli T, Albrecht A, Scow KM, Ball AS, Pretty JN, Osborn AM (2005) Soil microbial community response to land use change in an agricultural landscape of Western Kenya. Microb Ecol 49:50–62

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Choi KH, Dobbs FC (1999) Comparison of two kinds of Biolog microplates (GN and ECO) in their ability to distinguish among aquatic microbial communities. J Microbiol Methods 36:203–213

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Degens BP, Harris JA (1997) Development of a physiological approach to measuring the catabolic diversity of soil microbial communities. Soil Biol Biochem 29:1309–1320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fliessbach A, Mäder P (1997) Carbon source utilization by microbial communities in soils under organic and conventional farming practice. In: Insam H, Rangger A (eds) Microbial communities: functional versus structural approaches. Springer, Berlin, pp 109–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Garland JL, Mills AL (1991) Classification and characterization of heterotrophic microbial communities on the basis of patterns of community-level sole-carbon source utilization. Appl Environ Microbiol 57:2351–2359

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gomez E, Bisaro V, Conti M (2000) Potential C-source utilization patterns of bacterial communities as influenced by clearing and land use in a vertic soil of Argentina. Appl Soil Ecol 15:273–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goyal S, Mishra MM, Hooda IS, Singh R (1992) Organic matter–microbial biomass relationships in field experiments under tropical conditions: effects of inorganic fertilization and organic amendments. Soil Biol Biochem 24:1081–1084

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goyal S, Mishra MM, Sankar SS, Kapoor KK, Batra R (1993) Microbial biomass turnover and enzyme activities following the application of farmyard manures to field soils with or without previous long-term application. Biol Fertil Soils 15:60–64

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goyal S, Chander K, Mundra MC, Kapoor KK (1999) Influence of inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments on soil organic matter and soil microbial properties under tropical conditions. Biol Fertil Soils 29:196–200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gregorich EG, Carter MR, Doran JW, Pankhurst CE, Dwyer LM (1997) Biological attributes of soil quality. In: Gregorich EG and Carter MR (eds) Developments in soil science, vol. 25. Elsevier, New York, pp 81–113

  • Guckert JB, Gregory JC, Jhonson TD, Hamm BG, Davidson DH, Kumagai Y (1996) Community analysis by Biolog: curve integration for statistical analysis of activated sludge microbial habitats. J Microbiol Methods 27:183–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson ML (1967) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Joergensen RG (1995) Microbial biomass. In: Alef K, Nannipieri P (eds) Methods in applied soil microbiology and biochemistry. Academic, London, pp 382–386

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy AC (1999) Bacterial diversity in agroecosystems. Agric Ecosyst Environ 74:65–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mäder P, Fliessbach A, Dubois D, Gunst L, Fried P, Niggli U (2002) Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming. Science 296:1694–1697

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Malhi SS, Nyborg M, Harapiak JT (1998) Effects of long-term N fertilizer-induced acidification and liming on micronutrients in soil and in bromegrass hay. Soil Tillage Res 49(1-2):91–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAndrew DW, Malhi SS (1992) Long-term N fertilization of a Solonetzic soil—effects on chemical and biological properties. Soil Biol Biochem 24:619–623

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nannipieri P, Ascher J, Ceccherini MT, Landi L, Pietramellara G, Renella G (2003) Microbial diversity and soil functions. Eur J Soil Sci 54:655–670

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Øvreås L, Torsvik V (1998) Microbial diversity and community structure in two different agricultural soil communities. Microb Ecol 36:303–315

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Powlson DS, Johnston AE (1994) Long-term field experiments: their importance in understanding sustainable land use. In: Greenland DJ, Szabolcs I (eds) Soil resilience and sustainable land use. CABI, Wallingford, pp 367–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarathchandra SU, Ghania A, Yeates GW, Burch G, Cox N (2001) Effect of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers on microbial and nematode diversity in pasture soils. Soil Biol Biochem 33:953–964

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schjønning P, Elmholt S, Munkholm LJ, Debosz K (2002) Soil quality aspects of humid sandy loams as influenced by organic and conventional long-term management. Agric Ecosyst Environ 88:195–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Šimek M, Hopkins DW, Kalčík J, Picek T, Šantrůčková H, Staňa J, Trávník K (1999) Biological and chemical properties of arable soils affected by long-term organic and inorganic fertilizer applications. Biol Fertil Soils 29:300–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tate RL III (2000) Soil microbiology, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York, pp 76–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallejo VE, Roldan F, Dick RP (2010) Soil enzymatic activities and microbial biomass in an integrated agroforestry chronosequence compared to monoculture and a native forest of Colombia. Biol Fertil Soils 46:577–588

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vance ED, Brookes PC, Jenkinson DS (1987) An extraction method for measuring soil microbial biomass C. Soil Biol Biochem 19:703–707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Waldrop MP, Balser TC, Firestone MK (2000) Linking microbial community composition to function in a tropical soil. Soil Biol Biochem 32:1837–1846

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Widmer F, Fliessbach A, Laczkό E, Schulze-Aurichd J, Zeyer J (2001) Assessing soil biological characteristics: a comparison of bulk soil community DNA-, PLFA-, and Biolog™-analyses. Soil Biol Biochem 33:1029–1036

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Widmer F, Rasche F, Hartmann M, Fliessbach A (2006) Community structures and substrate utilization of bacteria in soils from organic and conventional farming systems of the DOK long-term field experiment. Appl Soil Ecol 33:294–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang N, Wan S, Li L, Bi J, Zhao M, Ma K (2008) Impacts of urea N addition on soil microbial community in a semi-arid temperate steppe in northern China. Plant Soil 311:19–28

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhong W, Gu T, Wang W, Zhang B, Lin X, Huang Q, Shen W (2010) The effects of mineral fertilizer and organic manure on soil microbial community and diversity. Plant Soil 326:511–522

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Financial support for this work was provided by University Grants Commission, Government of India. Authors also wish to thank the Director, Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, ICAR, Barrackpore, West Bengal, India for supplying soil samples from their long-term experiments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Amrita Chakraborty & Sagarmoy Ghosh

  2. Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Kalyan Chakrabarti

  3. Department of Agronomy, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, India

    Ashis Chakraborty

  4. University College of Science, Technology and Agriculture, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019, India

    Sagarmoy Ghosh

Authors
  1. Amrita Chakraborty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kalyan Chakrabarti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ashis Chakraborty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sagarmoy Ghosh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sagarmoy Ghosh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chakraborty, A., Chakrabarti, K., Chakraborty, A. et al. Effect of long-term fertilizers and manure application on microbial biomass and microbial activity of a tropical agricultural soil. Biol Fertil Soils 47, 227–233 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-010-0509-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-010-0509-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation