Plant Soil Environ., 2011, 57(12):577-582 | DOI: 10.17221/475/2011-PSE

Soil biological quantity and quality parameters of grasslands in various landscape zones

R. Duffková, H. Macurová
Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague, Czech Republic

In three landscape zones of a permanent grassland catchment (discharge zone, D; transient zone, T; and recharge zone, R; Crystallinicum, Czech Republic), soil moisture by volume (θ) and soil biological quantity and quality parameters, e.g. oxidizable C (Cox), hot water soluble C (Chws), microbial biomass C (Cmic), nitrification (NITR), aerobic N mineralization (MIN) and basal respiration rates (Rbas), metabolic quotient (qCO2: Rbas/Cmic) and microbial quotient (Cmic/Cox) were estimated in the surface soil layer. We found out positive correlation of Cmic and Cmic/Cox with θ, or NITR, MIN, Rbas and Cmic with Chws, but no relationship between θ on the one hand and NITR, MIN, Rbas or Cox on the other. The wettest zone D with extremely low pH displayed the highest Cmic and Cmic/Cox (1081 mg/kg, 5.29%) and the lowest qCO2 (31 µgC/day/mgCmic). Soil drought in zones T and R reduced Cmic and Cmic/Cox (939, 1029, and 3.72, 3.83, respectively) and augmented qCO2 (42; 51). Rainfall following a prolonged dry period reduced MIN and NITR in permeable zone R as a result of fast microbial regeneration (average in D: 2.24; 2.48 kg N/ha/day, T: 2.62; 2.82 kg N/ha/day, R: 1.51; 1.95 kg N/ha/day).

Keywords: soil moisture; drought; microbial activity; soil chemical properties; permanent grassland

Published: December 31, 2011  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Duffková R, Macurová H. Soil biological quantity and quality parameters of grasslands in various landscape zones. Plant Soil Environ. 2011;57(12):577-582. doi: 10.17221/475/2011-PSE.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Alexander M. (1977): Introduction to Soil Microbiology. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
    2. Anderson T.-H., Domsch K.H. (1989): Ratios of microbial biomass carbon to total organic carbon in arable soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 21: 471-479. Go to original source...
    3. Anderson T.-H., Domsch K.H. (2010): Soil microbial biomass: The eco-physiological approach. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 42: 2039-2043. Go to original source...
    4. Angers D.A., Chantigny M.H., Rochette P., Gagnon B. (2006): Dynamics of soil water-extractable organic C following application of dairy cattle manures. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 86: 851-858. Go to original source...
    5. Brye K.R., Gbur E.E. (2010): Regional differences in soil carbon and nitrogen storage as affected by land use and soil moisture regime. Soil Science, 175: 339-348. Go to original source...
    6. Corre M.D., Schnabel R.R., Stout W.L. (2002): Spatial and seasonal variation of gross nitrogen transformations and microbial biomass in a Northeastern US grassland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 34: 445-457. Go to original source...
    7. Doležal F., Kvítek T. (2004): The role of recharge zones, discharge zones, springs and tile drainage systems in peneplains of Central European highlands with regard to water quality generation processes. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 29: 775-785. Go to original source...
    8. Franzluebbers A.J., Haney R.L., Hons F.M., Zuberer D.A. (1996): Active fractions of organic matter in soils with different texture. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 28: 1367-1372. Go to original source...
    9. Ghani A., Dexter M., Perrott K.W. (2003): Hot-water extractable carbon in soils: sensitive measurement for determining impacts of fertilisation, grazing and cultivation. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 35: 1231-1243. Go to original source...
    10. Gleeson D.B., Herrmann A.M., Livesley S., Murphy D.V. (2008): Influence of water potential on nitrification and structure of nitrifying bacterial communities in semiarid soils. Applied Soil Ecology, 40: 189-194. Go to original source...
    11. Haken D. (1980): Enrichment of Grasslands on Shallow Meadow Soils. Final Report. Research Institute for Improving the Agricultural Soils, Prague. (In Czech)
    12. Hamer U., Makeschin F., Stadler J., Klotz S. (2008): Soil organic matter and microbial community structure in set-aside and intensively managed arable soils in NE-Saxony, Germany. Applied Soil Ecology, 40: 465-475. Go to original source...
    13. Hraško J., Červenka L., Focek Z., Komár J., Němeček J., Pospíšil F., Sirový V. (1962): Soil Analysis. Slovenské vydavatelsťvo podohospodarskej literatury Bratislava. (In Slovak)
    14. ISO 11261 (1995): Soil quality - Determination of total nitrogen - Modified Kjeldahl method, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
    15. ISO 14235 (1998): Soil quality - Determination of organic carbon by sulfochromic oxidation, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
    16. ISO 14238 (1997): Soil quality - Biological methods - Determination of nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in soils and the influence of chemicals on these processes, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
    17. ISO 14240-2 (1998): Soil quality - Determination of soil microbial biomass - Part 2: Fumigation-extraction method, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
    18. ISO 16072 (2002): Soil quality - Laboratory methods for determination of microbial soil respiration, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva.
    19. Joergensen R.G., Emmerling Ch. (2006): Methods for evaluating human impact on soil microorganisms based on their activity, biomass, and diversity in agricultural soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 169: 295-309. Go to original source...
    20. Killham K. (1985): A physiological determination of the impact of environmental stress on the activity of microbial biomass. Environmental Pollution Series A, Ecological and Biological, 38: 283-294. Go to original source...
    21. Kolář L. (1992): Relationships between humus, soil properties and soil fertility. In: Kubát J. (ed): Humus, its Structure and Role in Agriculture and Environment. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 175-184. Go to original source...
    22. Kolář L., Klimeš F., Ledvina R., Kužel S. (2003): A method to determine mineralization kinetics of a decomposable part of soil organic matter in the soil. Plant, Soil and Environment, 49: 8-11. Go to original source...
    23. Kolář L., Vaněk V., Kužel S., Peterka J., Borová-Batt J., Pezlarová J. (2011): Relationships between quality and quantity of soil labile fraction of the soil carbon in Cambisols after liming during a 5-year period. Plant, Soil and Environment, 57: 193-200. Go to original source...
    24. Körchens I., Schulz E., Behm R. (1990): Hot water extractable carbon and nitrogen of soils as criteria of their ability for Nrelease. Zentralblatt für Mikrobiologie, 145: 305-311. Go to original source...
    25. Kvítek T. (1992): Variability of exchangeable reaction under permanent grasslands. Rostlinná Výroba, 38: 81-88. (In Czech)
    26. Pokorný E., Šarapatka B., Hejátková K. (2007): Evaluation of Soil Quality in the Organic Farm. Methodological Tool. Zemědělská a Ekologická Regionální Agentura, Náměšť nad Oslavou. (In Czech)
    27. Serrano S.E. (1997): Hydrology for Engineers, Geologists and Environmental Professionals. HydroScience Inc. Lexington, Kentucky.
    28. Sierra J. (1997): Temperature and soil moisture dependence of N mineralization in intact soil cores. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 29: 1557-1563. Go to original source...
    29. Šantrůčková H. (1993): Soil respiration as a measure of soil biological-activity. Rostlinná výroba, 39: 769-778. (In Czech)
    30. Tolasz R., Míková T., Valeriánová A. (eds.) (2007): Climatic Atlas of Czechia. Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and Palacký University Olomouc. 1 st Edition, Prague.
    31. Uhlířová E., Šimek M., Šantrůčková H. (2005): Microbial transformation of organic matter in soils of montane grasslands under different management. Applied Soil Ecology, 28: 225-235. Go to original source...
    32. Voříšek K., Růžek L., Svobodová I., Šantrůček J., Strnadová S., Popelářová E. (2002): The influence of grassing and harvest management on microbial parameters after arable land settingaside. Rostlinná výroba, 48: 382-388. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content