Short-term effects on soil properties and wheat production from secondary paper sludge application on two Mediterranean agricultural soils

This study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to evaluate the potential use of SPS as a fertilizer, amendment and/or liming agent for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Two representative Mediterranean agricultural soils, a Cambic Arenosol (cmAR) and a Cromic Cambisol (crCM) were used. Treatments included four sludge rates ranging from 0 to 40 g kg(-1) (equivalent of 0, 38, 88 and 120 Mg ha(-1)). A significant increment in soil pH, organic carbon, N total, available P and exchangeable K were observed in both soils. Sludge application significantly increased N and decreased Zn, Mn and Cu concentrations in wheat. Wheat grain yields were reduced by 33% and 37% when 120 Mg SPS ha(-1) was applied to cmAR and crCM soils, respectively, due apparently to unavailability of Mg. However, straw yields, with much lower Mg requirements, increased significantly with SPS rates. Secondary pulp mill sludge seems to be a potential source of organic matter, N, P, K and a potential soil amendment liming agent for acid soils, when appropriate supplemental fertilizer was provided. For grain crops grown in these soils, addition of Mg is required for proper nutrient balance.     

Transformation of buffalo manure by composting or vermicomposting to rehabilitate degraded tropical soils

The addition of composted buffalo manure may lead to qualitative and quantitative improvement of the organic matter content of degraded tropical agricultural soils in Northern Vietnam. The objectives of this study were to follow the biochemical changes occurring during composting of buffalo manure with and without earthworms during 3 months and to study the effect of the end products (compost and vermicompost) on soil biochemical parameters and plant growth after two months of incubation under controlled conditions in an open pot experiment. Our conceptual approach included characterisation of organic matter of the two composts before and after addition to soil by elemental, isotopic analysis and analytical pyrolysis and comparison with conventional fertilisation. We also analysed for lignin content and composition.Our results showed that composting in the presence of earthworms led to stronger transformation of buffalo manure than regular composting. Vermicompost was enriched in N-containing compounds and depleted in polysaccharides. It further contained stronger modified lignin compared to regular compost. In the bulk soil, the amendment of compost and vermicompost led to significant modification of the soil organic matter after 2 months of exposure to natural weather conditions. The lignin component of SOM was unaffected whatever the origin of the organic amendment. Compost and vermicompost amendments both enhanced aggregation and increased the amount of organic matter in water stable aggregates. However, vermicompost is preferable to compost due to its beneficial effect on plant growth, while having similar positive effects on quantity and quality of SOM.     

Effect of Crotalaria juncea Amendment on Squash Infected with Meloidogyne incognita

Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine the effect of Crotalaria juncea amendment on Meloidogyne incognita population levels and growth of yellow squash (Cucurbita pepo). In the first experiment, four soils with a long history of receiving yard waste compost (YWC+), no-yard-waste compost (YWC-), conventional tillage, or no-tillage treatments were used; in the second experiment, only one recently cultivated soil was used. Half of the amount of each soil received air-dried residues of C. juncea as amendment before planting squash, whereas the other half did not. Crotalaria juncea amendment increased squash shoot and root weights in all soils tested, except in YWC+ soil where the organic matter content was high without the amendment. The amendment suppressed the numbers of M. incognita if the inoculum level was low, and when the soil contained relatively abundant nematode-antagonistic fungi. Microwaved soil resulted in greater numbers of M. incognita and free-living nematodes than frozen or untreated soil, indicating nematode-antagonistic microorganisms played a role in nematode suppression. The effects of C. juncea amendment on nutrient cycling were complex. Amendment with C. juncea increased the abundance of free-living nematodes and Harposporium anguillulae, a fungus antagonistic to them in the second experiment but not in the first experiment. Soil histories, especially long-term yard waste compost treatments that increased soil organic matter, can affect the performance of C. juncea amendment.     

Assessing the microbiological,biochemical, soil-physical and hydrological effects of amelioration of degraded soils in semiarid Spain

The way of improving degraded soils fertility and particularly of improving its microbial activity is to add “young” exogenous organic matter that contribute to provide labile organic matter to stimulate the life of the microorganisms existing in the soil. This organic matter will also improve both the retention and hydraulic characteristics of the degraded soils, all this contributing to soil restoration. In this study, the microbiological, biochemical, soil-physical and hydrological effects of the addition of a municipal solid waste compost to a degraded soil in El Campello, SE Spain were evaluated in a field experiment. Soil samples from experimental plots were analyzed 6 and 18 months after soil amendment. In both sampling time treated plots showed significantly higher microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase activity values than control, indicating that soil microbial population’s development and activity were stimulated by compost addition, this effect being not ephemeral but lasting in the time. Soil urease activity was not affected by compost addition while protease hydrolysing N-α-benzoil-L-argininamide (BAA) activity was strongly stimulated by the incorporation of compost into the soils. Phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities were also stimulated by the organic amendment, this stimulation being particularly noticeable 18 months after the compost addition. Nevertheless, this increase in soil microbial populations and activity did not result in an increase in soil aggregation and hydrological parameters. This can be due to the high content of carbonates and Ca²⁺ ions in these calcareous soils, that lead to an initially high content of water-stable macroaggregates. Presented at the International Conference on Bioclimatology and Natural Hazards, Poľana nad Detvou, Slovakia, 17–20 September 2007.     

The effect of regeneration burning upon the nutrient status of soil in two forest types in southern Tasmania

In two forest types in southern Tasmania, eucalypt rainforest (mixed forest) and eucalypt dry sclerophyll forest, surface soils (0–10 cm) from stands that had been clear-felled and burned between 1976 and 1979 were compared with those from uncut, unburned stands. Factors compared were total organic C, N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Mn; pH; exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K; cation exchange capacity; extractable P; soil phosphate buffering capacity; and N-mineralisation rates. Sampling started in April 1979 and ended in October 1980. Within each forest type, soils from burned coupes had higher mean values for pH, exchangeable cations, percent base saturation, and nitrate-N produced during aerobic incubation, and had lower mean values for exchangeable acidity and ammonium-N produced during aerobic incubation than soils from unburned coupes. In mixed forest only, soils from burned coupes had higher mean values for extractable P and soil phosphate buffering capacity, and lower mean values for total organic C than those of unburned coupes. There were only small differences between burned and unburned soils in cation exchange capacity and ammonium-N produced during anaerobic incubation. For each burned coupe in mixed forest, with increase in time since burning there was a decrease in pH, an increase in exchangeable acidity, and a decrease in rate of production of nitrate: no changes were detected in other factors. It is concluded that, for clay soils developed on dolerite, the nutritional status of soil in both forest types is probably improved by burning. The improvement lasts for more than 4 years in mixed forest and more than two years in dry sclerophyll forest. Only minor leaching of nutrients to below 10 cm in depth is likely to occur in either type.     

Biochar co-compost improves nitrogen retention and reduces carbon emissions in a winter wheat cropping system

Organic amendments, such as compost and biochar, mitigate the environmental burdens associated with wasting organic resources and close nutrient loops by capturing, transforming, and resupplying nutrients to soils. While compost or biochar application to soil can enhance an agroecosystem's capacity to store carbon and produce food, there have been few field studies investigating the agroecological impacts of amending soil with biochar co-compost, produced through the composting of nitrogen-rich organic material, such as manure, with carbon-rich biochar. Here, we examine the impact of biochar co-compost on soil properties and processes by conducting a field study in which we compare the environmental and agronomic impacts associated with the amendment of either dairy manure co-composted with biochar, dairy manure compost, or biochar to soils in a winter wheat cropping system. Organic amendments were applied at equivalent C rates (8 Mg C ha⁻¹). We found that all three treatments significantly increased soil water holding capacity and total plant biomass relative to the no-amendment control. Soils amended with biochar or biochar co-compost resulted in significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than the compost or control soils. Biochar co-compost also resulted in a significant reduction in nutrient leaching relative to the application of biochar alone or compost alone. Our results suggest that biochar co-composting could optimize organic resource recycling for climate change mitigation and agricultural productivity while minimizing nutrient losses from agroecosystems.     

Heavy metal bioavailability in a soil affected by mineral sulphides contamination following the mine spillage at Aznalcóllar (Spain)

A field experiment, lasting 14 months, was carried out in order to assess the effect of organic amendment and lime addition on the bioavailability of heavy metals in contaminated soils. The experiment took place in a soil affected by acid, highly toxic pyritic waste from the Aznalcóllar mine (Seville, Spain) in April 1998. The following treatments were applied (3 plots per treatment): cow manure, a mature compost, lime (to plots having pH < 4), and control without amendment. During the study two crops of Brassica juncea were grown, with two additions of each organic amendment. Throughout the study, the evolution of soil pH, total and available (DTPA-extractable) heavy metals content (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Pb and Cd), electrical conductivity (EC), soluble sulphates and plant growth and heavy metal uptake were followed. The study indicates that: (1) soil acidification, due to the oxidation of metallic sulphides in the soil, increased heavy metal bioavailability; (2) liming succeeded in controlling the soil acidification; and (3) the organic materials generally promoted fixation of heavy metals in non-available soil fractions, with Cu bioavailability being particularly affected by the organic treatments.     

Changes in the soil after clearing tropical forest

Summary About one-and-a-half acres of tropical forest, of known mass and chemical composition, was cleared and burned. Soil changes during clearing and two years' cropping were studied.Following burning, approximately all the K, Ca, and Mg in the vegetation were accounted for by the rise in exchangeable K, Ca, and Mg in the soil. There was a marked rise in soil pH. A small but significant increase in C and N was attributed to admixture of parts of the vegetation with the soil.Following cultivation, there was a rapid loss of nutrients by leaching and erosion during the first year and a substantial loss of K and Mg, but smaller loss of Ca in the second year. Losses of calcium were less and of potassium more under the local practice of shifting cultivation than under cultivation treatments involving clearing of roots followed by bare fallow or a maize-cassava rotation. Depths of cultivation had little effect on nutrient losses. Losses of organic matter in the first year were rapid due to oxidation of unhumified material. They were much reduced in the second year. Greater production of food was obtained from the maize-cassava rotation than by local practice.     

不同林龄木荷-青冈栎混交林幼林土壤活性有机碳库研究

以中国北亚热带地区退化灌木林补植改造7 a和11 a后形成的木荷-青冈栎混交林为研究对象,以保留的灌木林为对照,分析了造林初期林龄对林分土壤活性有机碳含量的影响。结果表明：(1) 7 a和11 a生木荷-青冈栎林0～50 cm各土层土壤总有机碳含量比灌木林分别增加了22.79%~43.34%和52.33%~96.13%,易氧化碳含量增加了11.11%~25.18%和57.89%~100.90%,轻组有机质含量增加了18.18%~85.20%和74.50%~93.75%,水溶性有机碳含量7 a生木荷-青冈栎林比灌木林降低了4.10%~9.53%(10~20 cm除外),而11 a生林分比灌木林增加了0.71%~5.37%。(2) 3种林分土壤活性有机碳在总有机碳中所占的比率大小顺序、水溶性有机碳/土壤总有机碳均为灌木林>7 a生木荷-青冈栎林>11 a生木荷-青冈栎林,易氧化碳/土壤总有机碳为11 a生木荷-青冈栎林>灌木林>7 a生木荷-青冈栎林。（3）3种林分各活性有机碳组分与土壤总有机碳的相关性均达到极显著水平,而水溶性有机碳与总有机碳的相关系数相对较低;各林分土壤总有机碳、易氧化碳、轻组有机质与土壤养分的相关性均达到极显著水平,而灌木林水溶性有机碳与土壤水解氮、速效钾相关性不显著。研究认为,灌木林改造为常绿阔叶人工林,林分土壤有机碳在幼林期已有显著变化,随着林龄增长,人工林有机碳的积累还有待进一步研究。     

Regenerating Topsoil Functionality in Four Drastically Disturbed Soil Types by Compost Incorporation

The low water-holding capacity and low nutrient levels of roadcuts in northern California cause many of these disturbed areas to remain chronically barren. Yard waste compost was incorporated into four nonvegetated substrates found along roadcuts (decomposed granite [DG], lahar, serpentine, and sandstone) in order to regenerate topsoil infiltration, water-holding capacity, and nutrient availability. Soil physical and chemical properties, as well as the vegetative response of a native perennial grass, were compared between treatments (non-tilled, tilled, and tilled with compost amendment). Tillage and compost addition decreased soil bulk density compared to the non-tilled treatment, and the compost treatment increased the soil carbon and nitrogen contents compared to the non-tilled and tilled treatments. Tillage alone resulted in an increase in saturated hydraulic conductivity in soils that did not contain a large amount of coarse fragments. Tillage also reduced sediment loss in all soils except the DG. Foliar C¹³ content did not predict water stress consistently between treatments. The incorporation of yard waste compost increased plant available water in coarse but not in fine-textured soils, and aboveground plant biomass was significantly greater in the compost treatment than in either of the other treatments. Although the incorporation of yard waste compost generated the greatest revegetation success, tillage alone may be a sufficient treatment if residual soils have adequate nutrient levels.     

Effects of Compost on Colonization of Roots of Plants Grown in Metalliferous Mine Tailings, as Examined by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

The relationship between compost amendment, plant biomass produced, and bacterial root colonization as measured by fluorescence in situ hybridization was examined following plant growth in mine tailings. Mine tailings can remain devoid of vegetation for decades after deposition due to a combination of factors that include heavy metal toxicity, low pH, poor substrate structure and water-holding capacity, and a severely impacted heterotrophic microbial community. Research has shown that plant establishment, a desired remedial objective to reduce eolian and water erosion of such tailings, is enhanced by organic matter amendment and is correlated with significant increases in rhizosphere populations of neutrophilic heterotrophic bacteria. Results show that for the acidic metalliferous tailings tested in this study, compost amendment was associated with significantly increased bacterial colonization of roots and increased production of plant biomass. In contrast, for a Vinton control soil, increased compost had no effect on root colonization and resulted only in increased plant biomass at high levels of compost amendment. These data suggest that the positive association between compost amendment and root colonization is important in the stressed mine tailings environment where root colonization may enhance both microbial and plant survival and growth.     

绿化废弃物资源化利用促进绿色农业循环发展

绿化废弃物资源化循环利用对树立环保理念,引领人们积极参与绿化垃圾收集、分类,提高农业绿色可持续发展和生态保护及实施"沃土工程"具有重要意义。该研究利用校园绿化产生的绿化废弃物,采用条垛发酵技术进行堆肥发酵,制成有机覆盖物和土壤改良剂,对土壤改良剂物理性质(容重、总孔隙度、持水孔隙、p H值、EC值等指标)和营养含量及土壤改良剂浸提液发芽率进行了测定。随后将土壤改良剂应用到校园试验田中进行土壤改良,并通过测定土壤改良前后大田土壤物理性质和营养含量及凤仙花和油菜生长状况对土壤改良剂进行效果评估;同时将有机覆盖物分别应用在校园树穴、校园裸土表面和花坛中进行示范,调查处理样方四个季节杂草含量及杂草抑制率进行有机覆盖物效果评价。结果表明:油菜在改良土壤中长势优于对照,土壤改良剂对土壤板结和土壤可耕性具有较好的改良效果。生长在土壤改良剂基质中的凤仙花长势不如购买基质,表明土壤改良剂不适合直接作为营养栽培基质;有机覆盖物应用在校园树穴、校园裸土表面和花坛中,对杂草具有显著抑制作用并具有很好的景观效果。此外,还对堆肥关键技术和目前绿化废弃物资源化存在的问题进行了讨论。     

Soil microbial biomass influence on strontium availability in mine soil

Abstract

The main aim of our work was to assess whether strontium (Sr) affects soil microbial biomass size and activity, and the involvement of said biomass in the availability process of the metal. In addition, information concerning the distribution and mobility of the stable element within ecosystems may allow the prediction of the behaviour of its radioisotope counterpart, ⁹⁰Sr. Samples were collected in the surroundings of a strontium mine and characterised for total and diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Sr, total organic C (TOC), microbial biomass C (MBC), MBC/TOC ratio and metabolic quotient (qCO₂). Moreover, MBC and DTPA-extractable Sr were measured during a 45-day incubation experiment of samples soils amended with maize. Overall, increased levels of total Sr had a negative effect on both TOC and MBC. DTPA-extractable Sr was significantly correlated to MBC/TOC suggesting a possible role of soil microbial biomass in the mobilisation of the element. The synthesis of new microbial biomass after soil amendment was negatively affected by the initial content of DTPA-extractable Sr. Conversely, there was a linear positive relationship between newly formed MBC and DTPA-extractable Sr during the incubation, indicating that soil microbial biomass may promote the mobilisation of Sr. These findings indicate that soil amendment with easily degradable organic substrate significantly increases Sr mobility and availability.     

Can compost improve Quercus pubescens Willd establishment in a Mediterranean post-fire shrubland?

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of sewage sludge compost (control, 20 kg m(-2), 40 kg m(-2)) supplied to Quercus pubescens Willd seedlings planted in a post-fire calcareous site in Provence (France). Changes in soil properties, seedling survival, growth and nutrition were monitored 7 months, 1.5 years and 2.5 years after amendment, and possible trace metal contamination of soil and seedlings by compost was also evaluated. Compost improved overall soil fertility by increasing organic matter, cation exchange capacity, total N and exchangeable P, K, Mg and B concentrations, but 40 kg m(-2) induced a more significant and more durable effect than 20 kg m(-2). However, the compost had no effect on seedling survival and growth, but increased foliar P and B concentrations at 40 kg m(-2). No foliar contamination of seedlings by trace metals occurred, although amendment increased exchangeable Cu and Zn concentrations in soil. Compost P and exchangeable Cu and Zn concentrations could induce eutrophication and water pollution, and limit rates that can be applied without environmental hazard.     

Temporal changes of selected chemical properties in three manure - amended soils of Hawaii

Soil amendment with organic materials (crop residues animal manure, and green manure) reportedly has positive effects on soil properties, from acidity to plant-nutrient availability. To examine that hypothesis, an incubation study was conducted to assess the changes in some chemical properties of three different tropical soils (Andisol, Ultisol, and Oxisol) amended with chicken manure and green manure (Leucaena leucocephala) at the rate of 10tha(-1). The results showed that organic amendments raised soil pH and EC, regardless of the type of manure used. Manuring lowered the concentrations of Mehlich-3 extractable Ca, P, Mn and Si in all soils and decreased the concentration of Mg in the Ultisol and Oxisol. However, manure amendment led to increases in the concentrations of Mg and K in the Andisol. Organic amendments caused a decrease in KCl extractable Al. Initial soluble C levels were highest in the Oxisol (60mumolg(-1)) and lowest in the Andisol (20mumolg(-1)). The concentration of soluble C decreased exponentially with duration of incubation. Three low molecular weight organic molecules (acetic acid, catechol and oxalic acid) out of the eight tested were found in all manure-amended soils. This study quantified the release of some Al chelating organic acids, the reduction of exchangeable Al, and the changes in major plant-nutrients when organic materials were added to nutrient poor, tropical acid soils.     

High abundance and role of antifungal bacteria in compost-treated soils in a wildfire area

Compost has been widely used in order to promote vegetation growth in post-harvested and burned soils. The effects on soil microorganisms were scarcely known, so we performed the microbial analyses in a wildfire area of the Taebaek Mountains, Korea, during field surveys from May to September 2007. Using culture-dependent and -independent methods, we found that compost used in burned soils influenced a greater impact on soil fungi than bacteria. Compost-treated soils contained higher levels of antifungal strains in the genera Bacillus and Burkholderia than non-treated soils. When the antifungal activity of Burkholderia sp. strain O1a_RA002, which had been isolated from a compost-treated soil, was tested for the growth inhibition of bacteria and fungi isolated from burned soils, the membrane-filtered culture supernatant inhibited 19/37 fungal strains including soil fungi, Eupenicillium spp. and Devriesia americana; plant pathogens, Polyschema larviformis and Massaria platani; an animal pathogen, Mortierella verticillata; and an unidentified Ascomycota. However, this organism only inhibited 11/151 bacterial strains tested. These patterns were compatible with the culture-independent DGGE results, suggesting that the compost used in burned soils had a greater impact on soil fungi than bacteria through the promotion of the growth of antifungal bacteria. Our findings indicate that compost used in burned soils is effective in restoring soil conditions to a state closer to those of nearby unburned forest soils at the early stage of secondary succession.     

Tropical soils degraded by slash‐and‐burn cultivation can be recultivated when amended with ashes and compost

In many tropical regions, slash‐and‐burn agriculture is considered as a driver of deforestation; the forest is converted into agricultural land by cutting and burning the trees. However, the fields are abandoned after few years because of yield decrease and weed invasion. Consequently, new surfaces are regularly cleared from the primary forest. We propose a reclamation strategy for abandoned fields allowing and sustaining re‐cultivation. In the dry region of south‐western Madagascar, we tested, according to a split‐plot design, an alternative selective slash‐and‐burn cultivation technique coupled with compost amendment on 30–year‐old abandoned fields. Corn plants (Zea mays L.) were grown on four different types of soil amendments: no amendment (control), compost, ashes (as in traditional slash‐and‐burn cultivation), and compost + ashes additions. Furthermore, two tree cover treatments were applied: 0% tree cover (as in traditional slash‐and‐burn cultivation) and 50% tree cover (selective slash‐and‐burn). Both corn growth and soil fertility parameters were monitored during the growing season 2015 up to final harvest. The amendment compost + ashes strongly increased corn yield, which was multiplied by 4–5 in comparison with ashes or compost alone, reaching 1.5 t/ha compared to 0.25 and 0.35 t/ha for ashes and compost, respectively. On control plots, yield was negligible as expected on these degraded soils. Structural equation modeling evidenced that compost and ashes were complementary fertilizing pathways promoting soil fertility through positive effects on soil moisture, pH, organic matter, and microbial activity. Concerning the tree cover treatment, yield was reduced on shaded plots (50% tree cover) compared to sunny plots (0% tree cover) for all soil amendments, except ashes. To conclude, our results provide empirical evidence on the potential of recultivating tropical degraded soils with compost and ashes. This would help mitigating deforestation of the primary forest by increasing lifespan of agricultural lands.     

Municipal solid waste compost amendment in agricultural soil: changes in soil microbial biomass

Agricultural application of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), as nutrient source for plants and as soil conditioner, is the most cost-effective option of MSW management because of its advantages over traditional means such as landfilling or incineration. However, agricultural application of MSW can lead to a potential environmental threat due to the presence of pathogens and toxic pollutants. Composting is an attractive alternative of MSW recycling. Application of MSW compost (MSWC) in agricultural soils can directly alter soil physico-chemical properties as well as promote plant growth. The soil microbial biomass, considered as the living part of soil organic matter, is very closely related to the soil organic matter content in many arable agricultural soils. Numerous studies, with different MSWC amendment doses on different soil types and under different water regimes revealed no detrimental effect on soil microbial biomass. In this review, we show the state of art about the effects of MSWC amendment on soil microbial biomass.     

Fire and soil-plant nutrient relations in a pine-wiregrass savanna on the coastal plain of North Carolina

Summary Changes in soil and plant nutrient conditions were evaluated following various burn and clip treatments in a longleaf pine-wiregrass savanna in Bladen Co., N.C., USA. Ground fires were found to add substantial quantities of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg to the soil, though not necessarily in forms immediately available to plants. Less than 1% of the total nitrogen in the charred residue (ash) is present as nitrate or ammonium. Considerable quantities of all nutrients examined were lost to the atmosphere during burning. Green leaf tissue in recently burned areas was consistently higher in N, P, K, Ca, and Mg compared to unburned areas. Howerver, when compared to similar tissues from clipped plots, burned area tissues were significantly higher in N, Ca, and Mg only. Data presented here suggest that tissue age significantly affects nutrient content and must be considered in any analysis of tissue nutrient content following burning. Within 4–6 months following fire, burned-area tissue nutrient content decreases to concentrations found in the unburned area. Burning resulted in initial enrichment of available soil nutrients including PO₄, K⁺, Ca⁺⁺, and Mg⁺⁺, however, NO₃ ^-, and NH₄ ⁺ concentrations in burned soil were not significantly different from unbruned soil. Soil and plant nutrient changes in an area burned two years in succession indicate that repeated burning may diminish nutrient availability. Plant response to various nutrient enrichment treatments of the soil indicated that nitrogen is limiting growth in both burned and unburned soils and that burning may alter some factors other than nutrients which may retard plant growth in unburned areas.     

Alteration and resilience of the soil microbial community following compost amendment: effects of compost level and compost-borne microbial community

Compost amendment has been reported to impact soil microbial activities or community composition. However, little information is available on (i) to what extent compost amendment concurrently affects the activity, size and composition of soil microbial community, (ii) the relative effect of the addition of a material rich in organic matter versus addition of compost-borne microorganisms in explaining the effects of amendment and (iii) the resilience of community characteristics. We compared five treatments in microcosms: (i) control soil (S), (ii) soil + low level of compost (Sc), (iii) soil + high level of compost (SC), (iv) sterilized soil + high level of compost [(S)C] and (v) soil + high level of sterilized compost [S(C)]. The actual C mineralization rate, substrate-induced respiration, size of microbial community (biomass and heterotrophic cells number), and structure of total microbial (phospholipid fatty acids) and bacterial (automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis, A-RISA) communities were surveyed during 6 months after amendment. Our results show that (i) compost amendment affected the activity, size and composition of the soil microbial community, (ii) the effect of compost amendment was mainly due to the physicochemical characteristics of compost matrix rather than to compost-borne microorganisms and (iii) no resilience of microbial characteristics was observed 6-12 months after amendment with a high amount of compost.