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Soil Microbial Biomass and pH as Affected by the Addition of Plant Residues

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Molecular Environmental Soil Science at the Interfaces in the Earth’s Critical Zone

Abstract

The soil microbial biomass is involved in the decomposition of organic materials and thus, the cycling of nutrients in soils. Reductions in the size and activity of the microbial biomass are frequently used as an early indicator of changes in soil chemical and physical properties resulting from management and environmental stresses in agricultural ecosystems. In a laboratory-incubated soil, we found a strong relationship between microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N. Irrespective of the type of plant residues added, soil pH was significantly correlated with microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N. Different C/N ratio of the residues was the main characteristic that affected soil microbial biomass C, N and soil pH. Microbes played a main role in plant residues decomposition and indirectly influenced of soil pH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Subtropical Soil and Plant Nutrition, College of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Yunfeng Wang, Ling Zhou, Jianjun Wu & Jianming Xu

  2. Department of Agricultural Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora (Melbourne), Vic., 3086, Australia

    Clayton R Butterly & Caixian Tang

Authors
  1. Yunfeng Wang
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  2. Ling Zhou
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  3. Jianjun Wu
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  4. Clayton R Butterly
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  5. Caixian Tang
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  6. Jianming Xu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianming Xu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Jianming Xu

  2. Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8, Canada

    Pan Ming Huang

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© 2010 Zhejiang University Press, Hangzhou and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Wang, Y., Zhou, L., Wu, J., Butterly, C.R., Tang, C., Xu, J. (2010). Soil Microbial Biomass and pH as Affected by the Addition of Plant Residues. In: Xu, J., Huang, P.M. (eds) Molecular Environmental Soil Science at the Interfaces in the Earth’s Critical Zone. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-05297-2_93

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