Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Continuous manuring combined with chemical fertilizer affects soil microbial residues in a Mollisol

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biology and Fertility of Soils Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, the influence of 10 years’ continuous application of organic manure at various rates combined with chemical fertilizer on microbial residues was evaluated in a highly fertile temperate soil. The presence and origin of microbial residues were indicated by amino sugar analysis. The treatments were: (1) CK, unfertilized control; (2) OM0, only chemical fertilizer, no manure added; (3) OM1, organic manure added at 7.5 Mg ha−1 year−1 plus chemical fertilizer; (4) OM2, organic manure added at 15 Mg ha−1 year−1 plus chemical fertilizer; and (5) OM3, organic manure added at 22.5 Mg ha−1 year−1 plus chemical fertilizer. Fertilization significantly increased the total amino sugar concentrations, especially in the plots with higher manure addition rates (OM2 and OM3 plots, P < 0.05). This suggests a positive effect of organic manure combined with chemical fertilizer on the accumulation of microbial residues in soil. However, the highest manure rate (OM3) did not lead to further increase in the total amino sugar pool as compared with the moderate manure rate (OM2). This suggests manure addition “saturates” in its effect on microbial residue build-up. The different patterns of individual amino sugars suggest a change in the quality of microbial-derived soil organic matter after 10 years.

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
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albiach R, Canet R, Pomares F, Ingelmo F (2001) Organic matter components and aggregate stability after the application of different amendment to a horticultural soil. Bioresour Technol 76:125–129

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amelung W (2001) Methods using amino sugars as markers for microbial residues in soil. In: Lal R, Kimble JM, Follett RF, Stewart BA (eds) Assessment methods for soil carbon. Lewis, Boca Raton, pp 233–272

    Google Scholar 

  • Amelung W, Zhang X, Flach KW, Zech W (1999) Amino sugars in native grassland soils along a climosequence in North America. Soil Sci Soc Am J 63:86–92

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amelung W, Miltner A, Zhang X, Zech W (2001) Fate of microbial residues during litter decomposition as affected by minerals. Soil Sci 166:598–606

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amelung W, Lobe I, Du Preez CC (2002) Fate of microbial residues in sandy soils of the South African Highveld as influenced by prolonged arable cropping. Eur J Soil Sci 53:29–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amelung W, Brodowski S, Sandhage-Hofmann A, Bol R (2008) Combining biomarker with stable isotope analyses for assessing the transformation and turnover of soil organic matter. Adv Agron 100:155–250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter-Boggs L, Kennedy AC, Reganold JP (2000) Organic and biodynamic management: effects on soil biology. Soil Sci Soc Am J 64:1651–1659

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chander K, Joergensen RG (2001) Decomposition of 14C glucose in two soils with different levels of heavy metal contamination. Soil Biol Biochem 33:1811–1816

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chantigny MH, Angers DA, Prévost D, Vézina LP, Chalifour FP (1997) Soil aggregation and fungal and bacterial biomass under annual and perennial cropping systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 61:262–267

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chaparro JM, Sheflin AM, Manter DK, Vivanco JM (2012) Manipulating the soil microbiome to increase soil health and plant fertility. Biol Fertil Soils 48:489–499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen BT (1988) Effects of animal manure and mineral fertilizer on the total carbon and nitrogen contents of soil size fractions. Biol Fertil Soils 5:304–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ding X, Zhang X, He H, Xie H (2010) Dynamics of soil amino sugar pools during decomposition processes of corn residues as affected by inorganic N addition. J Soils Sediments 10:758–766

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding X, Zhang B, Zhang X, Yang X, Zhang X (2011) Effects of tillage and crop rotation on soil microbial residues in a rainfed agroecosystem of northeast China. Soil Tillage Res 114:43–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ding X, Han X, Liang Y, Qiao Y, Li L, Li N (2012) Changes in soil organic carbon pools after 10 years of continuous manuring combined with chemical fertilizer in a Mollisol in China. Soil Tillage Res 122:36–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engelking B, Flessa H, Joergensen RG (2007) Shifts in amino sugar and ergosterol contents after addition of sucrose and cellulose to soil. Soil Biol Biochem 39:2111–2118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Esperschütz J, Gattinger A, Mäder P, Schloter M, Fließbach A (2007) Response of soil microbial biomass and community structures to conventional and organic farming systems under identical crop rotations. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 61:26–37

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreras L, Gomez E, Toresani S, Firpo I, Rotondo R (2006) Effect of organic amendments on some physical, chemical and biological properties in a horticultural soil. Bioresour Technol 97:635–640

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fließbach A, Mäder P (2000) Microbial biomass and size-density fractions differ between soils of organic and conventional agricultural systems. Soil Biol Biochem 32:757–768

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fließbach A, Oberholzer HR, Gunst L, Mäder P (2007) Soil organic matter and biological soil quality indicators after 21 years of organic and conventional farming. Agric Ecosyst Environ 118:273–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser B, Turrión MB, Alef K (2004) Amino sugars and muramic acid-biomarkers for soil microbial community structure analysis. Soil Biol Biochem 36:399–407

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guggenberger G, Frey SD, Six J, Paustian K, Elliott ET (1999) Bacterial and fungal cell-wall residues in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 63:1188–1198

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He H, Zhang W, Zhang X, Xie H, Zhuang J (2011) Temporal responses of soil microorganisms to substrate addition as indicated by amino sugar differentiation. Soil Biol Biochem 43:1155–1161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jimenez MP, Horra AM, Pruzzo L, Palma RM (2002) Soil quality: a new index based on microbiological and biochemical parameter. Biol Fertil Soils 35:302–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joergensen RG, Wichern F (2008) Quantitative assessment of the fungal contribution to microbial tissue in soil. Soil Biol Biochem 40:2977–2991

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joergensen RG, Anderson TH, Wolters V (1995) Carbon and nitrogen relationships in the microbial biomass of soils in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests. Biol Fertil Soils 19:141–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joergensen RG, Mäder P, Flieβbach A (2010) Long-term effects of organic farming on fungal and bacterial residues in relation to microbial energy metabolism. Biol Fertil Soils 46:303–307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kindler R, Miltner A, Thullner M, Richnow HH, Kästner M (2009) Fate of bacterial biomass derived fatty acids in soil and their contribution to soil organic matter. Org Geochem 40:29–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kögel I, Bochter R (1985) Amino sugar determination in organic soils by capillary gas chromatography using a nitrogen-selective detector. Z Pflanzenernähr Bodenkd 148:260–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ladd JN, Foster R, Nannipieri P, Oades JM (1996) Soil structure and biological activity. In: Stotzky G, Bollag J-M (eds) Soil Biochemistry, vol 9. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 23–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang C, Balser TC (2008) Preferential sequestration of microbial carbon in subsoils of a glacial-landscape toposequence, Dane County, WI, USA. Geoderma 148:113–119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liang C, Zhang X, Rubert KF, Balser TC (2007) Effect of plant materials on microbial transformation of amino sugars in three soil microcosms. Biol Fertil Soils 43:631–639

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang C, Cheng G, Wixon DL, Balser TC (2010) An absorbing Markov chain approach to understanding the microbial role in soil carbon stabilization. Biogeochemistry 106:303–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XB, Herbert SJ, Zhang XY (2010) Feeding China’s growing needs for grain. Nature 465:420

    Article  PubMed  CAS  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 

  • Parsons JW (1981) Chemistry and distribution of amino sugars in soils and soil organisms. In: Paul EA, Ladd JN (eds) Soil Biochemistry, vol 5. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 197–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul EA, Clark FE (1989) Soil microbiology and biochemistry. Academic, San Diego, pp 131–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Peacock AD, Mullen MD, Ringelberg DB, Tyler DD, Hedrick DB, Gale PM, White DC (2001) Soil microbial community responses to dairy manure or ammonium nitrate applications. Soil Biol Biochem 33:1011–1019

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel D, Harvey C, Resosudarmo P, Sinclair K, Kurz D, McNair M, Crist S, Shpritz L, Fitton L, Saffouri R, Blair R (1995) Environmental and economic costs of soil erosion and conservation benefits. Science 267:1117–1123

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scheller E, Joergensen RG (2008) Decomposition of wheat straw differing in nitrogen content in soils under conventional and organic farming management. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 171:886–892

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson RT, Frey SD, Six J, Thiet RK (2004) Preferential accumulation of microbial carbon in aggregate structures of no-tillage soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 68:1249–1255

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson A, Simpson M, Smith E, Kelleher B (2007) Microbially derived inputs to soil organic matter: are current estimates too low? Environ Sci Technol 41:8070–8076

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Six J, Frey SD, Thiet RK, Batten KM (2006) Bacterial and fungal contributions to carbon sequestration in agroecosystems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 70:555–569

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Soil Survey Staff (1998) Keys to soil taxonomy. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington DC, p 328

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson FJ (1986) Cycles of soil carbon nitrogen phosphorus sulfur micronutrients. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Tejada M, Gonzalez JL (2003) Effects of the application of a compost originating from crushed cotton gin residues on wheat yield under dryland conditions. Eur J Agron 19:357–368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turrión MB, Glaser B, Zech W (2002) Effects of deforestation on contents and distribution of amino sugars within particle-size fractions of mountain soils. Biol Fertil Soils 35:49–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Groenigen KJ, Bloem J, Bååth E, Boeckx P, Rousk J, Bodé S, Forristal D, Jones MB (2010) Abundance, production and stabilization of microbial biomass under conventional and reduced tillage. Soil Biol Biochem 42:48–55

    Article  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 

  • von Lützow M, Kögel-Knabner I, Ekschmitt K, Matzner E, Guggenberger G, Marschner B, Flessa H (2006) Stabilization of organic matter in temperate soils: mechanisms and their relevance under different soil conditions—a review. Eur J Soil Sci 57:426–445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wichern J, Wichern F, Joergensen RG (2006) Impact of salinity on soil microbial communities and the decomposition of maize in acidic soils. Geoderma 137:100–108

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xing BS, Liu XB, Liu JD, Han XZ (2004) Physical and chemical characteristics of a typical Mollisol in China. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 35:1839–1850

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Amelung W (1996) Gas chromatographic determination of muramic acid, glucosamine, mannosamine, and galactosamine in soils. Soil Biol Biochem 28:1201–1206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Amelung W, Yuan Y, Samson-Liebigc S, Brownc L, Zech W (1999) Land-use effects on amino sugars in particle-size fractions of an Argiudoll. Appl Soil Ecol 11:271–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2011CB100506) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41101282, 41001138). The editor and two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged for their constructive comments and critical review of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, 150081, People’s Republic of China

    Xueli Ding, Xiaozeng Han, Yunfa Qiao & Yao Liang

  2. Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecological Process, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China

    Xudong Zhang

Authors
  1. Xueli Ding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaozeng Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xudong Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yunfa Qiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yao Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xueli Ding.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ding, X., Han, X., Zhang, X. et al. Continuous manuring combined with chemical fertilizer affects soil microbial residues in a Mollisol. Biol Fertil Soils 49, 387–393 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-012-0736-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-012-0736-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation