Submit Manuscript

Research Journal of Soil Biology

Year: 2020 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 1 | Page No.: 9-17
Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit Linkedin StumbleUpon E-mail
Research Article

Response of Soil Microbial Populations and Biomass under Five Agroforestry Systems in the Sub-humid Tropics

Nongmaithem Raju Singh Nongmaithem Raju Singh's LiveDNA, A. Arunachalam, D.P. Patel and S. Viyol

ABSTRACT

Background and Objective: Soil biological activity has been influenced by several biotic and abiotic factors prevailing in the region. For instance, variation in species composition, management practices and climatic conditions has had their reflections on the microbial population vis-à-vis biomass in the agroforestry systems. The present study was designed to understand the seasonal dynamics of microbial population and microbial biomass under the agroforestry systems of sub-humid Gujarat, India. Materials and Methods: Seasonally collected soil samples (0-15 and 15-30 cm) have been used for analyzing their physicochemical properties. Moist samples were used for soil biological studies. Bacterial and fungal counts were made following serial dilution methods. Microbial biomass (C, N and P) were estimated following the chloroform-fumigation extraction method. Results: Agri-silvicultural and home garden systems registered greater bacterial (27.20×104 g–1) and fungal (75.86×102 g–1) counts in the topsoil (0-15 cm). More or less similar trend was also observed in microbial biomass carbon. However, microbial biomass nitrogen (50.71 μg μ–1) and phosphorus (5.83 μg μ–1) were highest in the home gardens. Seasonally, microbial counts and biomass (C, N and P) in the soil were maximum during spring and minimum during the rainy season. Conclusion: Soil microbial population (bacteria and fungi) and microbial biomass C, N and P were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by different typologies of agroforestry practices in the sub-humid tropics. Overall, our study concludes that the home garden system performed better in influencing the biological health in tree-based farming systems.
PDF Abstract XML References Citation
Received: May 19, 2020;   Accepted: July 15, 2020;   Published: September 29, 2020

Search

REFERENCES

  1. Haynes, R.J., 2005. Labile organic matter fractions as central components of the quality of agricultural soils: An overview. Adv. Agron., 85: 221-268.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  2. Bardgett, R., 2010. The Biology of Soil. Oxford University Press, U.K.
    Direct Link
  3. Wright, S.F. and R.L. Anderson, 2000. Aggregate stability and glomalin in alternative crop rotations for the central great plains. Biol. Fertil. Soils, 31: 249-253.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  4. Pulleman, M.M., J. Six, A. Uyl, J.C.Y. Marinissen and A.G. Jongmans, 2005. Earthworms and management affect organic matter incorporation and micro aggregate formation in agricultural soils. Appl. Soil Ecol., 29: 1-15.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  5. Hooper, D.U. and P.M. Vitousek, 1998. Effects of plant composition and diversity on nutrient cycling. Ecol. Monogr., 68: 121-149.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  6. Huang, J. and C. Song, 2010. Effects of land use on soil water soluble organic C and microbial biomass C concentrations in the Sanjiang Plain in Northeast China. Acta Agr. Scand. B-S. P., 60: 182-188.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  7. Araújo, A.S.F. and W.J. Melo, 2010. Soil microbial biomass in organic farming system. Ciênc. Rural, 40: 2419-2419.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  8. Deb, S., A.R. Barbhuiya, A. Arunachalam and K. Arunachalam, 2008. Ecological analysis of traditional agroforest and tropical forest in the foothills of Indian eastern Himalaya: Vegetation, soil and microbial biomass. Trop. Ecol., 49: 73-78.
  9. Roy, S., K. Arunachalam, B.K. Dutta and A. Arunachalam, 2010. Effect of organic amendments of soil on growth and productivity of three common crops viz. Zea mays, Phaseolus vulgaris and Abelmoschus esculentus. Applied Soil Ecol., 45: 75-84.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  10. Nair, P.K.R., 1985. Classification of agroforestry system. Agrofor. Syst., 3: 97-128.
    CrossRef
  11. Allen, S.T., H.M. Grimshaw, J.A. Parkinson and C. Quarmby, 1974. Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. 1st Edn., Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, ISBN: 047002318.
  12. Waksman, S.A., 1952. Soil Microbiology. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
  13. Johnson, L.F. and E.A. Curl, 1972. Methods for Research on the Ecology of Soil-Borne Plant Pathogens. 6th Edn., Burgess Publishing Co., Minneapolis.
  14. Varghese, Naveena and P.P. Joy, 2014. Microbiology Laboratory Manual. 5th Edn., Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala Pages: 471.
    Direct Link
  15. Voroney R.P., P.C. Brookes and R.P. Beyaert, 2007. Soil microbial biomass C, N, P, and S. In: Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis, Carter, M.R. and E.G. Gregorich, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Pages: 1262.
    Direct Link
  16. Joergensen, R.G., J. Wu and P.C. Brookes, 2011. Measuring soil microbial biomass using an automated procedure. Soil Biol. Biochem., 43: 873-876.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  17. Joergensen, R.G., 1996. The fumigation-extraction method to estimate soil microbial biomass: Calibration of the kEC value. Soil Biol. Biochem., 28: 25-31.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  18. Brookes, P.C., A. Landman, G. Pruden and D.S. Jenkinson, 1985. Chloroform fumigation and release of soil nitrogen: A rapid direct extraction method to measure microbial biomass nitrogen in soil. Soil Biol. Biochem., 17: 837-842.
    CrossRef
  19. Joergensen, R.G. and T. Mueller, 1996. The fumigation-extraction method to estimate soil microbial biomass: Calibration of the KEN value. Soil Biol. Biochem., 28: 33-37.
    CrossRef
  20. Brookes, P.C., D.S. Powlson and D.S. Jenkinson, 1982. Measurement of microbial biomass phosphorus in soil. Soil Biol. Biochem., 14: 319-329.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  21. Zar, J.H., 1974. Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, ISBN-10: 0131008463, pp: 620.
  22. Singh N.R., A. Arunachalam, D.P. Patel and S. Viyol, 2019. Seasonal dynamics of litter accumulation in agroforestry systems of navsari district, gujarat. Climate Change Environ. Sustainability, 7: 151-156.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  23. Arunachalam, A., K. Maithani, H.N. Pandey and R.S. Tripathi, 1996. The impact of disturbance on detrital dynamics and soil microbial biomass of a Pinus kesiya forest in north-east India. For. Ecol. Manag., 88: 273-282.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  24. Arunachalam, A. and K. Arunachalam, 2000. Influence of gap size and soil properties on microbial biomass in a subtropical humid forest of north-east India. Plant Soil, 223: 187-195.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  25. Bhuyan S.I., O.P. Tripathi and M.L. Khan, 2013. Soil nutrients status in prominent agro-ecosystems of East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh. Int. J. Environ. Sci., 3: 1957-1968.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  26. Dorman C., 1993. A comparative study of cropped and virgin soils. Soil Sci., 36: 101-119.
    Direct Link
  27. Huang, W.Z. and J.J. Schoenau, 1996. Forms, amounts and distribution of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur in a boreal apsen forest soil. Can. J. soil. Sci., 76: 373-385.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  28. Tangjang, S., K. Arunachalam, A. Arunachalam and A.K. Shukla, 2009. Microbial population dynamics of soil under traditional agroforestry systems in Northeast India. Res. J. Soil Biol., 1: 1-7.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  29. Maithani, K., R.S. Tripathi, A. Arunachalam, H.N. Pandey, 1996. Seasonal dynamics of microbial biomass C, N and P during regrowth of a disturbed subtropical humid forest in north-east India. Appl. Soil Ecol., 4: 31-37.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  30. Kennedy, N.M., D.E. Gleeson, J. Connolly and N.J.W. Clipson, 2005. Seasonal and management influences on bacterial community structure in an upland grassland soil. FEMS Microb. Ecol., 53: 329-337.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  31. Arunachalam, A. and H.N. Pandey, 2003. Ecosystem restoration of jhum fallows in northeast India: Microbial C and N along altitudinal and successional gradients. Restoration Ecol., 11: 168-173.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  32. Hamidovic, S., J. Colo, M. Delic, J. Jurkovic, B. Lalevic, V. Raicevic and A.R. Talaie, 2013. Seasonal dynamics and vertical distribution of microorganisms and nutrients in soil of mostar pit (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Agric. Conspec. Sci., 78: 107-111.
    Direct Link
  33. Bossio, D.A., M.S. Girvan, L. Verchot, J. Bullimore, T. Borelli, A. Albrecht, K.M. Scow, A.S. Ball, J.N. Pretty and A.M. Osborn, 2005. Soil microbial community response to land use change in an agricultural landscape of Western Kenya. Microb. Ecol., 49: 50-62.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  34. Tanjang, S., A.K. Shukla, K. Arunachalam and A. Arunachalam, 2009. Mineralization dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus in Areca catechu L.-Based traditional agroforestry system. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal., 40: 3225-3237.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  35. Radhakrishnan, S. and M. Varadharajan, 2016. Status of microbial diversity in agroforestry systems in Tamil Nadu, India. J. Basic Microbiol., 56: 662-669.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  36. Jha, D.K., G.D. Sharma and R.R. Mishra, 1992. Ecology of soil microflora and mycorrhizal symbionts in degraded forests at two altitudes. Biol. Fertil. Soils, 12: 272-278.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  37. RigobeloI, E.C. and E. Nahas, 2004. Seasonal fluctuations of bacterial population and microbial activity in soils cultivated with eucalyptus and pinus. Sci. Agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.), 61: 88-93.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  38. Cho, S.T., S.H. Tsai, A. Ravindran, A. Selvam and S.S. Yang, 2008. Seasonal variation of microbial populations and biomass in Tatachia grassland soils of Taiwan. Environ. Geochem. Health, 30: 255-272.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  39. Wu, Z.Y., W.X. Lin, J.J. Li, J.F. Liu, B.L. Li et al., 2016. Effects of seasonal variations on soil microbial community composition of two typical zonal vegetation types in the Wuyi Mountains. J. Mt. Sci., 13: 1056-1065.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  40. Zeller, V., R.D. Bardgett and U. Tappeiner, 2001. Site and management effects on soil microbial properties of subalpine meadows: a study of land abandonment along a north–south gradient in the European Alps. Soil Biol. Biochem., 33: 639-649.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  41. Rodrigues R.C., R.A. Araújo, C.S. Costa, A.J.T. Lima and M.E. Oliveira et al., 2015. Soil microbial biomass in an agroforestry system of Northeast Brazil. Trop. Grassl.-Forrajes Trop., 3: 41-48.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  42. Kaur, B., S.R. Gupta, G. Singh, 2000. Soil carbon, microbial activity and nitrogen availability in agroforestry systems on moderately alkaline soils in northern India. Appl. Soil Ecol., 15: 283-294.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  43. Alfaro-Flores, A., I. Morales-Belpaire and M. Schneider, 2015. Microbial biomass and cellulase activity in soils under five different cocoa production systems in Alto Beni, Bolivia. Agroforest. Syst., 89: 789-798.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  44. Araújo, A.S.F., S. Cesarz, L.F.C. Leite, C.D. Borges, S.M. Tsai and N. Eisenhauer, 2013. Soil microbial properties and temporal stability in degraded and restored lands of Northeast Brazil. Soil Biol. Biochem., 66: 175-181.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  45. Chen, T.H., C.Y. Chiu and G. Tian, 2005. Seasonal dynamics of soil microbial biomass in coastal sand dune forest. Pedobiologia, 49: 645-653.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  46. Tangjang, S., K. Arunachalam, A. Arunachalam and A.K. Shukla, 2015. Influence of microbial populations on biomass C, N and P under Areca catechu L. based traditional homestead garden of Northeast India. In: Microbes in soil and their agricultural prospects, Choudhary K.K and D.W. Dhar, Nova Science Publishers, New York, United States, pp: 391-404.
    Direct Link
  47. Diaz-Ravina, M., M.J. Acea and T. Carballas, 1995. Seasonal changes in microbial biomass and nutrient flush in forest soils. Biol. Fert. Soils, 19: 220-226.
    CrossRef
  48. Lynch, J.M. and L.M. Panting, 1980. Cultivation and the soil biomass. Soil Biol. Biochem., 12: 29-33.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  49. Mao, D.M., Y.W. Min, L.L Yu, R. Martens and H. Insam, 1992. Effect of afforestation on microbial biomass and activity in soils of tropical China. Soil Biol. Biochem., 24: 865-872.
    CrossRef
  50. Devi, N.B. and P.S. Yadava, 2006. Seasonal dynamics in soil microbial biomass C, N and P in a mixed-oak forest ecosystem of Manipur, North-east India. Appl. Soil Ecol., 31: 220-227.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  51. García-Oliva, F., B. Sveshtarova and M. Oliva, 2003. Seasonal effects on soil organic carbon dynamics in a tropical deciduous forest ecosystem in western Mexico. J. Trop. Ecol., 19: 179-188.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  52. Singh, R.S., S.C. Srivastava, A.S. Raghubanshi, J.S. Singh and S.P. Singh, 1991. Microbial C, N and P in dry tropical savanna: effects of burning and grazing. J. Appl. Ecol., 28: 869-878.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  53. Wardle, D.A., G.W. Yeates, K.S. Nicholson, K.I. Bonner, R.N. Watson, 1999. Response of soil microbial biomass dynamics, activity and plant litter decomposition to agricultural intensification over a seven-year period. Soil Biol. Biochem., 31: 1707-1720.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  54. Acosta-Martínez, V. and M.A. Tabatabai, 2000. Enzyme activities in a limed agricultural soil. Biol. Fertil. Soils, 31: 85-91.
    CrossRefDirect Link
  55. Chattopadhyay, T., S.K. Reza, D.J. Nath, U. Baruah and D. Sarkar, 2012. Effect of land use on soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content in the soils of Jorhat district, Assam. Agropedology, 22: 119-122.
    Direct Link
  56. Haripal, K. and S. Sahoo, 2014. Microbial biomass Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus dynamics along a chronosequence of abandoned tropical agroecosystems. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. Appl. Sci., 3: 956-970.
    Direct Link
  57. Debnath, S., A.K. Patra, N. Ahmed, S. Kumar, B.S. Dwivedi, 2015. Assessment of microbial biomass and enzyme activities in soil under temperate fruit crops in north western himalayan region. J. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr., 15: 848-866.
    CrossRefDirect Link

Search

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *