Pedosphere 27(1): 138--146, 2017
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2017 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Monitoring soil microbial activities in different cropping systems using combined methods |
YUAN Zhi-Min1, LIU Hai-Jun2, HAN Jun1, SUN Jing-Jing1, WU Xiao-Ying1 and YAO Jun1,3 |
| 1School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, National International Cooperation Base on Environment and Engery, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)
2School of Resources and Environment, Anqing Normal University, Anqing 246133 (China)
3School of Water Resource and Environmental Engineering, Sino-Hungarian Joint Laboratory of Environmental Science and Health, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 (China)yaojun@ustb.edu.cn |
| ABSTRACT |
| Cropping activities may affect soil microbial activities and biomass, which would affect C and N cycling in soil and thus the crop yields and quality. In the present study, a combination of microcalorimetric, enzyme activity (sucrase, urease, catalase, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis), and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses was used to investigate microbial status of farmland soils, collected from 5 different sites in Huazhong Agriculture University, China. Our results showed that among the 5 sites, both positive and negative impacts of cropping activities on soil microbial activity were observed. Enzyme activity analysis showed that cropping activities reduced soil sucrase and urease activities, which would influence the C and N cycles in soil. Much more attentions should be given to microbial status affected by cropping activities in future. According to the correlation analysis, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis showed a significantly (P < 0.05) negative correlation with the time to reach the maximum power output (R = -0.898), but a significantly (P < 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number (R = 0.817). Soil catalase activity also showed a significantly (P < 0.05) positive correlation with bacterial gene copy number (R = 0.965). Using combined methods would provide virtual information of soil microbial status. |
| Key Words: cropping activity, enzyme activity, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, microbial biomass, microcalorimetric analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction |
| Citation: Yuan, Z. M., Liu, H. J., Han, J., Sun, J. J., Wu, X. Y. and Yao, J. 2017. Monitoring soil microbial activities in different cropping systems using combined methods. Pedosphere. 27(1): 138-146. |
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