Integrated multivariate analysis of selected soil microbial properties and their relationships with mineral fertilization management in a conservation agricultura system

VERDENELLI R.A.; CONFORTO C.; PÉREZ BRANDÁN C.; CHAVARRRÍA D.; ROVEA A.; VARGAS GIL S.; MERILES J. M.

ACTA AGRICULTURAE SCANDINAVICA SECTION B-SOIL AND PLANT SCIENCE

TAYLOR & FRANCIS AS

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2013 vol. 63 p. 623 - 632

0906-4710

The effect of mineral fertilizer application on soil microbial community was investigated in a conservation15 agriculture system. The aim of this work was to evaluate how mineral fertilization with nitrogen (N),phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and micronutrients (M) affects microbial community structure and function. A10-year experiment, conducted on a typic Hapludoll using six mineral fertilizer treatments (control, CK; PS;NS; NP; NPS; and NPSM) was evaluated in central Argentina. Microbial community structure and functionwere characterized by phospholipid fatty acids and community-level physiological profiles, respectively. Soil20 microbial metabolic activity was determined by monitoring microbial respiration, fluorescein diacetate activity(FDA), dehydrogenase activity and phosphatase activity (PHA). NPS and NPSM treatments showed highertotal microbial biomass and gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, but lower fungal biomass than theremaining treatments. Fertilizer treatments without S (CK and NP) showed lower carbon source utilization andShannon index than the other treatments. In addition, both FDA and PHA significantly increased under25 NPSM. An integrated PC analysis indicated that sensitive bioindicators were significantly associated with threecarbon sources, one metabolic parameter, and six fatty acid bioindicators. These results provide informationabout the importance of balanced fertilization with P, N, S, and M in promoting microbial biomass, metabolicactivity, and functional diversity.