Assessment of Soil Health in Urban Agriculture:  Soil Enzymes and Microbial Properties

Igalavithana, Avanthi Deshani; Lee, Sang Soo; Niazi, Nabeel Khan; Lee, Young Han; Kim, Kye Hoon; Park, Jeong Hun; Moon, Deok Hyun; Ok, Yong Sik

doi:10.3390/su9020310

Cited by 40 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Enzyme activity responds quickly to the addition of organic or inorganic material in the soil [ 71 ]. For example, DHA and BGA activities are consistently enhanced with supplementation [ 72 , 73 ]. Our results revealed that UA, DHA, and BGA enzyme activities were not affected by biochar application alone but adding compost greatly enhanced their activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar and compost effects on soil microbial communities and nitrogen induced respiration in turfgrass soils

et al. 2020

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We examined the effect of a labile soil amendment, compost, and recalcitrant biochar on soil microbial community structure, diversity, and activity during turfgrass establishment. Two application rates of biochar (B1 at 12.5 t ha-1and B2 at 25 t ha-1), a 5 centimeter (cm) green waste compost treatment (CM) in top soil, a treatment with 12.5 t ha-1 biochar and 5 cm compost (B1+CM), and an unamended control (CK) treatment were prepared and seeded with tall fescue. Overall, results of phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) profiling and Illumina high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes amplified from soil DNA revealed significant shifts in microbial community structures in the compost amended soils whereas in biochar amended soils communities were more similar to the control, unamended soil. Similarly, increases in enzymatic rates (6–56%) and nitrogen-induced respiration (94%) were all largest in compost amended soils, with biochar amended soils exhibiting similar patterns to the control soils. Both biochar and compost amendments impacted microbial community structures and functions, but compost amendment, whether applied alone or co-applied with biochar, exhibited the strongest shifts in the microbial community metrics examined. Our results suggest application of compost to soils in need of microbiome change (reclamation projects) or biochar when the microbiome is functioning and long-term goals such as carbon sequestration are more desirable.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar and compost effects on soil microbial communities and nitrogen induced respiration in turfgrass soils

et al. 2020

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“…Some caveats need to be underscored as a possible basis for further work. For example, in this study, only one soil was investigated, although this soil is broadly representative in its biota and soil characteristics of moist temperate zone soils in cultivated and disturbed environments 81–83 . As this is apparently the first instance in which a soil has been investigated metagomically in this context, it is unclear how other soils might respond to radiation exposure from the whole biota perspective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in soil taxonomic and functional diversity resulting from gamma irradiation

Ogwu

Kerfahi

Song

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Little is known of the effects of ionizing radiation exposure on soil biota. We exposed soil microcosms to weekly bursts of 60 Co gamma radiation over six weeks, at three levels of exposure (0.1 kGy/hr/wk [low], 1 kGy/hr/wk [medium] and 3 kGy/hr/wk [high]). Soil DNA was extracted, and shotgun metagenomes were sequenced and characterised using MG-RAST. We hypothesized that with increasing radiation exposure there would be a decrease in both taxonomic and functional diversity. While bacterial diversity decreased, diversity of fungi and algae unexpectedly increased, perhaps because of release from competition. Despite the decrease in diversity of bacteria and of biota overall, functional gene diversity of algae, bacteria, fungi and total biota increased. Cycles of radiation exposure may increase the range of gene functional strategies viable in soil, a novel ecological example of the effects of stressors or disturbance events promoting some aspects of diversity. Moreover, repeated density-independent population crashes followed by population expansion may allow lottery effects, promoting coexistence. Radiation exposure produced large overall changes in community composition. Our study suggests several potential novel radiation-tolerant groups: in addition to Deinococcus-Thermus, which reached up to 20% relative abundance in the metagenome, the phyla Chloroflexi (bacteria), Chytridiomycota (fungi) and Nanoarcheota (archaea) may be considered as radiation-tolerant.

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“…The available studies agree that urban agriculture sites have an ample supply of plant nutrients which are derived from various forms of urban waste streams ( Wielemaker et al., 2019 ). Research also indicates that using organic fertilizers rather than inorganic forms is associated with higher microbial activity due to carbon inputs to soil ( Igalavithana et al., 2017 ). In terms of yield-efficiency, high outputs have been reported, however, often at benefits-to-cost ratios similar to conventional farms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban soil health: A city-wide survey of chemical and biological properties of urban agriculture soils

Salomon

Watts‐Williams

McLaughlin

et al. 2020

Journal of Cleaner Production

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The integration of urban green spaces into modern city planning is seen as a promising tool to offset the drawbacks of ever-expanding cities. Urban agriculture is a common method to implement such strategies and to increase urban sustainability with a special focus on food security. Due to their location, urban farms are highly influenced by past and present anthropogenic activities which can threaten both soil health and food safety. This study includes 12 urban agriculture sites in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, Australia. It is the first of its kind to focus on soil health in urban agriculture systems with a further emphasis on mycorrhizal fungi. Descriptive information about each site, the biodiversity of the selected plots and soil samples from different depths and locations were collected and analysed for chemical and biological parameters. Seven metals, total and plant-available (Colwell) phosphorus and available nitrogen were measured in soils. A glasshouse bioassay was also conducted to determine the abundance of beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soils and the change of root colonization after inoculation with the mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis . Results showed a generally high biodiversity of plants that correlated with site activity (commercial or community garden) and which could potentially be used for urban biodiversity conservation. Metal concentrations in soils were below national guidelines levels for all samples, although sites with previous industrial history showed elevated levels when compared to sites without industrial history. The use of raised beds with introduced soils eliminated differences in previous land-use history, thereby providing a good option to support cleaner production. Gardening soils were considered highly fertile, with plant-available (Colwell) P concentrations exceeding recommended levels for most horticultural crops, while soils were adequately supplied with nitrogen. Most plant nutrients were derived from freely available urban waste streams and integrated via composting. Various urban waste streams could be used to counter-act imbalanced soil nutrients. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were present in all sites, indicating that the practiced soil management is sustainable from a microbial perspective. Given their important role in supporting plant nutrition, and potential to reduce the need for external nutrient inputs, they provide an important focal point for achieving clean and sustainable urban food production. The results were incorporated into a framework for the management of urban soil health.

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Assessment of Soil Health in Urban Agriculture: Soil Enzymes and Microbial Properties

Cited by 40 publications

References 58 publications

Biochar and compost effects on soil microbial communities and nitrogen induced respiration in turfgrass soils

Biochar and compost effects on soil microbial communities and nitrogen induced respiration in turfgrass soils

Changes in soil taxonomic and functional diversity resulting from gamma irradiation

Urban soil health: A city-wide survey of chemical and biological properties of urban agriculture soils

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