Assessment of soil microbial diversity measurements as indicators of soil functioning in organic and conventional horticulture systems

Effects of Liquid Organic Fertilizers on Plant Growth and Rhizosphere Soil Characteristics of Chrysanthemum

“…Under the liquid organic fertilizer treatments, the utilization of carbohydrate, carboxylic acid, phenolic compounds, amino acid, and polymer was much greater than in the CK and NPK treatments, and an enhancement of these carbon sources was observed by 59.4-191.7% and 0.2-56.0% compared with the CK and NPK treatments, respectively ( Figure 5). This was in accordance with earlier work of Romaniuk et al in which microbial functional diversity could indicate the influence of fertilizer and management practices in organic and conventional horticulture systems [62]. The utilization of phenolic compounds showed a different tendency in our experiment and it was highest under the Non-R treatment and lowest for CK treatment.…”

Field Application of the Mycorrhizal Fungus <i>Rhizophagus irregularis</i> Increases the Yield of Wheat Crop and Affects Soil Microbial Functionalities

“…(2) For each year, data in the same line followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to the Newman-Keul's test (P < 0.05). 3) Microbial catabolic diversity represents another important microbial trait, commonly used to investigate soil functioning [43]. As already reported in previous studies [13] [31] [44], our results show that AMF inoculation was accompanied with an increase of the soil catabolic eveness.…”

Microbial biomass, activity, and community structure in horticultural soils under conventional and organic management strategies

“…The relatively low G À /G þ bacterial ratios in our organic plots may be attributed to a positive nutrient balance due to the continuous input of organic amendments. This positive nutrient balance makes the microbial communities in organic systems more resistant to environmental stresses resulting from production practices than those in conventional systems [8].…”

“…Because microbes affect most nutrient transformations, healthy and diverse soil microbial communities are essential to sustainable agro-ecosystems [8], and inappropriate land-use and soil management strategies may alter these microbial communities into less beneficial assemblages [9,10]. Organic systems are managed using reduced tillage, regular inputs of organic matter, and nutrient recycling strategies based on crop rotation [11], potentially affecting soil microbial communities.…”