Chemistry and Microbial Functional Diversity Differences in Biofuel Crop and Grassland Soils in Multiple Geographies

Watrud, Lidia S.; Reichman, Jay R.; Bollman, Michael A.; Smith, Bonnie M.; Lee, E. Henry; Jastrow, Julie D.; Casler, Michael D.; Collins, Harold P.; Fransen, Steven C.; Mitchell, Robert B.; Owens, Vance N.; Bean, Brent W.; Rooney, William L.; Tyler, Donald D.; King, George A.

doi:10.1007/s12155-012-9279-y

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Using Brightfield microscopy, Watrud et al . () found active bacterial biomass greater in switchgrass and grassland sites compared to sorghum, but no differences in active fungal biomass. A recent study by Liang et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…There are few direct studies examining switchgrass SMB, and frequently they use different methods. Using Brightfield microscopy, Watrud et al (2013) found active bacterial biomass greater in switchgrass and grassland sites compared to sorghum, but no differences in active fungal biomass. A recent study by Liang et al (2012) found no significant difference between corn and switchgrass, but a significant increase under prairie or restored prairie in microbial lipid C concentration (a proxy for microbial biomass) in the 0-10 cm depth across 10 corn and 9 switchgrass sites in southern Wisconsin (averaging 10 years management).…”

Section: Switchgrass Increased Soil Aggregate Stability and Smb-cmentioning

confidence: 86%

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Nitrogen and harvest effects on soil properties under rainfed switchgrass and no‐till corn over 9 years: implications for soil quality

et al. 2014

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Nitrogen fertilizer and harvest management will alter soils under bioenergy crop production and the long-term effects of harvest timing and residue removal remain relatively unknown. Compared to no-tilled corn (NT-C, Zea mays L.), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is predicted to improve soil properties [i.e. soil organic C (SOC), soil microbial biomass (SMB-C), and soil aggregation] due to its perennial nature and deep-rooted growth form, but few explicit field comparisons exist. We assessed soil properties over 9 years for a rainfed study of N fertilizer rate (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg N ha À1 ) and harvest management on switchgrass (harvested in August and postfrost)and NT-C (with and without 50% stover removal) in eastern NE. We measured SOC, aggregate stability, SMB-C, bulk density (BD), pH, P and K in the top 0-30 cm. Both NT-C and switchgrass increased SMB-C, SOC content, and aggregate stability over the 9 years, reflecting improvement from previous conventional management. However, the soils under switchgrass had double the percent aggregate stability, 1.3 times more microbial biomass, and a 5-8% decrease in bulk density in the 0-5 and 5-10 cm depths compared to NT-C. After 9 years, cumulative decrease in available P was significantly greater beneath NT-C (À24.0 kg P ha À1) compared to switchgrass (À5.4 kg P ha À1). When all measured soil parameters were included in the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), switchgrass improved soil quality index over time (DSQI) in all depths. NT-C without residue removal did not affect DSQI, but 50% residue removal decreased DSQI (0-30 cm) due to reduced aggregate stability and SMB-C. Even with best-management practices such as NT, corn stover removal will have to be carefully managed to prevent soil degradation. Long-term N and harvest management studies that include biological, chemical, and physical soil measurements are necessary to accurately assess bioenergy impacts on soils.Keywords: harvest timing, no-till corn, P, K, N fertilizer, residue removal, soil C sequestration, soil organic C, switchgrass IntroductionBioenergy production has increased exponentially over the past 30 years (U.S. Department of Energy, 2013) in part leading to a dramatic increase in US acreage planted to corn (Zea mays) USDA-NAAS, 2013 and consuming over 30% of the US corn production in 2009 (Robertson et al., 2011). The primary feedstock for producing cellulosic bioethanol, corn stover, is attractive due to the large quantity of biomass available (Karlen et al., 2011a, b). However, concerns have been raised about the long-term annual removal of 50% or more of the crop residue and its potential to decrease both plant and soil productivity while also increasing the potential for soil erosion-ultimately reducing future yields and decreasing soil organic carbon (SOC) content (Johnson et al., 2011; Karlen et al., 2011a, b).Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennial, native, C4 grass capable of growing on a broad range of soil types and under non-irrigated conditions (Sander...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Switchgrass Increased Soil Aggregate Stability and Smb-cmentioning

confidence: 86%

Nitrogen and harvest effects on soil properties under rainfed switchgrass and no‐till corn over 9 years: implications for soil quality

et al. 2014

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“…Some studies in biomass cropping systems have not observed differences in soil microbial responses between perennial and annual crop types (Mao et al, 2011), while others have measured significant differences in microbial abundance, diversity and community structure between these cropping types (Liang et al, 2012;Morales et al, 2010;Watrud et al, 2013). Currently, we observed significantly higher nosZ gene copies in miscanthus soils compared to corn-soybean soils, illustrating a distinct effect of LUC from corn-soybean to miscanthus production on soil N cycling (Table 2).…”

Section: Bacterial Responses To Annual and Perennial Crops And Their mentioning

confidence: 57%

Soil denitrifier community size changes with land use change to perennial bioenergy cropping systems

Thompson

Deen

Dunfield

2016

SOIL

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Abstract. Dedicated biomass crops are required for future bioenergy production. However, the effects of largescale land use change (LUC) from traditional annual crops, such as corn-soybean rotations to the perennial grasses (PGs) switchgrass and miscanthus, on soil microbial community functioning is largely unknown. Specifically, ecologically significant denitrifying communities, which regulate N 2 O production and consumption in soils, may respond differently to LUC due to differences in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) inputs between crop types and management systems. Our objective was to quantify bacterial denitrifying gene abundances as influenced by corn-soybean crop production compared to PG biomass production. A field trial was established in 2008 at the Elora Research Station in Ontario, Canada (n = 30), with miscanthus and switchgrass grown alongside corn-soybean rotations at different N rates (0 and 160 kg N ha −1 ) and biomass harvest dates within PG plots. Soil was collected on four dates from 2011 to 2012 and quantitative PCR was used to enumerate the total bacterial community (16S rRNA) and communities of bacterial denitrifiers by targeting nitrite reductase (nirS) and N 2 O reductase (nosZ) genes. Miscanthus produced significantly larger yields and supported larger nosZ denitrifying communities than corn-soybean rotations regardless of management, indicating large-scale LUC from corn-soybean to miscanthus may be suitable in variable Ontario climatic conditions and under varied management, while potentially mitigating soil N 2 O emissions. Harvesting switchgrass in the spring decreased yields in N-fertilized plots, but did not affect gene abundances. Standing miscanthus overwinter resulted in higher 16S rRNA and nirS gene copies than in fall-harvested crops. However, the size of the total (16S rRNA) and denitrifying bacterial communities changed differently over time and in response to LUC, indicating varying controls on these communities.

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“…Quantifying soil P available to plants is challenging, especially if attempting to do this dynamically during a growing season. Typical chemical extraction methods (e.g., Bray, Olsen, or Mehlich III) quantify only a fraction of the inorganic P pool and are typically measured in top soils prior to planting 13 , 14 . Although the P concentration data obtained with these methods have been widely used in the literature to represent total P availability, they are not an accurate measure of P available for plant growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectroscopic analysis reveals that soil phosphorus availability and plant allocation strategies impact feedstock quality of nutrient-limited switchgrass

et al. 2022

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The perennial native switchgrass adapts better than other plant species do to marginal soils with low plant-available nutrients, including those with low phosphorus (P) content. Switchgrass roots and their associated microorganisms can alter the pools of available P throughout the whole soil profile making predictions of P availability in situ challenging. Plant P homeostasis makes monitoring of P limitation via measurements of plant P content alone difficult to interpret. To address these challenges, we developed a machine-learning model trained with high accuracy using the leaf tissue chemical profile, rather than P content. By applying this learned model in field trials across two sites with contrasting extractable soil P, we observed that actual plant available P in soil was more similar than expected, suggesting that adaptations occurred to alleviate the apparent P constraint. These adaptations come at a metabolic cost to the plant that have consequences for feedstock chemical components and quality. We observed that other biochemical signatures of P limitation, such as decreased cellulose-to-lignin ratios, were apparent, indicating re-allocation of carbon resources may have contributed to increased P acquisition. Plant P allocation strategies also differed across sites, and these differences were correlated with the subsequent year’s biomass yields.

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Chemistry and Microbial Functional Diversity Differences in Biofuel Crop and Grassland Soils in Multiple Geographies

Abstract: We obtained soil samples from geographically diverse switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) crop sites and from nearby reference grasslands and compared their edaphic properties,

Cited by 6 publications

References 56 publications

Nitrogen and harvest effects on soil properties under rainfed switchgrass and no‐till corn over 9 years: implications for soil quality

Nitrogen and harvest effects on soil properties under rainfed switchgrass and no‐till corn over 9 years: implications for soil quality

Soil denitrifier community size changes with land use change to perennial bioenergy cropping systems

Spectroscopic analysis reveals that soil phosphorus availability and plant allocation strategies impact feedstock quality of nutrient-limited switchgrass

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