Effect of biodynamic soil amendments on microbial communities in comparison with inorganic fertilization

Faust, Sibylle; Heinze, Stefanie; Ngosong, Christopher; Sradnick, André; Oltmanns, Meike; Raupp, Joachim; Geisseler, Daniel; Joergensen, Rainer Georg

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.03.006

Cited by 45 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…A higher Cmic/Nmic ratio in 2005 indicated a shift in microbial communities 50 which seemed to be a single effect as it was not confirmed in later soil analyses. This is in line with soil microbial studies that similarly did not find effects of biodynamic preparations on soil microbial communities 55,59 . Regarding microbial activity, Zaller and Kopke 58 reported lower basal respiration and metabolic coefficients with biodynamic preparations, whereas in this and other studies, enzyme activities (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Regarding microbial activity, Zaller and Kopke 58 reported lower basal respiration and metabolic coefficients with biodynamic preparations, whereas in this and other studies, enzyme activities (e.g. dehydrogenase activity in our case) or respiration measurements yielded no treatment differences 55,57,59 . There is hence not a clear effect of biodynamic preparations on soil quality.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

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Enhanced soil quality with reduced tillage and solid manures in organic farming – a synthesis of 15 years

Krauss

Berner

Perrochet

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

105

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, frédéric perrochet, Robert frei, Urs niggli & paul Mäder Demands upon the sustainability of farming are increasing in step with climate change and diversity loss. Organic farming offers a viable approach. To further improve organic management, three strategies with potential to enhance soil quality are being tested in a long-term trial since 2002 on a clay loam in temperate Switzerland: reduced tillage vs. ploughing, solid vs. liquid manures and biodynamic preparations. A synthesis of 15 years reveals an increase in topsoil organic carbon (SOC, +25%), microbial biomass (+32%) and activity (+34%) and a shift in microbial communities with conversion from ploughing to reduced tillage. Soils under reduced tillage are more stratified in SOC and nutrients. Additional application of composted manure has increased SOC by 6% compared to pure slurry application, with little impact on soil microbes. Biodynamic preparations have had a minor impact on soil quality. Fertilisation and biodynamic preparations did not affect yields. Both higher and lower yields were harvested in the reduced tillage system in relation to ploughing. the main yield determinants were n supply and higher weed infestation under reduced tillage. continuously reduced tillage in organic farming has been proven to enhance soil quality at this site, while also presenting more challenges in management. Various global challenges are calling for change. Soil erosion and degradation, loss of biodiversity and pollution of adjacent natural systems all call current agricultural management practices into question. To meet sustainability requirements, there is a special need to develop, beyond individual innovations, alternative systems that consider the surrounding environment. Organic farming can serve as an alternative to conventional farming, as it has been shown to lower environmental impacts while being able to feed the world if consumption behaviour is adjusted 1. Organic farming is based on a low external input strategy with legumes, green manures, wide crop rotations and organic fertilisation. All of those approaches build and maintain soil quality 2. Biological mobilisation of soil nutrients for crop nutrition is more important in organic than conventional farming, meaning that soil quality needs to be maintained at a high level. Yet there are management practices and trends in organic farming that may jeopardise soil quality and hence require rethinking and improvement. Regarding primary tillage, mouldboard ploughing is common in organic farming in Europe, where it is an important tool for weed control and organic matter management 3. A bare soil surface is left after ploughing. This increases the risk of soil erosion and hence loss of fertile soil 4. Ploughing is assigned to "conventional tillage" (CT) in the context of the present study. As an alternative, conservation tillage systems have been developed globally for nearly a century 5. Conservation tillage includes "no-till" (NT) with direct drilling of seeds and various kinds of "reduced tillage" (R...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

Enhanced soil quality with reduced tillage and solid manures in organic farming – a synthesis of 15 years

Krauss

Berner

Perrochet

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

105

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“…Higher contents of organic matter in the soil generally favor AMF, since it is known that increases in edaphic carbon enhance the microbiotic activity, the carbon stock, and the diversity and activity of AMF . Moreover, greater proliferation of hyphae and spores occurs in soils with application of organic fertilizers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of mycorrhizal fungi releases the application of organic fertilizers to increase the production of leaf vitexin in yellow passion fruit

et al. 2020

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BACKGROUND: Low-cost organic fertilizers, such as coconut powder and vermicompost, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may benefit the Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa plant. However, it has not been established whether the joint application of these inputs may increase the production of vitexin and other molecules associated with the phytotherapeutic properties of this plant. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the application of AMF and organic fertilizers maximizes the production of bioactive compounds in leaves of P. edulis. RESULTS: The inoculation of Acaulospora longula into P. edulis grown in fertilization-free soil promoted an increase of 86% in the concentration of leaf vitexin, 10.29% in the concentration of total phenols, and 13.78% in the concentration of total tannins in relation to the AMF-free control, rendering soil fertilization superfluous.CONCLUSION: The application of A. longula increases the production of foliar biomolecules, such as vitexin, in yellow passion fruit plants. Thus, the addition of coconut powder and vermicompost to the substrate composition is not necessary, leading to the commercialized production of phytomass in the herbal medicines industry.

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“…More DNA seems to be extractable from actively straw-decomposing fungi. It should be noted that the DNA from arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi is hardly extractable (Hartmann et al, 2015), despite the probably high contribution of this fungal phylum to the microbial biomass (Faust et al, 2017). Another reason for the rather low correlation between MBC and extractable DNA might be the presence of residual DNA of soil microorganisms and plants in soil or interference of DNA with humic compounds during extraction (Pietramellara et al, 2009;Carini et al, 2016).…”

Section: Effects Of Salinity and Organic Amendments On C And N Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ergosterol is often used as an indicator of saprotrophic fungi (Joergensen and Wichern, 2008;Faust et al, 2017). Interestingly, in soil B after rice straw addition, salinity in anaerobic conditions enhanced fungi as indicated by increased ergosterol content and larger amounts of extractable ITS1 sequences.…”

Section: Distinct Microbial Response Of Different Soils Indicate Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Amendments Alleviate Salinity Effects on Soil Microorganisms and Mineralisation Processes in Aerobic and Anaerobic Paddy Rice Soils

Wichern

Islam

Hemkemeyer

et al. 2020

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Sea-water level rise leads to increased saltwater intrusion causing soil salinity on arable land with negative effects on soil microbial processes. Organic amendments are known to reduce the effects of salinity on soil microorganisms, therefore positively influencing microbial activity and nutrient cycling. However, the extent of this effect in paddy rice soils under aerobic compared to anaerobic conditions is unknown. Consequently, benefits of organic matter addition on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralisation under saline conditions were evaluated in a short-term laboratory incubation experiment. Two soils from Bangladesh were incubated with rice straw, manure or a manure-rice straw mixture at 50 and 100% water holding capacity (25 • C, 27 days). In addition, NaCl was added to half of the samples, which resulted in a set of non-saline (EC e = 1.1-1.3 dS m −1 ) and saline (EC e = 24.0-32.4 dS m −1 ) soils. Soil respiration (CO 2 -release) was measured throughout the experiment. At the end of the experiment, dissolved organic C, inorganic N, microbial biomass as well as bacterial, archaeal, and fungal domains were determined. Overall, effects of substrate addition overruled effects caused by salinity and water content. Microbial activity and biomass in particular fungi increased most strongly after rice straw addition and resulted in N immobilisation independent of moisture level. Rice straw and manure alleviated the effects of salinity on microorganisms; these were therefore mainly detectable in the non-amended soils. The reason for this is likely a higher C availability for soil microorganisms after amendment of organic materials, which allows them to produce osmolytes, counteracting the osmotic effects of increased salinity. However, the microbial communities of the two soils under investigation showed different response patterns to salinity reflected by a substantially higher fungi-bacteria ratio in soil B prone to salinity at 50% WHC as compared to soil A. Likewise, the metabolic quotient Wichern et al. Salinity Alleviation and Soil Microorganismswas higher in soil B and not affected by any of the short term treatments, revealing a soil legacy. Our results highlight the importance of organic amendments, such as rice straw to paddy soils under saline conditions to reduce negative effects on soil microbial processes, allowing them to maintain their major functions.

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Effect of biodynamic soil amendments on microbial communities in comparison with inorganic fertilization

Cited by 45 publications

References 83 publications

Enhanced soil quality with reduced tillage and solid manures in organic farming – a synthesis of 15 years

Enhanced soil quality with reduced tillage and solid manures in organic farming – a synthesis of 15 years

Use of mycorrhizal fungi releases the application of organic fertilizers to increase the production of leaf vitexin in yellow passion fruit

Organic Amendments Alleviate Salinity Effects on Soil Microorganisms and Mineralisation Processes in Aerobic and Anaerobic Paddy Rice Soils

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