Evaluation of Changes in Glomalin-Related Soil Proteins (GRSP) Content, Microbial Diversity and Physical Properties Depending on the Type of Soil as the Important Biotic Determinants of Soil Quality

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP) content, microbial diversity and soil physical quality depending on the type of soil measures of soil improvement and changes in soil health. The study was based on a 100-year stationary field microplot experiment where the soil profiles were collected with preserving the natural soil horizons. The microplot experiment was carried out on eight different soil types: Brunic Arenosol (Dystric I), Rendzic Leptosol, Fluvic Cambisol, Haplic Cambisol (Eutric), Gleyic Phaeozem, Brunic Arenosol (Dystric II), Haplic Cambisol (Eutric II) and Haplic Cambisol (Dystric). These soils are the most common types of agricultural soils in Poland. Relatively significant correlations with the soil quality, physical parameters and the glomalin-related soil proteins have been found. The study determined the total GRSP (T-GRSP) and easily extractable GRSP (EE-GRSP) levels in soils as well as the soil physical quality index and soil’s microbial biodiversity. The GRSP depended on the type of soil and correlated with S-Index and also was responsible for the unique chemical and physical properties of soils. Soils characterized by the highest T-GRSP content belonged to the group of very good and good soil physical quality characterized also by high biological activity, for which there were strong correlations with such parameters as dehydrogenase activity (DHA), microbial biomass content (MBC), microbial nitrogen content (MBN) and total bacteria number (B). The highest T-GRSP content and higher microbial diversity were found in Gleyic Phaeozem, Rendzic Leptosol and Fluvic Cambisol. The T-GRSP and EE-GRSP content were additionally correlated with the number of AMF spores. Very poor and poor soil physical quality according to S-Index characterized Brunic Arenosol (Dystric I) and Haplic Cambisol (Dystric). This research indicates that a specific edaphone of soil microorganisms and GRSP content may be of great importance when assessing a soil’s quality and improvements in soil health. The abundance of glomalin-producing fungi significantly affects the quality of the soil. This effect is particularly important for agricultural soils are threatened by ongoing land degradation.

The Native Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Vermicompost-Based Organic Amendments Enhance Soil Fertility, Growth Performance, and the Drought Stress Tolerance of Quinoa

“…Furthermore, AMF could improve the chemical and nutritional quality of the soil through different mechanisms, including P solubilization, soil structure, and aggregates, via the glomalin liberation. Seminal works showed the direct relationship between soil glomalin content and soil physicochemical properties [ 45 , 93 , 123 , 124 ]. Intriguingly, K, Ca, and Fe quantities in the postharvest field soils were lower in the biofertilizer-treated treatments.…”

Exogenous Glomalin-Related Soil Proteins Differentially Regulate Soil Properties in Trifoliate Orange

“…As a result, arbuscular mycorrhizas promote the growth and development of the host plant by improving the fruit quality, water, and nutrient acquisition, in addition to increasing its stress resistance [2][3][4][5][6][7]. The beneficial effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis are partly attributed to the production of a specific glycoprotein, glomalin, which is secreted by the hyphae and spores of AMF [8][9][10]. Rillig [11] proposed the term glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) to describe the soil with glomalin, based on the Bradford [12] assay.…”

Comparative plant biochemistry and soil biology of wild and cultivated cotton species

“…Further, GRSP production by AMF plays a positive role in plant and soil health through the formation of soil aggregates and acts as a signi cant pool of organic nitrogen in soil (Wang et al 2017). Higher glomalin content is soil was positively associated with the total carbon content in soil and found to reduce soil degradation (Gałązka et al 2020). Plant mycorrhizal dependency depends on its root hairs length and abundance (Plenchette et al 1983).…”