Microbial biomass carbon dynamics in a long-term tillage and crop rotation experiment under semiarid Mediterranean conditions
Conference Paper
Publication Date:
2015
abstract:
Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) of soil is an important ecological indicator of nutrient
cycling and soil fertility. In addition, it responds to the changes of soil fertility more
rapidly than soil organic matter. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect
of a long-term implementation of a conservative soil management strategy (No Tillage
[NT]) compared to the inversion tillage (conventional tillage [CT]) on the soil MBC in
a range of crops - continuous durum wheat (WW), wheat after fababean (FW) and faba
bean after wheat (WF).
MBC of NT plots was higher than CT. In addition, the content of MBC varied with
sampling time during the growing season; this variation did not show a consistent pattern
with tillage techniques or the crop species. Further research is needed to elucidate the
effects of tillage and crop on the MBC dynamics within the soil profile in the semi-arid
Mediterranean environment.
cycling and soil fertility. In addition, it responds to the changes of soil fertility more
rapidly than soil organic matter. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect
of a long-term implementation of a conservative soil management strategy (No Tillage
[NT]) compared to the inversion tillage (conventional tillage [CT]) on the soil MBC in
a range of crops - continuous durum wheat (WW), wheat after fababean (FW) and faba
bean after wheat (WF).
MBC of NT plots was higher than CT. In addition, the content of MBC varied with
sampling time during the growing season; this variation did not show a consistent pattern
with tillage techniques or the crop species. Further research is needed to elucidate the
effects of tillage and crop on the MBC dynamics within the soil profile in the semi-arid
Mediterranean environment.
Iris type:
4.1 Contributo in Atti di convegno
Keywords:
Microbial biomass carbon; no tillage; crop rotation; Mediterranean environment
List of contributors:
Badagliacca, Giuseppe; Saia, Sergio; Ruisi, Paolo; Amato, Gaetano; Giambalvo, Dario; Laudicina, Vito Armando
Book title:
Valuing long-term sites and experiments for agriculture and ecology