Abstract
The objective of this study was to quantify the combined effects of long-term plant biomass retention/removal and environmental conditions on soil microbial biomass phosphorus (P), bioavailable P, and acid phosphomonoesterase activity. Topsoil samples (0–2.5 and 2.5–5 cm) were collected from replicate field-based plots that had been maintained under contrasting plant biomass retention and removal regime for 21 years. Samples were collected on 14 occasions over a 17-month period and assessed for microbial P, bioavailable P, and phosphomonoesterase activity. All P measurements were consistently and significantly higher under plant biomass retention compared with biomass removal. Temporal variations in microbial P and phosphomonoesterase activity were evident in top soil (0–2.5 cm) and were driven by environmental conditions, mainly soil moisture, rainfall, and potential evapotranspiration, while bioavailable P had no temporal variation. Detailed analysis of microbial P data for the top 2.5-cm soil depth revealed that annual P flux through this pool was two times greater under biomass retention (10.3 kg P ha−1 year−1) compared with plant biomass removal (5.0 kg P ha−1 year−1). Similar and consistent trends were observed in soil from 2.5- to 5-cm sampling depth; however, differences were not significant. The findings of this study confirm the importance of the microbial biomass in determining the bioavailability of P in temperate grassland systems.
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Acknowledgements
Lincoln University was responsible for the establishment of the long-term ecology field trial and its ongoing maintenance. The authors are particularly indebted to the efforts of Mr. David Jack who has managed the trial since establishment. The first author of this study was financially supported by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) through the CAPES agency (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, process: 10359/13-3).
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Boitt, G., Simpson, Z.P., Tian, J. et al. Plant biomass management impacts on short-term soil phosphorus dynamics in a temperate grassland. Biol Fertil Soils 54, 397–409 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1269-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1269-6