Distribution of subsoil microbial activity and biomass under Australian rotational cotton as influenced by system, crop status and season

Title
Distribution of subsoil microbial activity and biomass under Australian rotational cotton as influenced by system, crop status and season
Publication Date
2021
Author(s)
Polain, Katherine
Knox, Oliver
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0414-5771
Email: oknox@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:oknox
Wilson, Brian
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7983-0909
Email: bwilson7@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:bwilson7
Guppy, Christopher
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7274-607X
Email: cguppy@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:cguppy
Lisle, Leanne
Nachimuthu, Gunasekhar
Osanai, Yui
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6390-5382
Email: yosanai@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:yosanai
Siebers, Nina
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Place of publication
Australia
DOI
10.1071/SR19335
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/30258
Abstract
Soils provide the substrate for important microbial mechanisms that moderate a variety of processes in both managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems. Australian soils are particularly 'stressed' and are considered to be highly weathered and nutrient deficient. This places increased pressure on the Australian cotton industry to sustainably increase productivity to support the fibre demands of a growing global population. We explored Vertosol subsoi ls (>30 cm) under rotational cotton crops, measuring the distribution of soil microbial activity (SMA) and bion1ass (SMB) to 100 cm depth, as influenced by crop system and time, using respiration-based experiments. Seasonal SMA fluctuations were considered by capturing the long-term SMA between systems using stable oxygen isotope methodology. Our results indicate that subsoils contributed 47% of SMA, regardless of system, but subsoil SMB (26%) was constrained by resource availability. Long-tenn SMA was not significantly influenced by depth and system, presu111ably as a consequence of the shrink - swell nature of Vertosols facilitating organic matter movement down the profile. The impact of this organic matter on the activity of indigenous microorganisms below the top 30 cm of the profile highlights a need to consider deeper soil when unravelling the potential microbial benefits to our cropping systems.
Link
Citation
Soil Research, 59(6), p. 547-558
ISSN
1838-6768
1446-568X
1838-675X
0004-9573
Start page
547
End page
558
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

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