Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-7jkgd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-14T10:28:16.592Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cropping system effects on soil biological characteristics in the Great Plains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

M. Liebig ,
L. Carpenter-Boggs ,
J.M.F. Johnson ,
S. Wright  and
N. Barbour
M. Liebig*
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND, 58554, USA.
L. Carpenter-Boggs
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646420, Pullman, WA, 99164-6420, USA.
J.M.F. Johnson
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, MN, 56267, USA.
S. Wright
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Bldg 001, BARC-West, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
N. Barbour
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, MN, 56267, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Soil biological quality can affect key soil functions that support food production and environmental quality. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of management and time on soil biological quality in contrasting dryland cropping systems at eight locations in the North American Great Plains. Alternative (ALT) cropping systems were characterized by greater cropping intensity (less fallow), more diverse crop sequences, and/or reduced tillage than conventional (CON) cropping systems. Soil biological properties were assessed at depths of 0–7.5, 7.5–15, and 15–30 cm from 1999 to 2002 up to three times per year. Compared to CON, ALT cropping systems had greater microbial biomass and potentially mineralizable N. ALT cropping systems also had greater water stable aggregates in the surface 7.5 cm, but only at four locations. Total glomalin (TG), an organic fraction produced by fungi associated with aggregate stability, differed only at one location (Mandan), where the ALT cropping system had 27% more TG than the CON cropping system. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles were highly location dependent, but total extracted FAME tended to be higher in ALT cropping systems. Soil biological properties fluctuated over time at all locations, possibly in response to weather, apparent changes in soil condition at sampling, and the presence or absence of fallow and/or legumes in rotation. Consequently, preplant and post-harvest sampling, when weather and soil conditions are most stable, is recommended for comparison of soil biological properties among management practices. Overall, ALT cropping systems enhanced soil function through: (1) improved retention and cycling of nutrients and (2) maintenance of biodiversity and habitat, implying improved agro-ecosystem performance over time.

Keywords

cropping systemssoil biologyGreat Plainssoil quality
Type
Research Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , March 2006 , pp. 36 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

01Whitford, W.G. 1996. The importance of the biodiversity of soil biota in arid ecosystems. Biodiversity and Conservation 5: 185–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
02Brussaard, L., Behan-Pelletier, V.M., Bignell, D.E., Brown, V.K., Didden, W., Folgarait, P., Fragoso, C., Freckman, D.W., Gupta, V.V.S.R., Hattori, T., Hawksworth, D.L., Klopatek, C., Lavelle, P., Malloch, D.W., Rusek, J., Söderström, B., Tiedje, J.M. and Virginia, R.A. 1997. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in soil. Ambio 26: 8 563–570.Google Scholar
03Doran, J.W. and Werner, M.R. 1990. Management and soil biology. In Francis, C.A., Flora, C.B., King, J.D. (eds). Sustainable Agriculture in Temperate Zones. John Wiley and Sons, New York. p. 205–230.Google Scholar
04Follett, R.F. 2001. Nitrogen transformations and transport processes. In Follett, R.F. and Hatfield, J.L. (Eds). Nitrogen in the Environment: Sources, Problems, and Management. Elsevier Amsterdam. p. 17–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
05Tisdall, J.M. and Oades, J.M. 1982. Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils. Journal of Soil Science 33: 141–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
06Ryan, M. 1999. Is an enhanced soil biological community, relative to conventional neighbours, a consistent feature of alternative (organic and biodynamic) agricultural systems. Biological Agriculture and Horticulture 17: 131–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
07Padbury, G., Waltman, S., Caprio, J., Coen, G., McGinn, S., Mortensen, D., Nielsen, G., and Sinclair, R. 2002. Agroecosystems and land resources of the northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 94: 251–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
08Peterson, G.A. 1996. Cropping systems in the Great Plains. Journal of Production Agriculture 9(2): 179CrossRefGoogle Scholar
09Doran, J.W. 1987. Microbial biomass and mineralizable nitrogen distributions in no-tillage and plowed soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils 5: 68–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Follett, R.F. and Schimel, D.S. 1989. Effect of tillage practices on microbial biomass dynamics. Soil Science Society of America Journal 53: 1091–1096.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Gajda, A.M., Doran, J.W., Kettler, T.A., Wienhold, B.J., Pikul, J.L., and Cambardella, C.A. 2001. Soil quality evaluations of alternative and conventional management systems in the Great Plains. In Lal, R., Kimble, J.M., Follett, R.F. and Stewart, B.A. (eds). Assessment Methods for Soil Carbon. Lewis Publishers Boca Raton, FL. p. 381–400.Google Scholar
12Liebig, M.A., Varvel, G.E., Doran, J.W., and Wienhold, B.J. 2002. Crop sequence and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil properties in the western Corn Belt. Soil Science Society of America Journal 66: 596–601.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Liebig, M.A., Tanaka, D.L., and Wienhold, B.J. 2004. Tillage and cropping effects on soil quality indicators in the northern Great Plains. Soil and Tillage Research 78: 131–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Wienhold, B.J. and Halvorson, A.D. 1999. Nitrogen mineralization responses to cropping, tillage, and nitrogen rate in the northern Great Plains. Soil Science Society of America Journal 63: 192–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Wright, S.F. and Anderson, R.L. 2000. Aggregate stability and glomalin in alternative crop rotations for the central Great Plains. Biology and Fertility of Soils 31: 249–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Frey, S.D., Elliott, E.T., and Paustian, K. 1999. Bacterial and fungal abundance and biomass in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems along two climatic gradients. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 31: 573–585.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Broder, M.W., Doran, J.W., Peterson, G.A., and Fenster, C.R. 1984. Fallow tillage influence on spring populations of soil nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and available nitrogen. Soil Science Society of America Journal 48: 1060–1067.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Drijber, R.A., Doran, J.W., Parkhurst, A.M., and Lyon, D.J. 2000. Changes in soil microbial community structure with tillage under long-term wheat–fallow management. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 32: 1419–1430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Wienhold, B.J., Pikul, J.L., Liebig, M.A., Vigil, M.F., Varvel, G.E., and Doran, J.W. 2003. In Krupinsky, J. (ed.). Proceedings of Dynamic Cropping Systems: Principles, Processes, and Challenges USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory Mandan, ND. p. 215–219.Google Scholar
20Varvel, G., Riedell, W., Deiberr, E., McConkey, B., Tanaka, D., Vigil, M., and Schwartz, R. 2006. Great plains cropping system studies for soil quality assessment. Renewable Agriculture and food Systems 21: 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21Islam, K.R. and Weil, R.R. 1998. Microwave irradiation of soil for routine measurement of microbial biomass carbon. Biology and Fertility of Soils 27: 408–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Parkin, T.B., Doran, J.W., and Franco-Vizcaino, E. 1996. Field and laboratory tests of soil respiration. In Doran, J.W. and Jones, A. (eds). Methods for Assessing Soil Quality. Soil Science Society of America Special Publication No. 49 Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. p. 231–245.Google Scholar
23Anderson, T.H. and Domsch, K.H. 1990. Application of eco-physiological quotients (qCO 2 and qD) on microbial biomasses from soils of different cropping histories. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 22(2): 251–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Shen, S.M., Pruden, G., and Jenkinson, D.S. 1984. Mineralization and immobilization of nitrogen in fumigated soil and the measurement of microbial biomass nitrogen. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 16: 437–444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Bundy, L.G. and Meisinger, J.J. 1994. Nitrogen availability indices. In Weaver, R.W., Angle, J.S. and Bottomley, P.S. (eds). Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2. Microbiological and Biochemical Methods. Soil Science Society of America Book Series No. 5 Soil Science Society of America and American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI. p. 951–984.Google Scholar
26Mulvaney, R.L. 1996. Nitrogen—inorganic forms. In Sparks, D.L. (ed.). Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3. Chemical Methods. Soil Science Society of America Book Series No. 5 Soil Science Society of America and American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI. p. 1123–1184.Google Scholar
27Kemper, W.D. and Rosenau, R.C. 1986. Aggregate stability and size distribution. In Klute, A. (ed.) Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 1. Physical and Mineralogical Methods. Agronomy Monograph No. 9 2nd ed. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI, p. 425–444.Google Scholar
28Wright, S.F. and Upadhyaya, A. 1996. Extraction of an abundant and unusual protein from soil and comparison with hyphal protein from arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Soil Science 161: 575–586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Lindsay, W.L. and Norvell, W.A. 1978. Development of a DPTA soil test for zinc, iron, manganese, and copper. Soil Science Society of America Journal 42: 421–428.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30MIDI 2001. Technical Note 101. Identification of bacteria by gas chromatography of cellular fatty acids. Website: http://www.midi-inc.com/media/pdfs/TechNote_101.pdf (verified 12/1/03).Google Scholar
31Littell, R.C., Milliken, G.A., Stroup, W.W., and Wolfinger, R.D. 1996. SAS System for Mixed Models. SAS Institute, Cary, NC.Google Scholar
32SAS Institute 2002. SAS/STAT User's Guide. Version 8.2 SAS Institute, Cary, NC.Google Scholar
33Vestal, J.R. and White, D.C. 1989. Lipid analysis in microbial ecology. Bioscience 39: 535–541.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34Zelles, L., Bai, Q.Y., Rackwitz, R., Chadwick, D., and Beese, F. 1995. Determination of phospholipid- and lipopolysaccharide-derived fatty acids as an estimate of microbial biomass and community structures in soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils 19(2/3): 115–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
35Jolliffe, I.T. 1986. Principal Component Analysis. Springer-Verlag, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
36Sparling, G.P. 1992. Ratio of microbial biomass C to soil organic carbon as a sensitive indicator of changes in soil organic matter due to straw incorporation. Australian Journal of Soil Science 30: 192–207.Google Scholar
37Rice, C.W., Moorman, T.B., and Beare, M. 1996. Role of microbial biomass C and N in soil quality. In Doran, J.W. and Jones, A. (eds). Methods for Assessing Soil Quality. Soil Science Society of America Special Publication No. 49. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. p. 203–215.Google Scholar
38Lynch, J.M. and Panting, L.M. 1980. Cultivation and the soil biomass. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 12: 29–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Carter, M.R. 1991. The influence of tillage on the proportion of organic carbon and nitrogen in the microbial biomass of medium-textured soils in a humid climate. Biology and Fertility of Soils 11: 135–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
40Dumontet, S., Mazzatura, A., Casucci, C., and Perucci, P. 2001. Effectiveness of microbial indexes in discriminating interactive effects of tillage and crop rotations in a Vertic Ustorthens. Biology and Fertility of Soils 34: 411–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41Calderon, F.J. and Jackson, L.E. 2002. Rototillage, disking, and subsequent irrigation: effects on soil nitrogen dynamics, microbial biomass, and carbon dioxide efflux. Journal of Environmental Quality 31: 752–758.Google ScholarPubMed
42Doran, J.W., Elliott, E.T., and Paustian, K. 1998. Soil microbial activity, nitrogen cycling, and long-term changes in organic carbon pools as related to fallow tillage management. Soil and Tillage Research 49: 3–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
43Parton, W.J., Schimel, D.S., Cole, C.V., and Ojima, D.S. 1987. Analysis of factors controlling soil organic matter levels in Great Plains grasslands. Soil Science Society of America Journal 51: 1173–1179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
44Kemper, W.D. and Koch, E.J. 1966. Aggregate stability of soils from Western United States and Canada. Technical Bulletin No. 1335. USDA-ARS, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
45Wright, S.F. and Upadhyaya, A. 1998. A survey of soils for aggregate stability and glomalin, a glycoprotein produced by hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Plant and Soil 198: 97–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
46Bossio, D.A., Skow, K.M., Gunapala, N., and Graham, K.J. 1998. Determinants of soil microbial communities: effects of agricultural management, season, and soil type on phospholipid fatty acid profiles. Microbial Ecology 36: 1–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
47Feng, Y., Motta, A.C., Reeves, D.W., Burmester, C.H., van Santen, E., and Osborne, J.A. 2003. Soil microbial communities under conventional-till and no-till continuous cotton systems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 35: 1693–1703.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
48Schutter, M.E., Sandeno, J.M., and Dick, R.P. 2001. Seasonal, soil type, and alternative management influences on microbial communities of vegetable cropping systems. Biology and Fertility of Soils 34: 397–410.Google Scholar
49Campbell, C.A., McConkey, B.G., Biederbeck, V.O., Zentner, R.P., Tessier, S., and Hahn, D.L. 1997. Tillage and fallow frequency effects on selected soil quality attributes in a coarse-textured Brown Chernozem. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 77: 491–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
50Dick, R.P., Thomas, D.R., and Halvorson, J.J. 1996. Standardized methods, sampling, and sample pretreatment. In Doran, J.W. and Jones, A. (eds). Methods for Assessing Soil Quality. Soil Science Society of America Special Publication No. 49 Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI p. 107–121.Google Scholar
51Karlen, D.L., Mausbach, M.J., Doran, J.W., Cline, R.G., Harris, R.F., and Schuman, G.E. 1997. Soil quality: a concept, definition, and framework for evaluation (A guest editorial). Soil Science Society of America Journal 61: 4–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
52Daily, G. (ed.). 1997. Nature's Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Island Press. Washington, DC.Google Scholar
53Ibekwe, A.M. and Kennedy, A.C. 1998. Phospholipid fatty acid profiles and carbon utilization patterns for analysis of microbial community structure under field and greenhouse conditions. FEMS Microbial Ecology 26: 151–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar