Short-term effects of heat-treated organic fertilizers on soil microbiological quality during horticultural crop cultivation

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of heat-treated organic fertilizers (sheep-goat manure-SGM, cattle manure-CM, poultry manure-PM, and vermicompost-VC) on the microbiological properties of sandy-calcareous soil during melon (Cucumis melo L.) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.) growing. The fertilizers were compared based on their effects on key soil microbial activity parameters. Based on the results obtained from statistical analysis, the effects of the applied fertilizers on soil microbiological properties were evaluated. According to these results, an increase in soil urease activity (melon: PM, watermelon: CM), alkaline phosphatase activity (melon: VC), β-glucosidase activity (melon: VC), dehydrogenase activity (melon: CM), and arylsulfatase activity (melon: PM, watermelon: PM) was observed. The microbiological properties of the soil cultivated with melon and watermelon were compared, and it was seen that urease activity in the soils with watermelon cultivation was 40% higher and dehydrogenase activity was 46% higher. On the other hand, arylsulfatase activity in the melon soil was determined to be 17% higher than that in the watermelon soil. Overall, heat-treated vermicompost and poultry manure appeared most effective in improving soil microbiological properties.

Keywords

• Enzymatic activity
• Horticulture
• Microbial Dynamics
• Soil health

References

1. Billah M, Khan M, Bano A, Ul Hassan T, Munir A, Gurmani AR (2019) Phosphorus and phosphate solubilizing bacteria: Keys for sustainable agriculture. Geomicrobiology 36(10): 904-916.
2. Black CA (1965) Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Wilconsin, USA: American Society of Agronomy Inc., Publisher Madisson.
3. Boran D (2015) Farklı Isıl Teknikleri Uygulanmış Solucan Gübresinin Kalite Parametrelerinin Belirlenmesi. Ankara Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Yüksek Lisans Tezi, 84.
4. Bouyoucos GJ (1951) A recalibration of hydrometer method for making mechanical analysis of soils. Agronomy Journal 43: 434-438.
5. Bünemann EK (2015) Assessment of gross and net mineralization rates of soil organic phosphorus–A review Soil Biology and Biochemistr 89: 82-98.
6. Çağlar KO (1949) Toprak Bilgisi. Ankara: Ankara Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Yayınları. No: 10.
7. Daunoras J, Kačergius A, Gudiukaitė R (2024) Role of soil microbiota enzymes in soil health and activity changes depending on climate change and the type of soil ecosystem. Biology (Basel) 13(2): 85.
8. Doran JW, Parkin TB (1994) Defining and assessing soil quality Ed: Doran, J W., Coleman, D C., Bezdicek, DF Defining soil quality for a sustainable environment, 35 USA: Soil Science Society of America 3-21.

9. Eivazi F, Tabatabi MA (1988) Assay of the β-glucosidase activity. In: Methods in Applied Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry. Alef K, Nannipieri P (Ed). San Diego: Academic Press INC., pp. 350-51.
10. Hoffman G, Teicher K (1961) Ein kolorimetrisches Verfabren zur Bestimmung der Urease aktivitat in Boden. Zeitschrift Fur Pflanzenernahrung Dungung Bodenkunde 95: 55-63.
11. Jackson ML (1967) Soil Chemical Analysis. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Private Limited.
12. Kacar B (2009) Toprak Analizleri. Nobel Yayın No: 1387, Fen Bilimleri: 90, Nobel Bilim ve Araştırma Merkezi Yayın No. 44 ISBN 978-605-395-184-1. 467.
13. Kayıkçıoğlu HH, Okur N (2013) Biochemical changes during composting of leather industry sewage sludge and quality of the resulting compost. ANADOLU Journal of Aegean Agricultural Research Institute 22(2): 59-68.
14. Knight TR, Dick RP (2004) Differentiating microbial and stabilized β-glucosidase activity relative to soil quality. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 36(12): 2089-2096.
15. Ladha JK, Reddy CK, Padre AT, van Kessel C (2011) Role of nitrogen fertilization in sustaining organic matter in cultivated soils.  Journal of Environmental Quality 40(6): 1756-1766.
16. Laic CM, Liu KL, Jeng GL, Helen W (2002) Effect of fertilization management on soil enzyme activities related to the C, N, P and S cycles in soils. In: 17th WCSS, 14–21 August 2002, Thailand, 391.
17. Liu Y, Lan X, Hou H, Ji J, Liu X, Lv Z (2024) Multifaceted ability of organic fertilizers to improve crop productivity and abiotic stress tolerance: review and perspectives. Agronomy 14(6): 1141.
18. Maltaş AŞ (2023) The effectiveness of composted cattle manure in unvaccinated watermelon production. Toprak Bilimi ve Bitki Besleme Dergisi 11(2): 75-81.
19. Nogales R, Cifuentes C, Benitez E (2005) Vermicomposting of winery wastes: a laboratory study. Journal of Environmental Science and Health B 49: 659-673.
20. Olsen SR, Sommers LE (1982) Phosphorus. In: Methods of Soils Analysis, part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties. Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR (Ed). Madison, Wisconsin: SSSA Inc., pp. 403-30.
21. Ouyang L, Tang Q, Yu L, Zhang R (2014) Effects of amendment of different biochars on soil enzyme activities related to carbon mineralization. Soil Research 52(7): 706-716.
22. Pandey D, Agrawal M, Bohra JS (2015) Assessment of soil quality under different tillage practices during wheat cultivation: soil enzymes and microbial biomass. Chemistry and Ecology 31(6): 510-523.
23. Parthasarathi K, Ranganathan LS (2000) Aging effect on enzyme activities in pressmud vermicasts of Lampito mauritii (Kinberg) and Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg). Biology and Fertility of Soils 30: 347-350.
24. Powlson DS, Olk DC (2000) Long-Term Soil Organic Matter Dynamics. In: G. J. D. Kirk and D. C. Olk, Ed., Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Flooded Soils, International Rice Research Institute, Manila, pp. 49-63.
25. Ren H, Chen X, Qin X, Zhang S, Lv C, Zhou J, Chen H (2024) Bacterial fertilizer and filtered sludge enhance soil fertility and plant growth in a eucalyptus plantation. Silva Fennica 58(5): 24042.
26. Roscoe R, Vasconcellos CA, Furtini-Neto AE, Guedes GA, Fernandes LA (2000) Urease activity and its relation to soil organic matter, microbial biomass nitrogen and urea-nitrogen assimilation by maize in a Brazilian Oxisol under no-tillage and tillage systems. Biology and Fertility of Soils 32: 52-59.
27. Sayara T, Basheer-Salimia R, Hawamde F, Sánchez A (2020) Recycling of organic wastes through composting: process performance and compost application in agriculture. Agronomy 10(11): 1838.
28. Soil Survey Staff (2014) Keys to Soil Taxonomy (12th ed.). USDA-NRCS.
29. Sönmez İ, Maltaş AŞ, Sarıkaya HŞ, Doğan A, Kaplan M (2019) Determination of the effects on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth and yield of poultry manure application. Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences 32(1): 101-107.
30. SPSS (2008) SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 23.0. SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA.
31. Stellacci AM, Castellini M, Diacono M, Rossi R, Gattullo CE (2021) Assessment of soil quality under different soil management strategies: combined use of statistical approaches to select the most informative soil physico-chemical indicators. Applied Sciences 11(11): 5099.
32. Tabatabai MA, Bremmer JM (1969) Use of p-nitrophely phosphate for assay of soil phosphatase activity. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 1: 301-307.
33. Tabatabai MA, Bremner JM (1970) Arylsulfatase activity of soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 34: 225-229.
34. Tavali IE, Ok H (2022) Comparison of heat-treated and unheated vermicompost on biological properties of calcareous soil and aloe vera growth under greenhouse conditions in a Mediterranean climate. Agronomy 12(11): 2649.
35. Thalmann A (1968) Dehydrogenase activity in soil. In: Methods in Applied Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry. Alef K, Nannipieri P (Ed). San Diego: Academic Press INC., pp. 321-25.
36. Truu M, Truu J, Ivask M (2008) Soil microbiological and biochemical properties for assessing the effect of agricultural management practices in Estonian cultivated soils. European Journal of Soil Biology 44: 231-237.
37. Wang L, Jia Z, Li Q, He L, Tian J, Ding W, Liu T, Gao Y, Zhang J, Han D, Tian H (2023) Grazing impacts on soil enzyme activities vary with vegetation types in the forest-steppe ecotone of Northeastern China. Forests 14(12): 2292.
38. Wolińska A, Stępniewska Z (2012) Dehydrogenase activity in the soil environment. Dehydrogenases 10: 183-210.