Track 2-09: Soil Quality, Biology and Plant-Soil Interactions
Description
The severe soil erosion present in the Loess Plateau of western China has resulted from a combination of highly erodible soil, variable rainfall and intensive cultivation (Shi and Shao 2000). Conservation agriculture practices, including no till, crop residue retention and crop rotation, have been found to increase crop yield, improve water use efficiency, reduce energy inputs and improve soil fertility (Bukert et al. 2000; Rahman et al. 2008). The soil microbial community function and structure play key roles in the decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling and altering the availability of nutrients to plants, which has been shown to change under conservation agriculture (González-Chávez et al. 2010). The aims of our research are to quantify impacts of tillage and crop residue management on soil microbial community structural diversity on the Loess Plateau by PLFA techniques.
Included in
Long-Term Effects of Tillage and Residue Management on the Soil Microbial Community Structure in the Loess Plateau
The severe soil erosion present in the Loess Plateau of western China has resulted from a combination of highly erodible soil, variable rainfall and intensive cultivation (Shi and Shao 2000). Conservation agriculture practices, including no till, crop residue retention and crop rotation, have been found to increase crop yield, improve water use efficiency, reduce energy inputs and improve soil fertility (Bukert et al. 2000; Rahman et al. 2008). The soil microbial community function and structure play key roles in the decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling and altering the availability of nutrients to plants, which has been shown to change under conservation agriculture (González-Chávez et al. 2010). The aims of our research are to quantify impacts of tillage and crop residue management on soil microbial community structural diversity on the Loess Plateau by PLFA techniques.
