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Agriculture
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Soil Enzymatic Activity and Physicochemical Properties in Agriculture System
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Soil Enzymatic Activity and Physicochemical Properties in Agriculture System

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2023) | Viewed by 13545

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Barbara Futa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Soil Science and Environment Management, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Leszczyńskiego St. 7, 20-069 Lublin, Poland
Interests: soil enzymes activity; soil biochemistry; changes in soils; soil fertility; environmental protection; ecotoxicological evaluation of soils; environmental impact assessment; sustainable agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In our globalized world, a balance between economic growth, care for the environment and quality of life is extremely important. The food security, the promotion of sustainable agriculture, and the protection of biodiversity are contained in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Therefore, new ways are constantly being sought to increase crop productivity while making responsible use of environmental capital, including soils.

We all agree that soil is a very important component of agro-systems. The tillage system, mineral fertilisation and appropriate choice of plants in crop rotation condition the formation of biochemical and physicochemical properties of soil, which consequently affect its quality and fertility as well as agro-ecosystem productivity. Agricultural management shapes the properties of soils, and soil microorganisms and enzymes both mediate and respond to these changes. 

The aim of this issue is to highlight the importance of soil enzymatic activity and physicochemical properties in agriculture system. Manuscripts dealing with the effects of plant rotation or intercropping, conservation tillage/non-tillage, method of fertilizer application, reduced use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides, beneficial microorganisms, and organic agriculture on properties of soil will be welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Futa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agroecosystem
  • soil enzymes activity
  • soil physicochemical properties
  • soil fertility
  • tillage system

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2347 KiB  
Article
Do Conservative Agricultural Practices Improve the Functional Biological State of Legume-Based Cropping Systems?
by Amira Aschi, Wassila Riah-Anglet, Sylvie Recous, Caroline Bailleul, Michaël Aubert and Isabelle Trinsoutrot-Gattin
Agriculture 2023, 13(6), 1223; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13061223 - 9 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1902
Abstract
This study evaluated the response of soil microbial functions to the presence and placement of faba beans in crop rotations (rotation without legumes versus rotations with faba beans as the crop previous to wheat, with the faba beans sown three years before the [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the response of soil microbial functions to the presence and placement of faba beans in crop rotations (rotation without legumes versus rotations with faba beans as the crop previous to wheat, with the faba beans sown three years before the wheat crops) combined with two tillage systems (conventional and reduced tillage). The study included 36 wheat-producing plots, and two agricultural practice types were defined: high-frequency–low-intensity (HF–LI) and low-frequency–high-intensity (LF–HI). The results demonstrated a significant increase in the total carbon and nitrogen (N) content under reduced tillage. Furthermore, the general path analysis suggested that arylamidase and β-glucosidase activities significantly affect N fluxes. The enzyme activities were modified by changing the soil’s physicochemical properties. These findings highlighted the significance of introducing legumes as the crop preceding wheat, especially when applying conventional tillage. Moreover, it was revealed that farmers’ management of these conservative practices is a leading factor in regulating soil functions. Pesticides and inorganic fertilization inputs were classified as HF–LI practices, while organic matter (OM) inputs and liming treatments were qualified as LF–HI practices. For instance, LF–HI practices (OM inputs and liming) directly and indirectly influenced the soil functions related to the N cycle, while HF–LI practices (pesticide, inorganic N fertilization, and previous crops) resulted in fewer soil function changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Enzymatic Activity and Physicochemical Properties in Agriculture System)
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14 pages, 15997 KiB  
Article
Carbon Accumulation, Soil Microbial and Enzyme Activities in Elephant Foot Yam-Based Intercropping System
by Tamilselvan Ilakiya, Ramakrishnan Swarnapriya, Lakshmanan Pugalendhi, Vellingiri Geethalakshmi, Arunachalam Lakshmanan, Manoj Kumar and José M. Lorenzo
Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010187 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2813
Abstract
Intercropping is a sustainable, eco-friendly, and economically beneficial cropping system. Elephant foot yam (EFY), a multifarious long-duration vegetable, takes 60 days or more to spread its canopy. Hence, this research assessed the impact of intercropping short duration vegetables, viz., cluster bean, radish, Amaranthus, [...] Read more.
Intercropping is a sustainable, eco-friendly, and economically beneficial cropping system. Elephant foot yam (EFY), a multifarious long-duration vegetable, takes 60 days or more to spread its canopy. Hence, this research assessed the impact of intercropping short duration vegetables, viz., cluster bean, radish, Amaranthus, and fenugreek, in elephant foot yam for two seasons (2021 and 2021/22). It included the analysis of parameters such as carbon accumulation, soil chemical properties, nutrient, enzyme, and microbial activities. The findings revealed that for both the seasons there was a significant (p < 0.01) rise in all the parameters examined in the intercropping patterns. Cluster bean (legume) outperformed the other intercrops utilised. Overall, carbon accumulation was improved by 54.40% when cluster beans were intercropped in EFY. Cluster bean intercropping increased the microbial and enzyme activities in the soil rhizosphere and improved soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium by 31, 42, 28, 37, and 11%, respectively, compared to the sole crop. A positive correlation was observed between the soil microbes and enzyme activity with the soil chemical properties. As a result, the research concludes that intercropping cluster bean in EFY promotes carbon accumulation, soil nutrients, enzymes, and microbial community, which, in turn, favour the productivity of the elephant foot yam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Enzymatic Activity and Physicochemical Properties in Agriculture System)
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24 pages, 7270 KiB  
Article
Depth-Related Changes in Soil P-Acquiring Enzyme Activities and Microbial Biomass—The Effect of Agricultural Land Use/Plant Cover and Pedogenic Processes
by Jacek Długosz, Anna Piotrowska-Długosz, Anetta Siwik-Ziomek and Anna Figas
Agriculture 2022, 12(12), 2079; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12122079 - 3 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2198
Abstract
Although the phosphatase enzymes regulate phosphorus (P) turnover throughout the soil profile, at present, they are rarely studied and are less well understood in the deeper soil layers than in the surface horizons. Hence the changes in P-associated soil properties were assessed throughout [...] Read more.
Although the phosphatase enzymes regulate phosphorus (P) turnover throughout the soil profile, at present, they are rarely studied and are less well understood in the deeper soil layers than in the surface horizons. Hence the changes in P-associated soil properties were assessed throughout five Phaeozem profiles for different agricultural land uses including alfalfa, winter wheat, grapevine, apple trees and hops. The acid phosphatase (AcP), alkaline phosphatase (AlP) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity was assayed, as were the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and phosphorus (MBP) contents and also other properties (e.g., available phosphorus, total organic carbon, total nitrogen). We have also determined the mass, length and surface area of the plant roots. In general, the activities of the studied enzymes were highest in the topsoil in four out of the five profiles studied, which corresponded to the highest level of root mass. The older the plant, the greater the root mass and increased enzymatic activity in the deeper horizons of apple trees and hop profiles in comparison to the surface layers. The greatest enzymatic activity, MBC and MBP contents were found in the horizons with a TOC content >0.5% and decreased down the soil profiles similarly to the changes in TOC and TN contents. While the studied properties were determined to varying degrees by means of the organic C content and availability in all of the genetic horizons, the influence of the prevailing conditions and the factors related to soil depth and pedogenic processes were less pronounced. The clay content was related to a significant extent to all of the studied enzyme activities, but only in horizons with a TOC content <0.5%. Significantly higher phosphatase activity under aerobic as opposed to anaerobic conditions were determined in this study, while the opposite trend was found for the content of MBC and MBP as well as the ratio of MBC/MBP. Overall, we pointed out the complex effect of the soil depth, soil forming-processes and cultivated plants on soil P-associated enzyme activities and other properties throughout the soil profiles. This knowledge will allow better understanding of the state of enzymes and their contribution to the biogeochemical cycle of soil P, especially in subsoils, where the enzyme activities follow different patterns than those in the surface horizons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Enzymatic Activity and Physicochemical Properties in Agriculture System)
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12 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Changes in Soil Quality through Conservation Agriculture in North-Eastern Italy
by Marco Pittarello, Francesca Chiarini, Cristina Menta, Lorenzo Furlan and Paolo Carletti
Agriculture 2022, 12(7), 1007; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12071007 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2634
Abstract
Conservation Agriculture includes practices focused on the conservation and the restoration of main soil features, such as organic carbon content, structure, and biological diversity and activity. Our study was conducted in three farms in North-Eastern Italy in pairs of closely located fields to [...] Read more.
Conservation Agriculture includes practices focused on the conservation and the restoration of main soil features, such as organic carbon content, structure, and biological diversity and activity. Our study was conducted in three farms in North-Eastern Italy in pairs of closely located fields to compare conservation agriculture (no tillage, cover cropping) with conventional agriculture. Differences in terms of soil enzymatic activity, such as FDA and β-glucosidase through spectrophotometric analyses, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen contents, total organic carbon, and nitrogen contents with CNS Elemental Analyzer and soil arthropod community via the QBS-ar index were investigated. Enzymatic activities resulted to be readily and positively affected by conservation agriculture whereas total and microbial carbon, nitrogen contents, and microarthropod community seemed to be more dependent on the time factor. The responses to conservation agriculture differed between the three farms, pointing out that differences in soil features may drive the effectiveness of conservation management. N stock, maybe dependent on previous soil management, might be the key characteristic able to influence soil evolution in the studied conditions. The present results could be helpful to predict soil reaction to sustainable agriculture in short periods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Enzymatic Activity and Physicochemical Properties in Agriculture System)
16 pages, 864 KiB  
Article
Residual Effects of Different Cropping Systems on Physicochemical Properties and the Activity of Phosphatases of Soil
by Sylwia Wesołowska, Barbara Futa, Magdalena Myszura and Agata Kobyłka
Agriculture 2022, 12(5), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050693 - 13 May 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2696
Abstract
Soil plays a key role in sustainable land management and food production. The objective of the field experiment was to evaluate the subsequent effect of 10-year winter wheat and sugar beet cultivation under conventional and organic systems on selected physicochemical and biochemical properties [...] Read more.
Soil plays a key role in sustainable land management and food production. The objective of the field experiment was to evaluate the subsequent effect of 10-year winter wheat and sugar beet cultivation under conventional and organic systems on selected physicochemical and biochemical properties and enzymatic pH index of lessive soil developed from loess under climatic conditions of Southeastern Poland. The experiment was set up by using the split-plot design, with three replications, on plots of 30 m2. In order to evaluate the soil value of sites cultivated in 2010–2019 in two systems—conventional agriculture and organic agriculture—spring wheat was sown as a test crop in 2020. Fertilization and pesticide applications (herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) were foregone in the cultivation of this crop due to the desire to capture the subsequent impact of 2010–2019. This resulted in soil properties shaped solely by the previous 10 years of cultivation. The obtained results indicate that the organic farming system contributed to the improvement of soil pHKCl compared to the conventional system, with statistically significant differences recorded only for winter wheat cultivation. Compared to the conventional system, in the organic farming system, improvements were recorded in the chemical indicators of loess soil quality (TOC, TN and TOC/TN) and P content, as well as acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activities. However, statistically significant differences were found only for winter wheat cultivation. Research on the impact of an organic system of growing different species in rotation should be continued, and the results should be implemented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Enzymatic Activity and Physicochemical Properties in Agriculture System)
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