Ground cover management enhances soil extracellular enzyme activities across Chinese orchards.

J Environ Manage

College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada. Electronic address:

Published: December 2024

The impacts of ground cover management (GCM) on orchard soil properties have been extensively studied. However, the quantitative assessment of soil extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) in mulch agriculture remains understudied. In this study, we investigated EEAs related to GCM to assess microbial metabolic activity, soil health, and nutrient status, based on 81 studies focusing on orchards in China. Our findings show that GCM significantly increases carbon acquisition (C-acq, 37%), nitrogen acquisition (N-acq, 34%), phosphorus acquisition (P-acq, 26%), and oxidative decomposition (OX, 14%) enzymes compared to continuous clean tillage. A subgroup analysis and a random forest model were conducted to further identify the effects and potential mechanisms through which soil EEAs respond to GCM in orchards under various moderators. The significant changes in EEAs induced by GCM vary with experimental and environmental factors. Tree age, climate conditions, and soil depth are the primary contributors to the variation in soil EEAs. Overall, our results suggest that the implementation of GCM positively affects EEAs, thereby enhancing microbe-mediated soil ecosystem functions and soil fertility. This meta-analysis provides comprehensive evidence of GCM-induced effects on hydrolase and oxidase activity, improving our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which orchard mulching impacts soil nutrient cycling.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123425DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

soil
10
ground cover
8
cover management
8
soil extracellular
8
extracellular enzyme
8
enzyme activities
8
soil eeas
8
gcm
6
eeas
6
management enhances
4

Similar Publications

A mechanistic model for determining factors that influence inorganic nitrogen fate in corn cultivation.

Environ Sci Process Impacts

January 2025

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Conventional practices for inorganic nitrogen fertilizer are highly inefficient leading to excess nitrogen in the environment. Excess environmental nitrogen induces ecological (, hypoxia, eutrophication) and public health (, nitrate contaminated drinking water) consequences, motivating adoption of management strategies to improve fertilizer use efficiency. Yet, how to limit the environmental impacts from inorganic nitrogen fertilizer while maintaining crop yields is a persistent challenge.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The 3D printing of macro- and mesoporous biomimetic grafts composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) infused with nanosized synthetic smectic clay is a promising innovation in biomaterials for bone tissue engineering (BTE). The main challenge lies in achieving a uniform distribution of nanoceramics across low to high concentrations within the polymer matrix while preserving mechanical properties and biological performance essential for successful osseointegration.

Methods: This study utilized 3D printing to fabricate PCL scaffolds enriched with nanosized synthetic smectic clay (LAP) to evaluate its effects on structural, chemical, thermal, mechanical, and degradative properties, with a focus on in vitro biological performance and non-toxicity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Wetlands in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are a unique and fragile ecosystem undergoing rapid changes. We show two unique patterns of mercury (Hg) accumulation in wetland sediments. One is the 'surface peak' in monsoon-controlled regions and the other is the 'subsurface peak' in westerly-controlled regions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As one of the most sensitive and fragile alpine ecosystems in the Qilian Mountains, the alpine meadow holds significant scientific importance in understanding the changes in the characteristics of soil bacterial community in response to altitude and aspect variations. In our study, we analyzed the composition, diversity, and function of soil bacterial communities in alpine meadows at different altitudes and aspects and their relationship with environmental factors. Our results indicate that altitude and aspect orientation significantly influences the diversity index and composition of soil bacterial communities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Soil contamination with toxic heavy metals [such as aluminum (Al)] is becoming a serious global problem due to the rapid development of the social economy. Although plant growth-promoting rhizo-bacteria (PGPR) are the major protectants to alleviate metal toxicity, the study of these bacteria to ameliorate the toxic effects of Al is limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the combined effects of different levels of (5 ppm and 10 ppm) of accession number of MT123456 on plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange attributes, oxidative stress and response of antioxidant compounds (enzymatic and nonenzymatic), and their specific gene expression, sugars, nutritional status of the plant, organic acid exudation pattern and Al accumulation from the different parts of the plants, which was spiked with different levels of Al [0 µM (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!