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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (10): 63-72.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2020393

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The effects of Vicia sativa planting density on soil microbial nutrient metabolism

Shi-jing ZHOU1(), Jia-ning LUO1, Zhong-miao LIU1, Chao DONG1, Yan QIN2, Shu-juan WU1, Hong-jun GAN3, Fei XIE3, Guang-hui ZHUANG3, Bing-zhe FU4, De-cao NIU1()   

  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystem,College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology,National Demonstration Center for Experimental Grassland Science Education,Lanzhou University,Lanzhou 730020,China
    2.Academy of Animal and Veterinary Sciences,Qinghai University,Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine,Key Laboratory of Superior Forage Germplasm in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,Xining 810016,China
    3.Alxa Alliance Forestry and Grassland and Seedling Station,Inner Mongolia,Bayan Hot 750306,China
    4.College of Agriculture,Ningxia University,Yinchuan 750021,China
  • Received:2020-08-19 Revised:2020-12-02 Online:2021-09-16 Published:2021-09-16
  • Contact: De-cao NIU

Abstract:

Vicia sativa is an excellent green manure crop which provides nitrogen fixation and soil structure improvement. It is very common in agricultural production. However, there is still little published research on the effects of planting V. sativa on the characteristics of soil microbial nutrient metabolism. This research is based on a pot experiment and set up V. sativa treatments with a range of planting densities, including a low-density group (19 plants·pot-1), a high-density group (40 plants·pot-1), and bare soil as a control, to study the effects of the above treatments on the soil. It was found that: 1) The biomass and nutrient accumulation of V. sativa in the high-density group were greater than in the low-density group. Thus, nutrients extracted from the soil were increased at high planting density, and plant growth was restricted by P. 2) In the high-density planting of V. sativa, the content of soluble soil inorganic phosphorus was significantly reduced. While the density treatments did not differ significantly for soluble organic carbon and soluble total nitrogen, the values for soluble total nitrogen with V. sativa planting were significantly lower than for the control. As a result, the soil soluble nutrient ratios RC:N, RC:P, RN:P were altered, though not significantly so. 3) Planting of V. sativa increased the contents of soil microbial biomass C, soil microbial biomass N, soil microbial biomass C∶P, and soil microbial biomass N∶P, and decreased the contents of soil microbial biomass P and soil microbial biomass C∶N, indicating that the demand for N for microbial growth increased. 4) Planting V. sativa increased [β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG)+leucyl aminopeptidase (LAP)] and alkaline phosphatase (AP) enzyme activities, and decreased β-1,4-glucosidase (BG) enzyme activity, BG∶(NAG+LAP), BG∶AP and (NAG+LAP)∶AP, indicating that the soil microbes increased the activities of (NAG+LAP) and AP enzymes to increase access to nutrients in short supply. Therefore, different planting densities of V. sativa not only changed the soil nutrient content, but also changed the characteristics of soil microbial nutrient metabolism. The microbes adjusted their internal nutrient contents and the secretion rates and ratios of extracellular enzymes to adapt to the prevailing resource supply characteristics.

Key words: Vicia sativa, soil nutrient, soil microbial biomass, soil enzyme activity