Research@Lincoln
    • Login
     
    View Item 
    •   Research@Lincoln Home
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Research@Lincoln Home
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Impact of land management and fertiliser use on soil microbial function

    Horne, Calista
    Abstract
    Soil microorganisms are a key component for soil health and fertility as they promote the turnover of organic matter and nutrient cycling (e.g. phosphorus and nitrogen), which in turn determines plant and animal production. Assessment of soil microbial function can be achieved via various methods based on physiological processes, of which substrate-induced respiration is thought to be the most sensitive to changes in the microbial community. Therefore, MicroRespTM, a method of substrate-induced respiration, was used to assess microbial function for this study. Samples were taken from a long-term fertiliser (superphosphate) trial at Winchmore and the Long-Term Ecology Trial (LTET, biomass retetion or removal) at Lincoln University, together with a short-term dairy shed effluent trial (DSE applications) carried out at LTET. The results of this experiment showed season had a significant impact on soil microbial function, primarily due to changes in soil temperature, and to a lesser extent, soil moisture. Treatment effects of the long-term application of superphosphate and the DSE applications on microbial function were not signifcant, however, the effect of biomass retention or removal on the LTET were significant. This is primarily due to changes in soil organic carbon levels and pH which occurred under the contrasting treatments of the LTET, but not for the Winchmore and DSE treatments.... [Show full abstract]
    Keywords
    microorganisms; microbial activity; MicroResp; season; superphosphate; soil properties; dairy shed effluent; biomass retention; biomass removal; soil microbial biomass
    Fields of Research
    050303 Soil Biology; 060504 Microbial Ecology
    Date
    2016-11-07
    Type
    Dissertation
    Collections
    • Dissertations [466]
    • Department of Agricultural Sciences [1569]
    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Horne_BAgrSc(Hons).pdf
    Share this

    on Twitter on Facebook on LinkedIn on Reddit on Tumblr by Email

    Metadata
     Expand record
    This service is maintained by Learning, Teaching and Library
    • Archive Policy
    • Copyright and Reuse
    • Deposit Guidelines and FAQ
    • Contact Us
     

     

    Browse

    All of Research@LincolnCommunities & CollectionsTitlesAuthorsKeywordsBy Issue DateThis CollectionTitlesAuthorsKeywordsBy Issue Date

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics
    This service is maintained by Learning, Teaching and Library
    • Archive Policy
    • Copyright and Reuse
    • Deposit Guidelines and FAQ
    • Contact Us