Establishment of improved perennial pasture systems for livestock production has been demonstrated to improve soil health in the semiarid Texas Southern High Plains (SHP). Use of waste products from other components of the animal production chain, such as applying composted manure from feedlot operations to grazed pastures, may provide an additional means of improving soil health and sustainability of these systems. However, few studies have examined the impact of composted animal manure on the changes in soil microbial communities, although they are important indicators of soil health. We investigated the effects of a one-time composted cattle manure application at 3.36 Mg ha⁻¹ on soil microbial community size and structure, soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), and soil organic matter (SOM) up to 1.5 yr after application. We compared pastures consisting of either WW-B. Dahl Old World bluestem grass [Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S.T. Blake] alone or in mix with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Results showed that compost application significantly increased SOC by about 4.4 g kg⁻¹ soil within 1.5 yr after application. In N-fertilized grass-only pastures, compost addition increased microbial phospholipid fatty acid abundance, SOC, TN, and SOM, but no significant differences were observed between compost treatments in unfertilized pastures containing legumes. Our results show that even a one-time compost addition at a relatively low rate can augment SOC in this semiarid pasture system after 1.5 yr, and that stimulation of soil microbial abundance and soil C and N from compost is more pronounced in fertilized grass-only pastures compared with those with legume establishment.

中文翻译：

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堆肥和豆类管理不同地改变了半干旱牧场的土壤微生物丰度和土壤碳

在半干旱的德克萨斯南部高平原 (SHP) 中，建立改进的多年生牧草系统用于畜牧生产已被证明可以改善土壤健康。使用来自动物生产链其他组成部分的废物，例如将饲养场操作产生的堆肥肥料施用于放牧的牧场，可以提供一种额外的手段来改善这些系统的土壤健康和可持续性。然而，很少有研究检查堆肥动物粪便对土壤微生物群落变化的影响，尽管它们是土壤健康的重要指标。我们研究了 3.36 Mg ha ^-1一次性堆肥牛粪的影响对土壤微生物群落大小和结构、土壤有机碳 (SOC)、全氮 (TN) 和土壤有机质 (SOM) 的影响长达 1.5 年。我们比较了由 WW-B 组成的牧场。达尔旧世界蓝茎草 [ Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) ST Blake] 单独或与苜蓿 ( Medicago sativa L.) 混合。结果表明，堆肥施用显着增加了约 4.4 g kg ^{-1 的}SOC施用后 1.5 年内土壤。在仅施氮肥的牧草中，堆肥添加增加了微生物磷脂脂肪酸丰度、SOC、TN 和 SOM，但在含有豆科植物的未施肥牧草中，堆肥处理之间没有观察到显着差异。我们的结果表明，即使以相对较低的速率一次性添加堆肥也可以在 1.5 年后增加该半干旱牧场系统中的 SOC，并且堆肥对土壤微生物丰度和土壤 C 和 N 的刺激在仅施肥草中更为明显牧场与有豆科植物的牧场相比。