Abstract
Seven years of twelve treatment combinations of annual compost, wood chips, shredded paper mulch, or mow-and-blow ground cover and poultry litter, organic commercial, or no fertilizer control surface applications on soil decomposition and microbial activity were evaluated in an organic apple orchard. Because soil amendments were surface applied, microbial biomass, enzyme activities, organic matter, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved total nitrogen (N), ammonium-N, and nitrate-N concentrations were measured in March from 2007 to 2013 at 0–0.1 and 0.1–0.3 m soil depths where biochemical activity and nutrient availability were expected to be greatest and where tree roots were expected to be located. Ground covers were applied by volume based on horticulture management and these applications rather than fertilizers were stronger drivers of soil nutrient and microbial property responses. Dehydrogenase and β-glucosaminidase activities were 1.5 times greater in 2008 and 2009, respectively, under mow-and-blow as compared to other ground covers. Enzymes may be sensitive indicators separating living and non-living mulch effects on soil during establishment of fruit tree orchards in the southeastern U.S. Organic matter (OM) and soil water content increased in all ground covers during the study. At greatest differences, soil OM and DOC were more than twice and dissolved total N and nitrate-N were more than three and five times greater in compost than other ground cover treatments. Relative differences between compost and other ground covers did not persist to the same extent during the seven years. Orchard floor management may need different strategies during different stages of orchard development.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- NH4+-N:
-
Ammonium-N
- DOC:
-
Dissolved organic carbon
- DTN:
-
Dissolved total nitrogen
- NO3− -N:
-
Nitrate-N
- OM:
-
Organic matter
References
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) (2012) National organic program handbook. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC
Amador JA, Görres JH, Savin MC (2003) Carbon and nitrogen dynamics in Lumbricus terrestris (L.) burrow soil: Relationship to plant residues and macropores. Soil Sci Soc Am J 67:1755–1762
Amador JA, Görres JH, Savin MC (2006) Effects of Lumbricus terrestris L. on carbon and nitrogen dynamics beyond the burrow. Appl Soil Ecol 33:61–66
Anderson JJ, Bingham GE, Hill RW (1992) Effects of permanent cover crop competition on sour cherry tree evapotranspiration, growth and productivity. Acta Hort 313:135–142
Atucha A, Merwin IA, Brown MG (2011a) Long-term effects of four groundcover management systems in an apple orchard. HortScience 46(8):1176–1183
Atucha A, Merwin IA, Purohit CK, Brown MG (2011b) Nitrogen dynamics and nutrient budgets in four orchard groundcover management systems. HortScience 46(8):1184–1193
Baldi E, Toselli M, Marcolini G, Quartieri M, Cirillo E, Innocenti A, Marangoni B (2010) Compost can successfully replace mineral fertilizers in the nutrient management of commercial peach orchard. Soil Use Manag 26:346–353
Bergstrom DW, Monreal CM, King DJ (1998) Sensitivity of soil enzyme activities to conservation practices. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:1286–1295
Brown MW, Tworkski T (2004) Pest management benefits of compost mulch in apple orchards. Agric Ecosyst Environ 103:465–472
Canali S, Trinchera A, Intrigliolo F, Pompili L, Nisini L, Mocali S, Torrisi B (2004) Effect of long term addition of composts and poultry manure on soil quality of citrus orchards in Southern Italy. Biol Fertil Soil 40:206–210
Casida LE Jr, Klein DA, Santoro T (1964) Soil dehydrogenase activity. Soil Sci 98:371–376
Choi HS, Rom CR (2011) Estimated nitrogen use efficiency, surplus, and partitioning in young apple trees grown in varied organic production systems. Sci Hort 129:674–679
Choi HS, Gu M, Rom CR (2011) Effects of different organic apple production systems on seasonal nutrient variations of soil and leaf samples. Sci Hort 129:9–17
Christ MJ, David MB (1996) Temperature and moisture effects on the production of dissolved organic carbon in a Spodosol. Soil Biol Biochem 28:1191–1199
Economic Research Service (ERS) (2015) Trends in U.S. local and regional food systems. Report to Congress. Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture Publication Number 68. Washington, DC. Administrative Publication AP-068 Available at https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/pubid=42807. Accessed 18 Sept 19
Eswaran H, Reich PF, Kimble JM, Beinroth FH, Padmanabham E, Moncharoen P (2000) Global carbon socks. Global climate change and pedogenic carbonates. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton
Granatstein D, Mullinix K (2008) Mulching options for northwest organic and conventional orchards. HortScience 43:45–50
Granatstein D, Sánchez E (2009) Research knowledge and needs for orchard floor management in organic tree fruit systems. Int J Fruit Sci 9:257–281
Hammermeister AM (2016) Organic weed management in perennial fruits. Sci Hortic 208:28–42
Hansen B, Alroe HF, Steen KE (2001) Approaches to assess the environmental impact of organic farming with particular regard to Denmark. Agric Ecosyst Environ 83:11–26
Harvell CD, Mitchell CE, Ward JR, Altizer S, Dobson AP, Ostfeld RS, Samuel MD (2002) Climate warming and disease risks for terrestrial and marine biota. Science 296:2158–2162
Hoagland L, Carpenter–Boggs L, Granatstein D, Mazzola M, Smith J, Peryea F, Reganold JP (2008) Orchard floor management effects on nitrogen fertility and soil biological activity in a newly established organic apple orchard. Biol Fertil Soil 45:11–18
Hogue EJ, Neilsen GH (1987) Orchard floor vegetation management. Hort Rev 9:377–430
Jones DL, Willett VB (2006) Experimental evaluation of methods to quantify dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil. Soil Biol Biochem 38:991–999
Jones J, Savin MC, Rom CR, Gbur E (2017) Denitrifier community response to seven years of ground cover and nutrient management in an organic fruit tree orchard soil. Appl Soil Ecol 112:60–70
Karlen DL, Ditzler CA, Andrews SS (2003) Soil quality: Why and how? Geoderma 114:145–156
Kirschbaum MU (1995) The temperature dependence of soil organic matter decomposition, and the effect of global warming on soil organic C storage. Soil Biol Biochem 27:753–760
Kramer SB, Reganold JP, Glover JD, Bohannan BJM, Mooney HA (2006) Reduced nitrate leaching and enhanced denitrifier activity and efficiency in organically fertilized soils. Proc Nat Acad Sci 103:4522–4527
Lavelle P, Barois I, Martin A, Zaidi Z, Schaefer R (1989) Management of earthworm populations in agro-ecosystems: a possible way to maintain soil quality. Ecol Ar Land: Perspect Challenge 39:109–122
Leiros MC, Trasar-Cepeda C, Seoane S, Gil-Sotres F (1999) Dependence of mineralization of soil organic matter on temperature and moisture. Soil Biol Biochem 31:327–335
Magdoff F, van Es H (2009) Building soils for better crops: sustainable soil management, 3rd edn. Handbook Series 10. SARE Outreach Publications, Brentwood
Marriott EE, Wander MM (2006) Total and labile soil organic matter in organic and conventional farming systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J 70:950–959
Mays N, Brye K, Rom CR, Savin M, Garcia ME (2014) Carbon and nitrogen sequestration in an organically managed apple orchard. HortScience 49:637–644
Mays N, Brye K, Rom CR, Savin M, Garcia ME (2015) Groundcover management system and nutrient source impacts on soil quality indicators in an organically managed apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) orchard in the Ozark Highlands. HortScience 50:1–9
Mulvaney RL (1996) Nitrogen: inorganic forms. Methods of soil analysis, Part 3: Chemical methods. Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, pp 1123–1184
National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) (2015) Organic farming. Results from the 2014 organic survey. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Washington DC, Number ACH12-29. Available at https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2015/2014_Organic_Survey_Highlights.pdf. Accessed 18 Sept 19
National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) (2017) NASS Highlights. 2016 Certified Organic Survey: Sales up 23 Percent. United States Department of Agriculture Publication Washington, DC. Number 2017-6. Available at https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2017/2016_Certified_Organic_Survey_Highlights.pdf. Accessed 18 Sept 19
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2015) Fayetteville Experimental Station, AR. Monthly Climatological Summary. Generated on 09 November 2015
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (2014) Web Soil Survey. Available at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/ (verified 5 October 2015)
Neilsen GH, Hogue EJ, Forge T, Neilsen D (2003) Surface application of mulches and biosolids affect orchard soil properties after 7 years. Can J Soil Sci 83:131–137
Parham JA, Deng SP (2000) Detection, quantification and characterization of β–glucosaminidase activity in soil. Soil Biol Biochem 32:1183–1190
Qian X, Gu J, Sun W, Li Y-D, Fu Q-X, Wang X-J, Gao H (2014) Changes in the soil nutrient levels, enzyme activities, microbial community function, and structure during apple orchard maturation. Appl Soil Ecol 77:18–25
Sanchez JE, Edson CE, Bird GW (2003) Orchard floor and nitrogen management influences soil and water quality and tart cherry yields. J Am Soc Hort Sci 128:277–284
Sánchez EE, Giayetto A, Cichón L, Fernández D, Aruani MC, Curetti M (2007) Cover crops influence soil properties and tree performance in an organic apple (Malus domestica Borkh) orchard in northern Patagonia. Plant Soil 292:193–203
Savin MC, Görres JH, Amador JA (2004) Microbial and microfaunal community dynamics in artificial and Lumbricus terrestris (L.) burrows. Soil Sci Soc Am J 68:116–124
Tabatabai MA (1994) Soil enzymes. In: Doran JW, Jones AJ (eds) Methods of soil analysis, Part 2. Microbiological and biochemical properties, SSSA Special Publication No. 49. SSSA-ASA, Madison, pp 775–833
TerAvest D, Smith J, Carpenter–Boggs L, Granatstein D, Hoagland L, Reganold JP (2011) Soil carbon pools, nitrogen supply, and tree performance under several groundcovers and compost rates in a newly planted apple orchard. HortScience 46:1687–1694
Vance ED, Brookes PC, Jenkinson DS (1987) Microbial biomass measurements in forest soils: the use of the chloroform fumigation–incubation method in strongly acid soils. Soil Biol Biochem 19:697–702
Yao S, Merwin IA, Bird GW, Abawi GS, Thies JE (2005) Orchard floor management practices that maintain vegetative or biomass groundcover stimulate soil microbial activity and alter soil microbial community composition. Plant Soil 271:377–389
Acknowledgements
This project was funded partially through a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant, a Southern SARE Graduate Student Grant GS13-123, the USDA-CSREES Integrated Organic Program, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture HATCH funding, accession 1008028, and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Special thanks goes to Jason McAfee and Heather Friedrich for assisting with sampling efforts and coordinating data collection, and Jeff Velie and Kevin Thompson who were instrumental in assisting in data analysis. Katy Brantley, Suhartono, Kamela Mitchell, Brina Smith, Connie Moloney, Ryan Macleod, Peter Tomlinson, Kyle Asfahl, Tatsuya Akiyama and countless others provided valued sampling, technical assistance, and support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary information
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jones, J., Savin, M.C., Rom, C.R. et al. Soil microbial and nutrient responses over seven years of organic apple orchard maturation. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 118, 23–38 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-020-10080-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-020-10080-y