Effects of the Replacement of Chemical Fertilizers with Organic Fertilizers in Different Proportions on Microbial Biomass and Enzyme Activities of Soil Aggregates in Gravel-Mulched Field

Abstract

Gravel-mulched fields are a unique form of drought-resistant agriculture in the northwest region of China. In recent years, continuous cropping obstacles caused by the perennial cultivation of a single crop have seriously constrained the sustainable development of sand fields. This study aimed to explore the distribution patterns of different particle sizes of aggregates (>2, 1–2, 0.25–1, and <0.25 mm) and the relationships between their microbial biomass and enzyme activities under different organic fertilization and to explore the effective measures for improving soil fertility in a gravel-mulched field with an 8-year positioning test. The results indicate that the mass percentage of soil aggregates of ≥1 mm and their mean weight diameter (MWD), microbial biomass (carbon and nitrogen, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and total phospholipid fatty acids), and their related enzyme activities (leucine aminopeptidase, LAP; N-acetyl-β-d-glucosidase, NAG; β-glucosidase, BG; and polyphenol oxidase, PPO) in aggregates of different particle sizes increased with the increase in the proportion of organic fertilizers replacing the N fertilizer. Among them, the organic fertilizer replacing more than 50% of chemical nitrogen fertilizers exerted the most significant effect. With the decrease in agglomerate particle size, the contents of microbial carbon and nitrogen showed a decreasing trend, whereas LAP, NAG, and BG activities followed an increasing trend, and the change in microbial biomass was not obvious. The correlation analysis showed highly significant positive correlations between the MWD of soil aggregates, microbial biomass, and the activities of LAP, NAG, BG, and PPO. Therefore, the replacement of more than 50% of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer was observed to be conducive to promoting the formation of large aggregates in sandy soils and increasing the microbial biomass and enzyme activities in different sizes of aggregates.