Involvement of soluble organic matter in increased plant growth in solarized soils

Chen, Y.; Katan, J.; Gamliel, A.; Aviad, Tsila; Schnitzer, M.

doi:10.1007/s003740000209

Cited by 67 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…This latter point was also indirectly confirmed by the microbial metabolic quotient (qCO 2 ), which is widely used as a diagnostic indicator of soil disturbance (Bending et al, 2004;Wardle and Ghani, 1995): the increased energy requirements found in solarized soils, either unamended or amended, revealed a typical microbial response to an external disturbance or to a change in the quality of available organic substrates (Sparling, 1997). Interestingly, significant increases in amino acid concentrations in solarized soils were reported by Chen et al (2000), which were however attributed to an increased microbial synthesis promoted by solarization, rather than to a heat-enhanced lysis of microbial cells, as we would suggest from our data. It is well known that the lower the C/N ratio the higher the quality of certain organic substrates (e.g.…”

Section: Soil Organic Matter and Soluble Nutrient Dynamics As Relatedcontrasting

confidence: 67%

“…the microbial biomass, were readily mineralized, thus rendering larger the available fraction of some soil mineral nutrients, namely N and P forms. This would lead, at least over a short-term, to increased plant growth responses and other beneficial changes in the soil environment as reported by many authors (Chen et al, 1991(Chen et al, , 2000Gru¨nz-weig et al, 1999;Ozores-Hampton et al, 2005;Stapleton, 2000). However, it is important to realise that the active fraction of the soil organic matter is the first to be negatively affected by soil solarization, especially when it is practiced over a long period and, as expected, in warmer agricultural lands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Nevertheless, an increased release of soluble nutrients (inorganic N forms, extractable P and K, available cations and dissolved organic matter) due to soil solar heating, and related improved plant growth and yield increase were shown either under field-scale (Chen et al, 2000;Ghini et al, 2003;Salerno et al, 2000;Stapleton et al, 1985;Stevens et al, 1991a) or growthchamber simulated solarization (Gru¨nzweig et al, 1999). Similarly, other field studies relating the impact of solar heating on soil microbial activity and nutrient processes showed that N transformations (ammonification, nitrification) and P mineralization were higher in solarized soils as compared to nonsolarized soils (Stevens et al, 1991b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dynamics as Affected by Solarization Alone or Combined with Organic Amendment

et al. 2006

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Soil solarization, alone or combined with organic amendment, is an increasingly attractive approach for managing soil-borne plant pathogens in agricultural soils. Even though it consists in a relatively mild heating treatment, the increased soil temperature may strongly affect soil microbial processes and nutrients dynamics. This study aimed to investigate the impact of solarization, either with or without addition of farmyard manure, in soil dynamics of various C, N and P pools. Changes in total C, N and P contents and in some functionally-related labile pools (soil microbial biomass C and N, K 2 SO 4 -extractable C and N, basal respiration, KCl-exchangeable ammonium and nitrate, and water-soluble P) were followed across a 72-day field soil solarization experiment carried out during a summer period on a clay loam soil in Southern Italy. Soil physico-chemical properties (temperature, moisture content and pH) were also monitored. The average soil temperature at 8-cm depth in solarized soils approached 55°C as compared to 35°C found in nonsolarized soil. Two-way ANOVA (solarizationÂorganic amendment) showed that both factors significantly affected most of the above variables, being the highest influence exerted by the organic amendment. With no manure addition, solarization did not significantly affect soil total C, N and P pools. Whereas soil pH, microbial biomass and, at a greater extent, K 2 SO 4 -extractable N and KCl-exchangeable ammonium were greatly affected. An increased release of water-soluble P was also found in solarized soils. Yet, solarization altered the quality of soluble organic residues released in soil as it lowered the C-to-N ratio of both soil microbial biomass and K 2 SO 4 -extractable organic substrates. Additionally, in solarized soils the metabolic quotient (qCO 2 ) significantly increased while the microbial biomass C-to-total organic C ratio (microbial quotient) decreased over the whole time course. We argued that soil solarization promoted the mineralization of readily decomposable pools of the native soil organic matter (e.g. the microbial biomass) thus rendering larger, at least over a short-term, the available fraction of some soil mineral nutrients, namely N and P forms. However, over a longer prospective solarization may lead to an over-exploitation of labile organic resources in agricultural soils. Manure addition greatly increased the levels of both total and labile C, N and P pools. Thus, addition of organic amendments could represent an important strategy to protect agricultural lands from excessive soil resources exploitation and to maintain soil fertility while enhancing pest control.

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Section: Soil Organic Matter and Soluble Nutrient Dynamics As Relatedcontrasting

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dynamics as Affected by Solarization Alone or Combined with Organic Amendment

et al. 2006

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“…Over the short term at least, the concentration of some soil mineral nutrients is increased in hot soils (Akhtar and Malik, 2000;Thuriès et al, 2000;, thus potentially enhancing plant growth (Chen et al, 2000). Long-term use of solarization and high doses of organic supplementation to solarized soil can, however, also have negative effects on both plant growth and beneficial soil biota populations (Assaf et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved efficiency of soil solarization for growth and yield of greenhouse tomatoes

Mauromicale¹,

Monaco²,

Longo³

2010

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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-Soil solarization is a pre-planting treatment not based on chemicals, used in hot climates to control weeds and soil-borne pathogens. Its effectiveness has been widely demonstrated, for example, in the USA, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Italy, Mexico, India and Iraq. However, an improvement in efficacy is needed before it can be widely adapted as a commercial practice. Supplementation of the soil with organic matter prior to solarization has been proposed as a management option, but its effectiveness has yet to be confirmed by any systematic study. Therefore, here we carried out a set of experiments in southern Italy over two seasons to study the effect of four levels of organic supplementation of 0, 0.35, 0.70 and 1.05 kg m −2 prior to solarization. Soil temperature and its chemical properties, as well as plant vegetation growth and fruit production were monitored for tomato plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions. Organic supplementation increased the maximum soil temperature achieved through solarization by 3.9• C to 4.7 • C. At 5 cm below the soil surface, a temperature of over 52 • C prevailed for 22 to 23 days when 0.70 kg m −2 organic supplement was incorporated, and for 14 to 13 days in the presence of 0.35 kg m −2 supplement, but this temperature was attained only for one day in the absence of any supplement. Organic supplementation significantly increased the soil concentration of NO − 3 -N, exchangeable K 2 O, Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ and electrical conductivity. Increased available P 2 O 5 and total N at the end of the crop cycle were also associated with supplementation of solarized soil. Plant vegetative growth was improved by supplementation, with crop plant stem diameter enhanced by up to 18%, above-ground vegetative fresh and dry weight by up to, respectively, 53 and 44%, and the number of leaves per plant by up to 16%. As the supplementation rate was raised from 0 to 0.70 kg m −2 , fruit yield was increased by about 70% (from 4.9 to 8.3 kg plant −1 ). Organic matter supplementation may provide the basis for a more favorable sink/source balance for tomato cropping. We conclude that organic supplementation represents a beneficial management measure to increase the effectiveness of soil solarization, and that these results provide encouragement for the future commercial application of this environmentally-friendly technique.soil solarization / organic supplementation / soil properties / tomato / plant growth / fruit yield

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“…Different mechanisms that are not related to pathogen control have been suggested to explain this IGR in disinfested soils: increased micro-and macro-elements in the soil solution (Chen & Katan, 1980;Stapleton et al, 1985;Patricio et al, 2006), elimination of minor pathogens or parasites, destruction of phytotoxic substances in the soil, release of growth-regulator-like substances, and stimulation of mycorrhizae or other benefi cial microorganisms (Chen et al, 1991). In another study, the level of soluble organic substances, that is humic substances, was higher in the solarized soil (Chen et al, 2000). These soluble substances increased the growth of corn plants as well as populations of fl uorescent pseudomonads, indicating an additional mechanism for improved plant growth.…”

Section: Increased Growth Response (Igr) Of Plants In Solarized Soil mentioning

confidence: 94%

Control of Plant Disease through Soil Solarization

Gamliel

Katan

2009

Disease Control in Crops

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Involvement of soluble organic matter in increased plant growth in solarized soils

Cited by 67 publications

References 15 publications

Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dynamics as Affected by Solarization Alone or Combined with Organic Amendment

Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dynamics as Affected by Solarization Alone or Combined with Organic Amendment

Improved efficiency of soil solarization for growth and yield of greenhouse tomatoes

Control of Plant Disease through Soil Solarization

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