Microbiological and biochemical properties of an agricultural Mexican soil amended with sewage sludge

Abstract

SUMMARYThe application of sewage sludge is a concern because it may affect the quality of organic matter and microbiological and biochemical soil properties. The effects of surface application of sewage sludge to an agricultural soil (at 18 and 36 t ha -1 dry basis) were assessed in one maize (Zea mays L.) growing season. The study evaluated microbial biomass, basal respiration and selected enzymatic activities (catalase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase, and β β β β β-glucosidase) 230 days after sewage sludge application and infrared spectroscopy was used to assess the quality of dissolved organic matter and humic acids. Sewage sludge applications increased the band intensity assigned to polysaccharides, carboxylic acids, amides and lignin groups in the soil. The organic matter from the sewage sludge had a significant influence on the soil microbial biomass; nevertheless, at the end of the experiment the equilibrium of the soil microbial biomass (defined as microbial metabolic quotient, qCO 2 ) was recovered. Soil urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity were strongly influenced by sewage sludge applications.Index terms: basal respiration, biosolids, enzymatic activities, metabolic quotient, microbial biomass.(1) Received for publication in August 15, 2011 and approved in July 10, 2012.

Carbon mineralization, biological indicators, and phytotoxicity to assess the impact of urban sewage sludge on two light‐textured soils in a microcosm

“…Several studies have reported on immediate C mineralization after sludge application (Armenta, Vaca, Lugo, & Del Aguila, 2012; Franco‐Otero, Soler‐Rovira, Hernandez, Lopez‐de‐Sa, & Plaza, 2012; Hamdi, Benzarti, Manusadžianas, Aoyama, & Jedidi, 2007b; Obriot et al., 2016) as well as for other exogenous organic matter (Balota, Machineski, & Matos, 2012; Poulsen, Magid, Luxhoi, & De Neergaard, 2013). The same phases of cumulative CO 2 variation with time were previously described; an intense microbial activity during the first 10–16 d of incubation, called the “priming effect,” corresponds to the rapid degradation of easily metabolized substrates already present in soil or brought along with the USS (Zhang, Han, Yu, Wang, & Cheng, 2017).…”

Valorization of Citrus spp. Cultivars cultivated in Sicily for the industrial use of citrus derivatives and in particular for potential alternative uses of essential oils for the enhancement of the island's citrus production

“…to OWW. The higher the dose the greater the increase, at least at 7 incubation days and except for tangerine, it was consistent with previous findings by Roohi et al (2016), Armenta et al (2012), andMojiri (2011) who added to soil untreated textile wastewaters, municipal wastewaters and sewage sludge, respectively. Such MBC increase resulted, for all tested CWWs, in higher values of MBC/TOC ratio, thereby suggesting that some carbon available from added CWWs was incorporated by microorganisms for growth (Anderson and Domsch, 1989) dose.…”

Sewage Sludge as a Tool in Limiting the Content of Trace Elements in Avena sativa L. on the Soil Polluted with Diesel Oil

“…Sewage sludge can be also an alternative to conventional fertilisers [ 32 ]. Fertilisation with sewage sludge has a lasting effect on the microbiological activity in soil’s accumulation layer [ 33 ]; it helps to maintain the right amount of humus in soil and its raises the enzymatic activity of the soil as well as the synthesis of humic acids [ 34 , 35 ]. According to Wyszkowska et al [ 36 ], the bioavailability of trace elements in soils poor in humic acids is much higher.…”